Abortion. I hate it. The very word is abhorrent. I don’t know of anyone who is “for” abortion. Even if you took the human life question out of it, it’s still an invasive procedure. Who could be “for” that? (The term “pro-abortion” should be stricken from our vocabulary…no one in their right mind is “pro-abortion.”)
But that’s not why I hate abortion. Over the past 30 years as a counselor I have encountered many women who had an abortion. Every one of them has some degree of regret and most have abiding anguish, some even decades after the procedure. No one is the same after terminating a pregnancy by abortion.
Still (and here’s where many of you will stop reading), I am against any law that would prohibit a woman from ending her pregnancy, if she so chooses. I guess you would call me “pro-choice.” Here’s why…
No one can write a law that would keep anyone from doing what they really want to do. The prohibition era proved that people will find a way to get what they want, no matter the consequences. A young lady who finds herself pregnant and fearing repercussions from an angry father, for example, will find a way to end her pregnancy. And that’s the problem…if abortions were illegal, safe clinics would be closed and back alley clinics would spring up like weeds. Or, a young lady would attempt to end the pregnancy herself with the help of a coat hanger or crochet needle…a standard method before Roe v. Wade.
There are other personal reasons that push me toward my position on abortion. Without going into detail here, I quickly list a few.
- I believe in letting a young lady who feels she made a mistake by getting pregnant to start over.
- Not every woman who gets pregnant is able to care for a baby; yet, she would be urged to try, to the possible detriment of the child.
- Religion’s hard “pro-life” stance has shut the door for connecting with many young women who find themselves pregnant against their wishes. More tragic than a woman getting an abortion is a woman never knowing God, yet so many in that situation will never turn to religious people for support, help or direction.
- An aborted fetus, if it is indeed a person with a soul (when that occurs is still a mystery to me), would go right to the arms of Jesus. The same might not be true for the mother. Shouldn’t our efforts as people of God be directed primarily at connecting with, loving and counseling those adults whose eternal life is threatened?
Too many people of faith have made abortionists and homosexuals targets at which they hurl their most vehement expressions (i.e. “God hates fags.”). What kind of impression does this make on non-believers? Who would want to know a God whose children behave like this?
This has prompted me to go out of my way to defend, in the name of God, any person at odds with “religion.” While not condoning whatever sins they may carry, I stand on the side of those with whom Jesus preferred to associate, hoping that they would also stand on the side of this sinner.
I’ve also heard someone say recently that abortion is primarily an economic decision — not a moral one. A strong economy and assistance for those most at risk to end a pregnancy do as much to curb abortion as reversing Roe v. Wade, without creating a “black market” for dirty and illegal abortions.
Will Samson, a former Republican operative, is supporting Obama and blogged about his pro-life stance here. There’s a good discussion about abortion as a result.
Great blog, dad!
By: smhjr on October 3, 2008
at 9:01 am
smhjr: Thanks for your comment and the link to Will Samson’s blog. I think he presents a compelling case for Obama.
One thing I should have included in the blog above is the apparant inconsistency of many pro-lifers’ support of the wars we are waging in Iraq and Afganistan. I hear precious little protest from those who shout against the evils of abortion concerning the thousands of deaths our government is responsible for in these regions. Just a week or so ago, the US accidentally bombed and killed 90 civilian men, women and children. Who knows how many other such atrocities go unreported. Where is the outrage?
By: Steve Holt Sr. on October 4, 2008
at 10:05 am
Who, indeed, would want to know a God whose children behave like this? Not me. I don’t have a very good religious education (long story there) but I can discern right from wrong. And, as I wrote in my recent post, Sarah Palin is just plain wrong. I do know the truth of your words regarding abortion – they are so spot on. I have had two girlfriends who had to make the difficult decision of aborting a pregnancy and both suffered terribly because of that decision. You are a wise, compassionate person, to be able to write these thoughts. I wish there were many more Christians like you! Perhaps there are – but their wise counsel is being drowned out by the shrill noise of the likes of Palin.
By: Jeff on October 8, 2008
at 9:05 pm
I also think people are scared out of even considering the pro-choice option. Churches and political parties throw around words like “murder” and “sin” and people take those words as if they were in the Bible or something. But I think people are coming to realize that pro-choice and pro-abortion are not terms that should even be used in the same sentence. I don’t know anyone who is pro-abortion, even people who have abortions.
Good post, Dad!
By: Mitch on October 10, 2008
at 1:01 pm
I think you’re right, Mitch. People are scared to be labeled.
On a related note, there’s a conservative candidate running for office in Mississippi who closes his political TV ads with, “I’m pro gun and pro life!” Talk about a contradiction. Guns are made to kill. How can one truthfully be both pro life and pro death?
By: Steve Holt Sr. on October 16, 2008
at 6:28 pm