This is the second installment of my "humanity of the unborn" blog. 

     I am continually amazed at the number of people and politicians I hear go on about how preventing abortion is equivalent to violating women's rights to make decisions regarding her own body.  First of all, the issue has nothing to do with her body.  It's her baby's body (and therefore his/her very life), that concerns me.  Secondly, she already exercised her right to do whatever she wants with her own body when she engaged in actions to become pregnant in the first place. (Rape is the obvious exception here, which accounts for only 1% of all abortions in the U.S.  The overwhelming majority of abortions, as much as 95%, are for "birth control".)  What she is actually trying to do is remove unwanted consequences of her freedoms she already exercised.

     That being said, the main reason why this whole "women's right" thing concerns me is because they've got it all backwards.  They tell women this a liberating action when it is actually an enslaving action.  Abortion is not good for the woman, but she is lied to and not given the truth; and that is where the real violation of her rights takes place.  Just as there are physical laws that govern our universe, there are spiritual laws as well.  If I tried to live my life as though gravity had no effect on me, I would lead a foolish life and be hurt an awful lot.  When we try to live as though God's laws are just suggestions for a few people and don't really apply to us, we live foolish lives and get hurt a lot.  Legal or not, no mother can kill her own child and get away with it forever.  I've read stories of poor desperate women who are haunted and tormented for years and even decades following an abortion.  How many women do you think are told that as one of the potential "side effects" or "complications" of having an abortion.  It wasn't listed on the Planned Parenthood website I checked out.

     I reviewed several sources to find out the number of abortions since Roe v. Wade.  No one has an exact figure, all are estimations and there are probably many unreported cases as well.  I found sources citing >46 million, >48 million, and >52 million.  I'll do like they do in the Olympics and throw out the high and the low.  Let's say there have been 48 million babies aborted since 1973.  As awful as that is, we need to double it.  The casualties are doubled because the mother is a victim too.  She's been lied to and because she was young or scared or immature or had few resources or just didn't know any better--she bought the lie.  And the untold story is that she will be paying for believing that lie for a very long time.

     Considering how common abortion is, I realize it's very likely that there's a woman reading this right now who has had an abortion.  I'd like to speak to you now.  My goal here is not to judge or condemn anyone.  I haven't walked a mile in your shoes, and I know nothing of your particular situation.  What I do know is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We have all made poor choices, taken wrong turns, faltered and stumbled, and been mislead down wayward paths.  We are all in need of abundant grace.  Whatever our troubles, or difficulties, or frailties may be, there is only one answer.  Help, healing, and guidance can only be found in Jesus and His mercy is more than enough to take care of our needs and shortcomings.  He alone can heal our wounds.  He knows that we are but dust.  He came not to condemn us, but to save us.  And that's not just Christianese mumbo jumbo.  That's what Truth really is.

     My situation is somewhat different than what we are talking about here.  I wanted my baby and didn't have an abortion.  However, since the cause of Timothy's death was never determined, I have had ample opportunity to blame myself, wonder if I accidentally caused his death, and receive comments from others with similar wonderings.  Even though I had no intention of causing my son's death, I've still had to take my own haunting thoughts and tormenting emotions to the only One who can calm the storm in me.  I know He can bring healing where no one and nothing else can.

     Criticizing and judging the women involved in these desperate life and death decisions in not helpful at all.  We need to reach out to women who are faced with a situation that is too big for them to handle alone.  We need to come along side them with practical, physical, emotional, and spiritual help.  Having babies is challenging, raising babies is hard work, relinquishing a child for adoption is difficult.  There are no easy answers, women need our help--not our condemnation, and certainly not our lies.  We don't need to attack abortion clinics.  We need to give women baby showers, a place to stay, medical help, adoption assistance, birth preparation, parent training, or whatever they need to choose life for their babies and cause the abortion clinics to become obsolete.

     I want to reiterate what I said in my last post.  This really isn't what I want to be talking about, but I can't remain silent any longer.  I am somewhat relieved to know that no one is under any obligation to read anything I write.  If I've expressed myself poorly and been offensive, you are free to read something else.  I believe that God is asking me to write this for a reason and there must be someone out there who needs to hear it.  I pray that God will lead that person here at just the right time.  I have one more post to write on this topic, and then I'll move on.  Thanks for listening to my heart.