Driving home the other night, I was listening to one of the talk radio stations in the area while they were discussing the pros and cons of the morning after pill. I disagree with the idea of it, but that’s another post entirely. The conversation drifted to whether abortion should even be legal or not.
A man called in to the show and stated that he wasn’t really sure whether he was for or against it. He said that he is a Christian, but considered himself to be pro-choice. When pressed on this, the man remarked that his father and brother are physicians, and that many years ago his father saw countless numbers of young women who had been injured seeking then-illegal abortions.
The comment that struck me came next. He said that he would rather see these young women be able to get their abortions legally than see more of them injured through illegal means.
I made a post last year on my old site (which you could find here if you want to look) where I laid out my case for why even though I believe abortion is wrong, it’s not in my power to stop someone from doing it. Looking back on that view, I would like to correct it.
Abortion is wrong. Deathly wrong.
Abortion is an easy way out of taking responsibility for an issue that we created for ourselves. If you are not ready for the responsibility of taking care of a child, don’t engage in a practice which can produce the child. Those young women who were injured getting illegal abortions refused to accept responsibility for the act they engaged in. If I commit murder, should I not face the consequences? If I steal a car, should I not go to jail? If I have sex, should I not be expected to raise the child that might be produced?
Holding to my previous view allowed me to remove myself from the problem, as if by giving over the choice to someone else it absolved me of responsibility. What goes on around us, in our community, in our families, in our nation, is our responsibility. Don’t agree with me?
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
One day we will all be held accountable for how we treated those around us. Who deserves more protection than a child? My wife and I have a seven year old, six year old, 11 month old, and will have another child in less than two months. As their father, it is my responsibility to take care of them, to provide them shelter, food, clothing. I also must teach them they are responsible to those around them, a task given us by no less authority than Jesus Himself!
So, no more nuanced, mealy-mouth positions on issues. In my early 20s, I was very black and white in my thinking. In my late 20s and early 30s, I allowed a lot of grey to be introduced into it. No more. We must be fully aware of what the Bible says and be willing to be laughed at by those around us for our views. I read a book not long ago that I’ll post about later that really challenged me on these points.
Thoughts?
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