I get that it is becoming uncomfortable to be pro-life, because laws need to change. It’s been easy for some more progressive voices to say, “Yes, I am pro-life, but what about this….?”
Well, now it’s time to be pro-life, from the womb to the tomb. That includes addressing our unjust laws about abortion, and doing it now.
If you have been lulled into thinking that United States abortion laws are normal, they are not. Abortion laws in America align with a group of only seven nations, all of which are far out of the global mainstream, including North Korea and China. Here’s a Washington Post fact check if you are quick to disbelieve this.
Simply put, don’t believe the drumbeat of the mainstream media that calls, for example, the Mississippi law extreme. It’s similar to the laws in Europe. It is our current laws that are extreme and unjust, and we need to speak up and speak out to change them.
So, how do we move forward?
First, Love Should Mark Believers.
While we seek justice in the fight for the unborn, our motive and our method in doing so should be love. Jesus brought to His followers a new commandment, to love one another (John 13:34). In fact, Jesus said in that verse that we are to love as He loves. Our love must not be confused with hate, and our love should not lead us to a single issue alone, as vital as the abortion issue is. All life matters, and our love for all peoples should compel us to care for them, including those on the wrong side of this issue.
Our Words Matter.
Remember when we used the untimely phrase “social distancing” at the start of the pandemic? We needed to be distanced physically but not socially. It was the wrong word.
We often do that—choose the wrong word for a given issue. Well, “choice” is the wrong term when applied to Roe v. Wade. There are a number of Planned Parenthood groups nationally who planned a “Celebration of Choice.” This highlights the problem with the word “choice.” Too often, it causes women to feel their only option is abortion, and that’s not really the same thing as a choice.
Too many say that a woman—particularly one hard-hit economically and who wonders how she can take care of the baby—has two choices: either figure out a way on her own to raise the child or have an abortion. But this is the logical fallacy of the false dilemma: there are other options available for her and her child. We can also show women the many options for life. The choices are much greater for the woman who chooses life, and the child has all his or her options available when the first choice is life.
As Christians, we and our churches must be increasingly proactive to help with prenatal care, childcare, financial support, mentoring, and information on adoption and other resources.
Change is Coming.
I believe we are seeing a change on the horizon of care toward the unborn. The Supreme Court is more conservative and could make fundamental changes to Roe v. Wade, sending the issue back to individual states. So, if there is no fiftieth anniversary of Roe, we should get ready. Because we’ve got work to do.
