This is my 3rd entry continuing the "humanity of the unborn" thread.

     As you are all aware, this year is an election year and come November, we have the opportunity to cast our vote for what we believe to be important.  Most of us don't hold positions of great influence, but here in America, we all get the chance to vote.  That fact adds a little urgency to my message.  That adds to the reasons I feel compelled to write.

     I've heard many in the public forum say that they support a woman's right to choose an abortion, but they would like to take steps to reduced the number of abortions that occur in America.  I can see why people would say this.  "Abortions are very common. In fact, more than 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old."      ( http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.htm )  However, this faulty thinking bothers me.  It sounds good, but really makes no sense at all.  If abortion is not wrong, why bother limiting or reducing it?  If it's a good thing, why place restrictions on it?  If it's wrong, why tolerate it all?  Essentially, when I hear someone say that I think one of two things.  Either they suspect it's wrong, but are too cowardly to upset the status quo, or they're simply trying to appease people on both sides and therefore not really standing up for anything.

     We are studying American History, part 2 this year and are just getting into the start of the Civil War.  We just finished reading an excellent book on William Wilberforce, the man credited with pursuing (for 45 years) and winning the abolition of slavery in England through politics rather than war.  For years, there were efforts avoid the abolition of slavery by merely limiting it instead.  People and politicians were unwilling to let go of what was culturally and financially comfortable, no matter how despicable and inhumane that practice was.   On April 2, 1792, Wilberforce presented a speech to Parliament and again moved to abolish the Slave Trade.  One of the senior members responded that he agreed with Wilberforce's goals, but they should achieve those goals by regulating, not abolishing the trade.  He proposed to breed rather than capture slaves, educate their children, and improve living conditions.  He appealed to the moderates to avoid extremes of abolishing slavery altogether, or allowing it continue as it was.  Instead, he proposed the moderate thing to do was to allow slavery to continue, but regulate it more closely.  (Sound familiar?)  George Fox was outraged and gave this reply, "The idea of 'moderation' in the Slave Trade, reminds me of Middleton's comment:  'To break open a man's house and kill him, his wife, and his family in the night is certainly a heinous crime, but even this may be done with moderation,' . . . 'Moderation' in atrocity, in robbery and murder, in the pillage and destruction of a country!  The real question is not whether that execrable [hateful, cursed] Trade requires regulation, but whether it is fit to be continued at all!"  And what about America?  What about now?  How long will we quibble over regulating how and when murder ought to be allowed, before we are finally disgusted with the whole evil practice and abolish it altogether?      (information for this paragraph taken from William Wilberforce:  God's Politician, by John Holzmann, 1997; can be purchased from https://www.sonlight.com/4H35.html )

     I was quite surprised to hear one of our presidential candidates respond to a question about abortion by saying the issue was above his pay-grade.  On one hand, that's the most pathetic excuse for a straight answer from someone hoping to become the next leader of the free world many have ever heard.  On the other hand, he's absolutely right!  The decision of who should live and who should die is above our pay-grade.  The decision belongs to God alone and He is clear.  Make no mistake, God is not indifferent on the issue of abortion.  He cares and He's already told us what He thinks.  Several Scriptures reference the fact that unborn babies are humans too; known, loved and treasured by God.  One of my personal favorites is Psalm 139:13-16.

 13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

There is also Jeremiah 1:4-5.

4 The word of the LORD came to me [Jeremiah], saying,

 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
       before you were born I set you apart;
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Not only did God know Jeremiah in his mother's womb, but He already had is future career picked out for him as well. 

     In addition to naming unborn babies as persons, God has also told us that murder is wrong.  The Ten Commandments are an obvious reference here.  Prior to that, in Genesis 9:6, God condemns the shedding of innocent blood because humans are made in the image of God.  So, if a person is going to admit that a decision is above his pay-grade, shouldn't he should at least agree with what that higher pay-grade has said?

     In my way of thinking, few, if any, issues in American politics today are more important than what we decide about the issue of abortion.  Let me give an example.  Here's a hypothetical election that never historically took place, except in my imagination.  (Don't look for parallels with current candidates, because they aren't there.)  Suppose we are approaching an election during Nazi Germany, and we have a choice: 

1.   One of the candidates is not well-spoken, and some question his experience.  I don't agree with his tax policy or health care and his lack of concern for our environment concerns me.  But . . . he promises to do all he can to get rid of the inhumane concentration camps. 

2.  On the other side, Hitler is the other candidate running for office.  He's energetic and a smooth-talker.  He's got a great energy plan and wants to cut taxes.  But . . . he will continue to select certain individuals he deems unworthy of being treated as humans (due to age or "defect" or inconvenience to society) and torture and kill them. 

     Who would you choose?  Would you think to yourself, "Well, I want lower gas prices and taxes and better health care and environment, so I'll just overlook the messy concentration camp business?"  It's so easy for us to sit here now and judge people from another country and another time and condemn them for allowing such atrocities to go on in their own neighborhoods.  But yet, we are doing the very same thing!!  It's not Jewish people who are victims this time.  It's children who haven't even been born yet and their mothers.  But the principle is the same!  Who are we to select certain individuals and decide whether they're worthy to live or not?

     My eldest daughter was born with a cleft palate.  I have so often been grieved to hear of parents who chose to abort a child because of a cleft or some similar "defect".  We're not talking about some nameless, faceless child somewhere out there.  We're talking about my Abby here!  Think of what blessings I would have missed out on!  How foolish to throw away the gift because the paper it was wrapped in was different than you expected.  In my current pregnancy, a blood test (known for being inaccurate) indicated a slightly higher risk for Trisomy 18 and I was offered an amnio to "know for certain" if the baby had unusual genes so that I could make a decision about "interrupting the pregnancy."  Notice the slick terminology attempting to hide what is really being suggested.  It disgusts me.  I informed my doctor that I would rather gain peace from God (the only One who can give it), instead of from a faulty medical test.  When he apologized for not being able to guarantee me a healthy baby, I told him we have no guarantees.  Even babies who are born totally healthy may suffer disease or injury at anytime in their lives.  That doesn't mean we throw the child away because we don't feel strong enough to deal with it. 

     A lady came to our house last weekend to encourage support for a particular presidential candidate.  My husband kindly informed her that "we vote pro-life'.  Her response was that abortion wasn't a big issue this year and she was glad that we, as a country, have "gotten past that".  I couldn't disagree more.  It's a huge issue and we will never get past it until we do away with it.  I don't want to get past it until we get it right.  Regardless of what other issues are at stake, I just can't in good conscience vote for someone who thinks that killing babies is okay or should be left to the mother's discretion.

     So What about you?  Do you believe that my Timothy was a real person, due the same rights as any other American?  Or do you just feel sorry for me, grieving so hard over the loss of the equivalent of a tumor?  Will your beliefs influence how you live and the way you vote?  Or will you pat me on the back and say you believe he was human and then turn around and cast your vote for more children like him to have life snatched from them?    As I said earlier.  God is not indifferent.  Our country won't be allowed to get away with such a blatant disregard for God's created life forever.  At some point, we must change or He may bring about change for us in ways we probably won't like.  Someday, we will all stand before God Himself and then our excuses for why we failed to step in and protect the littlest ones will suddenly seem very insignificant to us. 

     This is all I have to say on this topic for now.  After quenching these thoughts for several months, I've finally mustered the courage to lay it all out.  If you've stuck with me through all three posts, thanks for listening and considering what I've said.  The pressure within me has been released and I now feel free to discuss other topics again.  Whether you agree with me or not, it is my hope that you are aware that the God who created this universe loves you more than you will ever know.