Are You a "One Issue" Voter? One Issue That Changes Everything

Planned Parenthood = Legal Infanticide 

This election year I have heard President Obama and other Pro-Choice candidates criticize their opponents for avowing to defund, or otherwise oppose, Planned Parenthood. I don’t know if the President is aware of this, but defunding Planned Parenthood is actually music to the ears of many voters, including myself. Pro-choice candidates who are wise will downplay the abortive aspect of Planned Parenthood while boasting in its non-abortive services, such as cervix cancer scans. 

The bottom line, however, is that true to its namesake Planned Parenthood is in the business of providing abortions, period. Planned Parenthood gives women and couples the option to plan parenthood by resolving unplanned pregnancies with abortion. Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by necessarily killing the fetal infant. In point to fact, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in America, on average conducting over 300,000 procedures each year. Almost 98% of pregnant women who go to Planned Parenthood for counseling receive abortions.

Planned Parenthood is not the only game in town. If the President were adamant about providing low-cost cancer screenings, prenatal care, and the like, there are many agencies that do that—without providing abortions! If defunding Planned Parenthood is wrong I don’t want to be right. And I don’t want to be complicit in the slaughter of children, by either my vote or my tax dollars.

For some, the topic of abortion is so weighty their entire vote hinges on it. Are you a “one issue” voter? Are Christians and other Pro-Life advocates harping on secondary issues while ignoring the weightier matters of economy and healthcare? Are we imposing our values on a society that doesn’t need them? The matter at hand is bigger than Planned Parenthood. The abortion debate is possibly the biggest issue affecting the future of this nation, literally.

Abortion is Not a Real Answer

Let’s look at the greatest factor behind abortions—not rape and incest (which account for a tiny minority)—but simply unplanned pregnancy. The prospect of having a child is a pivotal event in a woman’s life. Under some circumstances, a pregnancy can be a very frightening prospect for a woman, and understandably so. It can appear as a death blow to her education and career goals. Pregnancy out of wedlock can mean utter isolation from her family, friends, and church circles. Pregnancy could drive away even the father of the child, leaving the woman to fend for herself. Others see pregnancy as consignment to a future of poverty and struggle for both the woman and her child. No doubt there is a deep root of fear and despair behind many abortions. 

If abortion is really the response of fear and hopelessness, shouldn’t we call it into question? After all, don’t we do some very irrational and regretful things when we are the most fearful and anxious? Abortion is by no means a viable option for a woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. It is quick, but not a painless solution. The real answer to unplanned pregnancy will call everyone involved to do some real searching, make some real changes, and take some real action.

The following inventory is not intended to be comprehensive in describing every person’s role, nor is it exhaustive in outlining every possible scenario. But, God willing, it paints a picture of a future hope for those in seemingly hopeless situations.

The Mother// Ultimately the burden of an unplanned pregnancy will fall on the mother; there is no way around it. She will need to make sober, well-informed decisions for herself and her baby, from a posture of faith and hope, not fear and despair. The baby living inside of a woman is so uniquely connected with her. When the child is born, he or she will share some of the mom’s features. As the child grows and develops, the mom has the opportunity to shape the child into the man or woman they will become in a way no one else can. There is so much to look forward to and be hopeful for! It is my prayer that women facing crisis pregnancies will come to know the great love they have the chance to experience with their child.

The Father// Fathers have a sacred obligation to guard and guide their families. The very presence of a father can serve to alleviate so much of the pain and stress of an unplanned pregnancy. Regrettably, men can be counted on less and less in this fatherless culture of ours. Nevertheless, the absence of the father does not have to be a death sentence for the mother or child.  This is very troubling issue, which would be the topic of another discussion.

Extended Family// Parents, grandparents and other relatives will need to fight through any disappointment they feel regarding the pregnancy to come around the mother with support and love. We all know the ones who love us the most can also hurt us the most, but also help us and heal us the most.

Church// Studies have shown that over 70% of abortions are performed on professing Christian women. Women in churches may feel especially ashamed and alienated when their taboo behaviors are exposed. Fornication and abortion are certainly sinful according to the Bible, but the same Bible calls us in the Church to gently restore those who are caught in sin (Gal. 6:1). Churches need to be places of mercy and restoration—safe environments—for those who have made such poor decisions. Remember James’ exhortation that pure religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress (Jas. 1:27).

Not-for-Profit Services // It boggles my mind that any center majoring in abortions would be the first option for a pregnant woman. There are so many wonderful organizations and ministries that offer comprehensive help for women, both during and after their pregnancy. Free counseling, support groups, prenatal care, job placement, and even baby showers are out there to be found for women dealing with pregnancies. I will provide a list of such at the bottom of this page for those interested.

Abortion is Playing God

Abortion is not only the most hopeless outlook for a pregnancy, but it is also the most prejudiced. Think about it. Abortion passes judgment on the unborn child, who hasn’t done one thing good or bad, nor can he put a word in edgewise. It tells him that because of his father’s failure, because of a struggling economy, because of his chromosome count, or his mother’s immaturity, that he can never prosper or succeed in life. All hope is lost, and the best this child can hope for is an early death. It is not our place to make such judgments on the unborn; abortion is playing God. Read what the psalmist said to his Creator:

Psalm 139:13-16, You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

In light of this, proponents of abortion essentially usurp God and tear out the pages of His book regarding individual lives. Abortion writes the story of death for millions of unborn children, and of pain and regret for their mothers. But who are we to make such predictions? Are we really telling women that it is impossible for them and their children to overcome adversity? What kind of message does that send to this generation? Here are but a few “abortion candidates” who thrived when it was expected they would flounder if allowed to live.

Justin Bieber was born in spite of others urging his then 17 year old mom to abort the pregnancy. Love or hate Bieber’s music, did he not defy the bleak expectations that he would be nothing but poor white trash? 

Tim Tebow was expected to be a stillborn and abortion was recommended to his mother, Pam Tebow. Nevertheless she carried on with the delivery on the basis of her faith convictions. Today her son is not only an NFL quarterback, but a committed follower of Christ, providing a role model of faith and integrity for young men. 

James Robison, evangelist and founder of Life Outreach International, was conceived through rape. His mother was poor and his father was violently unstable. Even the staunchest conservatives would acquiesce to an abortion under these circumstances. However, James Robison’s life has served to reach the poor and hurting of the world. His outreaches continually provide help and amnesty for those caught in human trafficking, clean water wells for African villages, and vital medical care for young children in the Third World, to name a few of the ministries he’d helped found.

Perhaps you’ve heard this parable. A man is praying and asking God, “Why isn’t there a cure for cancer? And why is there so much war and oppression?” To which God replies, “I had a doctor in mind to invent the cure, but she was aborted. And I had a great leader who was to bring peace and diplomacy in the world, but he, too, was aborted.” In point to fact, over 50,000, 000 children have been aborted in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade—think 50 million destinies! For the wide majority of abortions that occur in black communities, there is a Martin Luther King and a Rosa Parks being aborted! There’s another James Robison out there, who has the potential to help so many, but is not given the chance! 

People who are not God should not try to do things only God does. For one, we are not omniscient, but ignorant. We are not benevolent, such as God, but prejudiced. Our ignorance and prejudice make us horrible deciders of who is fit to live or not.

What will be Our Legacy?

Don't let the Pro-Life issue take a backseat to economy and education. If we lived in the days of the slave trade would we back the pro-slavery candidate who had the best healthcare plan? If that generation was shortsighted enough, there may still be black slaves in America today. If we are too shortsighted today, our future looks just as bleak,

“The ultimate test of a moral society,” wrote Dietrich Bonheoffer “is the kind of world it leaves to its children.” We will have to give an account to the next generation as to why their brothers and sisters, cousins and classmates are not there with them. We can only tell our kids, “Killing [your peers] in the womb was the best we could offer them.” What does that communicate? 

That we let them down, and let the world go to hell in a hand basket.There are not enough jobs for people to raise families. There are not enough churches welcoming them. The schools are too backwards. The streets are too violent. The fathers are too selfish, and the women are too weak to parent them. I can't accept that dreadful inheritance for my children.

My wife is due to deliver our firstborn, Jeremiah, any day now. What will I tell him when he is a man? I want him to know that his father and mother believed that every person is made equal in the image of their Creator. That we believed in a good God who has a good purpose for every life he's made. That when we come to together in "faith, hope and love" that men, women and children can overcome any adversity. That his parents, and others alongside them, took a stand and did not bat an eye at injustice.

I adjure you, friend. Don't be deceived. A people who can so callously, expediently and legally slaughter their own young is not blessed, will not prosper, and cannot stand. We are tampering with foundational issues. I believe Mother Teresa said it better I ever could:

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters... And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." 

Resources for Women and Children 

I write this with a full heart and tears in my eyes to women and loved ones of those dealing with an unplanned pregnancy: Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life-- you and the child you carry. If you've ever had an abortion, there is forgiveness for you. Jesus took the guilt and shame of your sins and mine at the cross. You, too, can be blessed and received by God!

Please review your options; you will be forever glad you did!

 
Caris - Free Pregnancy Testing and Counseling 

PregnancyCenters.org 

Heartbeat International 

Nurturing Network 

Care Net 

National Life Center 

Catholic Charities 

Life Network