During this election cycle, I watched an advertisement for my state attorney general, who was running for re-election. The ad caught my attention because he labeled those who opposed abortion as “extremists.”
While the debate over abortion has been going on for over 50 years, I had never heard a person, let alone a government official, label pro-lifers as “extremists.” Such a statement from a high-level official should raise our eyebrows.
When did it become extreme to be in favor of protecting and preserving life? Of course, an abortionist would argue that taking away a woman’s “right to choose” is extreme, that forcing her to have a baby she does not want is inhumane. But who really sounds like the extremist — the one who sets out to defend the most innocent of us all, or the one who is willing to sacrifice her own child to accommodate her lifestyle?
Interestingly, one can also observe the politically correct language employed by those in favor of abortion. The term “abortion” is politically correct in and of itself; now we hear such terms as “reproductive rights” and “reproductive justice.”
I will be blunt. If women can choose to barbarically murder their unborn children, why is it hard for them to say “I want to kill the child I am carrying”? Could it be that by uttering those words the conscience is pricked, indicating that this is an evil act? Regardless of how you define the procedure, it is murdering a beautiful creature made in the image and likeness of God.
There are those who use ectopic pregnancies as a reason to support abortion. However, this is a smokescreen. Ectopic pregnancies are incredibly rare (1 to 2 percent of all pregnancies). And while it is true that this type of pregnancy does pose a grave danger to the mother, equating saving the mother’s life with intentionally murdering a child to avoid inconveniencing the mother (as is the case in most abortions) is comparing apples to oranges.
In short, there is no physical threat to the mother in the overwhelming majority of abortions. It is actually the inverse; the mother becomes a threat to the baby by premeditating and planning his or her death.
Still others who advocate for abortion refer to cases of unwanted pregnancies stemming from rape as a viable reason to murder the unborn. Before I proceed, let me make this clear: It is horrible for a woman, created in the image and likeness of God, to endure such a traumatic, evil event. Secondly, in my view, the person guilty of that crime should receive the death penalty. However, the baby should not; the baby is innocent.
Surprisingly, some studies have shown that up to 73 percent of women who become pregnant due to rape actually keep the child. Moreover, the option to put the baby up for adoption is available for moms who do not want to keep the child. There are plenty of families that would love to adopt a newborn baby.
Furthermore, when abortion advocates use rape, or any other reason, to justify murdering children, they ignore the trauma associated with the abortion itself. There is ongoing guilt from that event that may lead to mental disorders. Even more disturbing is the heightened incidence of suicide in these women.
In the writer’s view, a core reason for these mental health struggles is that every woman has a conscience. It does not matter how we attempt to justify murdering a child — it will always be wrong. Suppressing the truth in unrighteousness leads to greater pain, delusion and a seared conscience (Romans 1:18, 1 Timothy 4:2). The more one attempts to convince oneself that abortion is justifiable, the more damage is done to the conscience.
May we continue to advocate for the unborn, share the truth, and ask for God’s intervention to stop this evil that has claimed millions of lives.
And may women who have committed this act (and the men who have supported their decision to do so) be encouraged; there is forgiveness and healing in Jesus Christ. He promises to separate us from our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). May you repent of this grievous sin and be forgiven, healed and restored in Christ.
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