When “Pro Choice” is no longer about Choice.
The church was never meant to be a political organization. In other words, the gospel isn’t advanced by means of politics; it is advanced by the public and personal proclamation of the gospel. I believe this firmly…BUT. But this doesn’t mean that we aren’t called to stand up for justice and righteousness in the world. This doesn’t mean that we cannot speak to the issues that are pressing in our day and age. In fact, we must strive for that which leads to human flourishing, and human flourishing is never brought about by sin. We must stand for what is good, righteous, and just in the world. And this brings us to today’s topic.
The issue of abortion is no small issue in our day and age, and efforts to advance the so-called “right” to have an abortion are advancing, successfully. Sadly, a case out of California draws our attention to the issue where we will see that efforts are being made to remove the choice from what often gets called “pro-choice.”
DISCLAIMER
I want to start out by acknowledging that for some, this may be a difficult topic. It might be especially difficult for those who have had an abortion. If that is you, I want to start out by saying that this isn’t meant to vilify or traumatize you. There is grace in Christ for all sin to those who believe in him and have trusted him for salvation. Though not all sins have the same effects here on earth, all sins are equally forgivable by God. If you have had an abortion in the past, I would encourage you to run to the cross where you will find a God in whom grace abounds. And if you are considering an abortion, we here at Trinity would love to care for you during this time in a way that might help you consider other options.
THE BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
Often we hear statements today like, “Jesus never spoke about…” Often what comes next is abortion, homosexual marriage, etc. This type of reasoning has never been persuasive to me. Since Jesus is God, and since all Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21), then we must understand the whole of Scripture to be the word of God. Therefore, if the Bible speaks on the matter anywhere, then it is Christ who has spoken.
The passage I hear quoted most often in regard to the issue of abortion is Psalm 139, particularly verse 13. It is in this Psalm that David writes of being formed in his mother’s womb and of God forming his inmost parts. This is a helpful verse for sure; however, I think there is another Scripture that often goes ignored on the matter. Exodus 21:22-25 is important.
“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, also that their children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
Here is the law that God gives to Israel through Moses…if a couple of hot-headed guys are fighting, and if in the process of their fight they strike a pregnant woman, then whatever happens to the baby is to happen to men. Eye for eye, the same as anyone would receive. However, we also see that if the baby dies, then it is to be considered murder. “Life for life” God says. In other words, the baby in the mother’s womb is a life. The baby is afforded the same legal protections in utero that a baby which had been born would receive.
There is no question biblically about whether or not an unborn baby is a life. And there is no question biblically about the consequences of taking that life. Abortion, in any case, is wrong.
THE POLITICAL BACKGROUND
It was President Bill Clinton who stated in 1992 that abortion in the US should “belegal, safe, and rare.” Since that statement over 30 years ago, the agenda on abortion has led to anything but being rare. Abortion isn’t safe either. Of course, there are those who will say that the risks to the woman are very low, and this may or may not be true. I’m not in a position to speak of how safe the procedure is for the mother, but I can say that the procedure is dangerous for the baby. And not just dangerous, deadly.
Since Clinton’s statement, and since the landmark Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade before him, the agenda to advance the so-called “pro-choice” agenda has largely seen victory after victory. While the current president, Donald Trump, ran on a pro-life platform in his first presidency, he ran his second presidential bid on a platform of only wanting to return the matter to the states. It seems as though it has become almost impossible to secure a political office if one isn’t “pro-choice” today.
But how much choice is there really in the “pro-choice” movement?
THE ISSUE AT HAND
This brings us to our question for today. On January 30th, the Wall Street Journal ran an opinion piece in their “Houses of Worship” section titled, “California’s Case Against Second Chances”, written by two Catholic Bishops. The article opens with a story:
Elizabeth Barrett, a young college dropout in Southern California, stalled a pill the local abortion clinic had given her—and then, almost immediately after, changed her mind. An online search for advice on how to undo the chemical abortion led her to Heartbeat International, a Christian nonprofit that refers women to licensed doctors for treatment. It worked. Ms. Barrett is the mother of a healthy girl.”
Sadly, the story does not end there. The state of California is now suing Heartbeat International, along with the much smaller organization RealOptions. The statute that they are suing under is California’s commercial fraud statute. California is seeking an injunction and up to $20 million in fines. Sadly, this isn’t the first time that Heartbeat International has been sued. A similar case was taken against them in the state of New York.
California’s attorney general has not received, nor found, a single complaint against Heartbeat or RealOptions. So what then is the goal? It seems like the goal is to shut them up. Because this is a commercial advertising case, if the state of California wins, these groups will not be able to make referrals to doctors anymore. The doctors will still be able to prescribe the medications, but Heartbeat and others will no longer be allowed to refer people to them.
The pro-death culture that we live in is doing its best to make sure that “choice” is no longer afforded to a mother in some situations. This is a sad advancement that should bother us all.
BUT WHAT CAN I DO?
I know that most of us are not in a position to be able to stop this bill. We aren’t doctors, lawyers, or politicians. We are, however, citizens, and Christian ones at that. So here are some of my recommendations…
Understand that your vote has consequences. We have the privilege of living in a country whereby we get to elect our leaders. We have direct culpability for what happens in our nation. So my first challenge would be to understand that your vote has consequences! If “your guy” is anything less than pro-life, then he shouldn’t be your guy. And if you don’t vote, then vote! I think Christians could make an incredible impact on this issue if all the Christians who didn’t vote started voting.
Support life! There are many ways to do this, but I mean more than just writing a check to your local pro-life clinic. Don’t get me wrong, by all means, write the check. But I read an article recently about a Christian lady who met someone who was considering abortion. This woman’s church showed up in amazing ways to help this mom to be able to keep her baby. They threw a baby shower, provided items that the young mom would need, and they celebrated the mom and her baby! The young mom not only had her baby, but surrendered her life to Jesus.
Be known for what you’re for, not only what you are against. The previously mentioned church could have taken an anti-abortion posture towards this young mom. They could have stood up to her against abortion. But they didn’t, instead they took a pro-life posture. They supported this mom, loved this, and loved the baby. Was the young woman married? No. Could the church have stood against that? Yes, and there is time and place for that. But this church understood something true, every baby is a wonderful blessing and someone created in the image of God.
Be connected to people who might need help. If we are going to be people who can make a difference, then we need to be connected to people who need us to make a difference. If all of your places of connection are with other Christians, then get out there somewhere that you can make a difference. Volunteer at your local clinic. Go stand outside a Planned Parenthood and offer additional options to the women walking inside. It’s bold, but it would be beautiful.
Be willing to foster and adopt. I hope and pray that someday abortion will be illegal in America. If that day comes, then a sad reality will follow…there will be babies out there who will be unwanted. We can’t just be anti-abortion, we must be pro-life. And we must be ready to give a home to a child who may not otherwise have one. If that day comes, and I hope it does, it’ll be time for Christians to “put their money where their mouth is.”
Life is valuable. Life is costly. Let’s be a people who are distinctly pro-life.