The recent Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case which rightfully struck down the Court's previous ruling in Roe v. Wade has exacerbated the debate over abortion in our country. I continue to hear the arguments being made to justify abortion and find them all unconvincing. The reasons for which follow in my responses to five of the most common of the arguments typically made for the killing of tiny babies in the comfort of their mother's womb.
Argument #1: A Woman Has the Right to Choose What She Wants to Do with Her Body
Response: The problem with this line of thinking when it comes to the issue of abortion is that the child in her womb is not a part of her body. He or she is not an appendage to the woman like an arm or a leg. In fact, the baby has his or her own life and body with a separate DNA and heartbeat. The baby may not even have the same blood type as the mother or be the same gender for that matter. I heard somewhere that the woman's body should recognize the baby as a foreign object but a hormone or something prevents the body from rejecting him or her and the T-cells (the immune cells which attack and destroy anything foreign) from attacking the baby. The child, being a separate being him or herself, just takes up residence in his or her mother's womb until the time of delivery.
In a real sense, with abortion, a woman is not choosing what she does with her body but that of another's. She in essence is taking away any choice the child inside of her could ever have. Perhaps, it should be questioned then just how "pro-choice" such a position actually is since one person's choice trumps another person's choice. In each and ever abortion, there is a boy or girl who has all of their choices taken away.
Argument #2: In the Case of Pregnancies Due to Rape and Incest, a Woman Should Have the Right to Choose to End the Pregnancy (i. e. Kill the Child Who Has Been Conceived) Because She Did Not Choose To Become Pregnant in the First Place and It Would Be Too Much to Expect Her Emotionally to Bear and Raise Such a Child, Knowing Who the Father is and How the Child was Produced.
Response: One evil act does not justify another one. While the rape and incest were clearly wrong and sinful, it is also wrong and sinful to murder. Both violate God's clear commandments. And just as it would be wrong to punish the woman for what has been done to her, the child should not be punished by death for crimes which he or she did not commit. It wasn't the child's fault for what had tragically happened to his or her mother. Now, you may say this is not viewed as a punishment for the child and really has nothing to do with the child at all. It is all about the mother and what she will have to go through if she continues with the pregnancy. However, like it or not, there is now another individual affected by what the mother does as a result of what has happened to her. She cannot choose to make a decision that has no effect on the child who has already formed and begun to develop in her womb. The child will be impacted by whether she goes through with the pregnancy or seeks to terminate it, destroying the life inside her.
While it very well may be difficult emotionally for a woman in such a situation, she can choose life for her child. Abortion does not, and should not, be an option for her. There are so many couples out there who would love to have a child and be glad to take care of him or her as their very own and several pregnancy centers and churches available to minister and help such a woman through a difficult pregnancy. And there are a number of times where a woman winds up falling in love with her child when she lays her eyes on him or her the first time and discovers that life to be a blessing, regardless of how it came about.
We need to keep in mind as well that, in the midst of the inexcusable evil that had been done, God still permitted the conception to occur and had begun to knit together a child in the womb (Psalm 139:13-14). And God, praise Him, specializes in bringing the greatest good from the worst of evils. As I previously mentioned, that child could wind up turning into a wonderful blessing for that mother or serve as the answer to the prayers for a couple who has been longing to have children but are unable to conceive.
Argument #3: In Situations Where a Child May Not Have the Most Ideal Conditions to Be Raised or Where He or She Will Face Difficulties Without the Greatest Quality of Life, An Abortion Could Spare Them From Such.
Response: We really have no idea what kind of life a child will wind up having and how he or she will turn out as a result of it. There is no crystal ball that we can look through to show us. Not knowing the future with any certainty, wouldn't it be best to allow the child the opportunity and right to live regardless of the circumstances which he or she may face? Shouldn't they at least be given a chance? How can such justify murdering them? Wouldn't it be better for us to focus on how we can work for them to have better conditions to grow and develop in rather than take their life with no opportunity to see what may happen?
I see this also as being no reason to kill someone. The same can be said for the elderly person who doesn't have what we may deem the best quality of life. Who are we to determine that? The giving of life and taking away of it is God's prerogative, not ours (Job 1:21; 12:10; 33:4; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6). And that is true of the child in the womb as well as grandma fast in bed in the nursing home.
Argument #4: A Woman's Life May Be in Danger With the Pregnancy and She Might Not Survive. An Abortion Could Save the Mother's Life.
Response: First, the aim of doctors and medical professionals are to do all that they can do to save BOTH the mother and the child in the case of something which may be life threatening to either one of them. And we live in a day and age now of such advance technology and knowledge that it is very rare where a child would have to be killed in order to save the mother from death. It is not a common occurrence at all and should not be used as an argument for the practice of abortion any more than the fact that some few children are born without clear genitalia would mean that someone can mutilate his or her body due to issues he or she has with the way that God created him or her. The occasional exceptions do not set the rule but prove it. Former U. S. Surgeon General Everett Koop once testified that "In my 36 years in pediatric surgery I have never known of one instance where the child had to be aborted to save the mother's life."
I have seen some women speak in favor of getting an abortion because they do not even want to risk their own life in the pregnancy. To put it bluntly, that is selfish and unloving. It is to place the concern of oneself over that of another. The very model for love that we have been given is that of the Lord Jesus Christ who willingly gave of His own life so that His people may have life in Him. Parents ought to be willing to lay down their own lives for their children, both figuratively and literally if necessary. In so doing, we demonstrate the love that Christ has for His church. In fact, abortion has even been referred to as the "evil reverse image of the gospel." "Instead of 'I'll die for you,' it says, 'You die for me.'"
And ectopic pregnancies, D and C where the baby has already died, and procedures for natural miscarriages where a heartbeat is not found are not considered to be abortions so they should stop being used as talking points in support of it. The outlawing of abortion has no bearing whatsoever for these procedures.
Argument #5: A Woman Should Not Have to Deal With An Unwanted Pregnancy
Response: Probably one of the most popular reasons for an abortion is due to the pregnancy being unwanted or unplanned. It is a convenient way to seek to undo what has been done. And while some may try to claim that abortion does not serve as a form of birth control, the very fact that so many men are seeking to have vasectomies right now and young women their tubes tied as a result of the Supreme Court's recent decision reveals otherwise. It often is a case of not wanting to take responsibility for one's actions.
A pregnancy of course can be prevented where a child who has been conceived does not have to be killed. And things always go best when one follows God's good and wise prescription to practice abstinence until marriage where the sexual relationship is designed to be a loving expression and symbol of the love and unity of a husband and wife. Furthermore, I think that every married couple ought to be open to the possibility of children and view them as a gracious gift from God to be embraced and loved rather than a burden to be avoided. As Psalm 127:3-5 puts it, "Behold, children are an inheritance of Yahweh, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with enemies in the gate." As a father of two boys currently, I can attest to the blessing they are to me and I would not trade them in for anything. I cannot imagine my life without them at the moment and they are definitely worth any sacrifice required. Personally, I say to you that you will be missing out if you choose not to have children or want to label them as an inconvenience.
And if every unwanted and unplanned pregnancy were ended, we would certainly be hurting as a society since it would have robbed us of a number of important figures who have made a difference in our history. Thankfully, due to moms who wisely choose life, we have been blessed by God's common grace by a number of men and women who the ramifications of their lives still can be felt today. Abortion not only robs a child of his or her life but also of the potential of what could be done in their life.
We also need to remember that with God, there really is no such thing as an "unplanned" pregnancy. (Please stop sharing that meme speaking of the one "unplanned" pregnancy that saved the world in reference to Jesus' birth. That birth was planned and orchestrated from before the very foundation of the world!) In God's sovereignty, He allows every conception to occur and so there must be a purpose for it. The question for us is whether we will accept His plan with the child or reject it. An unwanted or unplanned pregnancy according to us is never a reason to kill a child.
Try as someone may, there is no argument that can justify the murder of a small little child. God has not given anyone the right to murder the very one which He has fashioned and designed in the womb and which bears His image. There are no "ifs," "ands," or "buts" to this point either. Every life is a precious gift from God and should be received such. We are called to do all that we can to protect and preserve life, not destroy and end it. May God open up blind eyes to see the precious value and worth of every life that God has given.
Love in Christ,
Lee
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