By Dillon Schupp
The issue of abortion is back, and it is front and center in the realm of politics. The most notable current event is former Vice President turned presidential candidate Joe Biden announcing that- like all the other Democratic presidential candidates- favors repealing the Hyde Amendment, which restricts and mostly eliminates the use of taxpayer funds for abortions.
Furthermore, with an aging Ruth Bader Ginsburg currently as the fourth liberal on the Supreme Court and several states (such as Alabama) seeking to or passing restrictions on abortion, the survival of Roe v. Wade (the court case that legalized abortion) will certainly be front and center as we enter the next 16-18 months of the never-ending presidential campaign.
The political chatter aside, the issue of abortion is one the church must speak up on. Just like issues of race, immigration, poverty, and so on, abortion is a human rights issue. It is an issue of justice- particularly because the object of abortion- an unborn child- has no way to speak for themselves.
The life of an unborn child is precious to God. Passages like Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5 make this clear.
However, today we’re not going over the theology of why an unborn child deserves protection.
We’re going to address how the Church has talked about abortion- and why it needs to change.
“ABORTION IS MURDER!”
This is often the leading argument from pro-life circles in some form. Similar statements, such as “Abortion kills children” communicate the same idea. Arguments, some of which are theological in nature, that point to life beginning at conception tend to often drive at the same idea using the following logic: if an unborn child is a person, and that person is intentionally killed, it is murder.”
From a standpoint of logic and law, that may be right.
But is it really the best we can do? I don’t think so.
We create a tremendous problem in advocating for the rights of an unborn child when this is our lead-in. And it’s no wonder why:
This argument labels, whether intentionally or not, every woman who has had an abortion as a murderer.
And we wonder why there is often such backlash. We’ve slapped a scarlet “M” on every woman who has had an abortion.
This doesn’t fuel self-reflection or remorse or even a desire to change. It fuels guilt at best- and- more likely- resistance at worse.
Think about it: If someone comes up and called you a nasty name, would you just accept it…or would you fight back? Obviously, the answer is fight back.
I wonder if, on the pro-life side of things, we have created much of the resistance on the other side by our leading line? We would do well to remember that it is God’s kindness– not His anger or wrath- that leads us to repentance.
We’ve often acted as if we believe judgment is going to change minds- when reality is that judgment from anyone doesn’t change minds; it hardens hearts.
What breaks down walls will not be our scientific logic or our insistence that abortion is murder.
We need a new approach.
THERE ARE TWO VICTIMS OF EVERY ABORTION
When a woman chooses to have an abortion, it is important to remember that there are two victims.
The first is the unborn child.
But the second is the mother.
While there may be exceptions, where the woman may know exactly what she is doing, I believe in the overwhelming majority of cases the woman is not the perpetrator of an abortion. She is the victim.
Understanding this will change the way we relate to women who have had abortions, and- I believe- will also lead us to greater moral authority on the issue of abortion.
First off- the woman is often the victim of a non-existent support system.
Nearly two-thirds of women who have abortions are below 200% of the poverty line.*
Nearly half of women who have had abortions cited relationship concerns or being a single parent as reasons for their abortion.*
Two-thirds of women who have had abortions cited concern over their ability to take care of other dependents (children they already had) and this an inability to take care of another child as a reason for their abortion.*
To sum up:
In the in-depth interviews, the language women used suggests that abortion was not something they desired; instead, these women were deciding not to have a child at this time. Facing unintended pregnancies, they clearly understood the implications of having a child (most of them firsthand) and were aware of their options. They saw not having a child as their best (and sometimes only) option.*
Put simply, when a woman has an abortion, it is often because she feels she has no other alternative.
This is often the reason people engage in all sorts of unhealthy behavior, particularly in regard to things like theft and prostitution: it is because they feel they have no other choice.
Now, we can quibble all day over “Well, they do have a choice,” but for many people, their perception is their reality- and it shapes their decisions.
We don’t need to be shaming women who have had abortions. We need to be asking how we, as Christians, and as the local church, can come alongside women with unexpected pregnancies and support them personally, socially, and economically.
Second- the woman who has an abortion is the victim of a deceptive abortion-industry cash cow.
It boggles my mind as to why I have never seen any pro-life leader take up this argument.
There is a reason abortion clinics do not give pregnant women all their options.
There is a reason organizations like Planned Parenthood gloss over the emotional toll abortion takes on women.
It starts with “M” and rhymes with “sunny.”
Money.
In 2013, the abortion industry raked on $3 BILLION in profits.**
That’s a lot of money at stake.
It’s simple. If I’m an abortionist and I get paid to provide abortions, my job security rests on abortions being regular and consistent- not “safe and rare.”
In other words, the abortion industry has every motive to gloss over the humanity and personhood of the unborn child, instead choosing the term “fetus” or calling it “just a clump of cells.” They have ever reason to not tell the mother about the regret that roughly one quarter of women feel after two years of their abortion.+
According to former abortionist Carol Everett, abortion “counsellors are really telemarketers who are trained to “overcome objections” and close the deal by making an appointment for an abortion…They are trained to reassure the pregnant girl by saying things such as, “We can take care of the problem,” and “No one needs to know.””^
Any time money becomes THE consideration in something, things like compassion, truth, honesty, and the like go out the window- and it all becomes about closing the sale.
This is it makes sense that the abortion industry opposes common-sense regulations like being licensed as an ambulatory surgical clinic. It cuts into profits.
It is not a stretch to say the abortion industry preys on women who feel like they have no options.
SO NOW WHAT?
Instead of focusing on “abortion is murder”, I would suggest the following.
First, let’s make sure we are overwhelmingly compassionate and gracious to women who have had abortions. Was their choice wrong? Yes. But heaping condemnation and judgment on them is not going to change their choice. What they need is our love, mercy, and compassion- not our judgment.
Second, let’s make sure we are there to support women who have unplanned pregnancies. And while, as individuals, we cannot be there for everyone- we can be there for the ones closest to us.
We can be there for the teenager at church who found out she was pregnant.
We can provide financial support for the single mom of three kids who is struggling to make ends meet…and just found out she is pregnant again.
We can even offer adoption as a way to give a child at chance at living a difference-making life.
Too often we focus on the circumstances surrounding a pregnancy- and not enough on what we can do to give the child and the mom a chance at a thriving life in the aftermath of it. Let’s focus on that, specifically when it comes to those close to us.
Third, let’s get close, as Christians, to communities that are underprivileged. This is where the issue so often pops up. We can’t help when we aren’t present. But when we are a presence and we have relationships, THAT is when we can truly be of service.
Fourth, let’s call the abortion industry what it is: an evil, wicked, vulture of an organization that preys on women who feel they have no options. And it does this in an exceptionally harmful way to minority communities.
We have the moral authority because we’re not in it for the cash. The abortion industry can never say with credibility that money is not a factor. Whereas we are in this debate to give the mother a life with no regrets- and the child a chance at life.
Finally, let’s advocate like crazy for adoption.
I wonder how much simpler adoption would be if we advocated for adoption like we do against abortion.
Let’s take it a step further: I believe we would be much better off if we, as the Church, were known more for being FOR adoption than AGAINST abortion.
Can you imagine the difference that might make?
I know of so many couples would would love to adopt. But it is difficult. There is red tape. And it is often prohibitively expensive.
But what if we advocated for a simple and less expensive adoption system? What if we did that with the passion with which we advocate against abortion?
I think that just might change things.
And interestingly enough, I think pushing for adoption in the political process- rather than against abortion- would unmask the abortion industry for what it is.
If you are against giving every child the chance at “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”- and the chance for the mother, even if she gives the child up for adoption, to know her child has a chance- and would rather advocate for their termination- then are you really about the child? Are you really about the mother? Or are you just about your money?
Let’s change the way we talk and the actions we take regarding abortion. It just might make a difference.
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FOOTNOTES
+https://www.care-net.org/abundant-life-blog/researchers-discover-abortion-regret-is-not-a-myth
**IBISWorld. Son, A. (2013). Family Planning & Abortion Clinics in the US. IBISWorld Industry Report 62141, August 2013.
^https://www.wcr.ab.ca/This-Week/Stories/entryid/5501
This post originally appeared at dillonschupp.com.