Since nearly the beginning of humanity, there have been problems and people have been faced with circumstances that are not ideal. January 22, 1973 abortion was deemed as a constitutional right for women, justifying the termination of their unborn child should they be faced with unfortunate circumstances or decide they just don’t want to be a mother at the time.
I don’t believe for most women the decision to terminate their unborn baby’s life is an easy one. I’ll admit I am grieved by the fact there are clinics that provide the option of a pregnancy termination before offering real help for the mother to provide for her child. I suppose it makes sense though; the money to be made is in abortion, not providing support to the mother so she can raise her baby or get necessary help for herself.
I believe, from the moment a woman’s pregnancy is known, she is a mother. Just because a baby is developing in the confines of her womb doesn’t make its need for their mother any less. A pregnant mother has the responsibility to eat well, get rest, take prenatal vitamins, and attend prenatal doctor visits. Once the baby is born, it is still developing and is not able to survive without the role of a mother.
So while it’s not my place to condemn any woman who’s come to such a decision as to end her baby’s life, as with any child, I take up concern for their well being at the hand of the mother, whether they are inside the womb or outside. I’ve always believed, even in the most unfortunate of circumstances, a mother’s main goal should be to protect her baby, not cause harm or death to them.
As we read in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, we learn that in the last days there will be a time when people will be more concerned with themselves, unthankful, without natural affection (some translations state “unloving”), without self control, lovers of pleasure instead of God. I am not suggesting every woman who is contemplating abortion fits all these descriptions, but too often they do. When I read “without natural affection” I think of abortion and a woman’s unborn baby who is unwanted and unloved by its mother.
For those who are impacted by their past choice to terminate their pregnancy there are many great support groups. You might start by doing a search for “Pregnancy Resource Center” then type your state to find local support groups in your area. Within our local PRC, I found some interesting statistics:
- 95 percent of abortions are done as a means of birth control or to end an unwanted pregnancy as opposed to being done to spare the life of the mother.
- Every 24 seconds a baby’s life ends due to an abortion.
- Upon seeing their baby by ultrasound, 3 out of 4 women who had once considered abortion will change their minds.
I would truly like to see abortions become more and more rare. I’d like to see people reach out in their community supporting these women by helping them to make the best choices they can prior to a pregnancy. I would like to see hope offered to moms who do become pregnant so they don’t feel like abortion has to mean a better future for them or their baby. I’m really glad to see Christian churches supporting this same vision.
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