The recently passed abortion expansion law in the great state of New York has become a resounding wake up call to the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our drowsy fog of living just like the rest of the world, we have missed a gigantic swarm of locusts that came through and looted our homeland. The lives of the children of our legacy, and the hearts and souls of their mothers have been summarily stripped of worth, breath and dignity. And we were caught with our pants down.
So now, what do we do? Shall we keep quiet and hunker down fearfully as the majority did in 20th century Germany while 6 million people cried out for their neighbors to come and rescue them? Shall we be complicit by thinking it’s enough that we are not directly involved in the sin, like free northerners in pre civil war America, who ignored the curse of slavery that existed south of their back yard? Shall we say as Cain did to the Almighty, “Am I my brothers keeper?”
The Reproductive Health Act, despite it’s euphemistic name, allows for a human fetus to be destroyed at the will of their mother and at the hands of those sworn only to heal, up to the very day they could be born. The law allows for the termination of a pregnancy up to the ninth month of gestation if the health of the mother is at risk - including her mental health. The law is written so broadly, that in the recent case of a pregnant woman murdered by her boyfriend in New York City, the attorney could not find any legal statute to allow for a second count of murder for the life of the unborn child.
I have searched my own heart, and stand convicted of cowardice. I have feared the opinion of man. Many intelligent, educated and sophisticated people look on pro-life folks as ignorant, back-woods meddlers who need to mind their own business and keep their hands off the rights of women. I don’t want to be thought of as a stupid. I don’t want to be viewed as opposing freedom. So I shuffle around on the sides of the issue, and sit on the sidelines, to my shame and regret.
Now too, I have met and talked with several women who have had abortions. The exceedingly painful wounds they bear are held in the shadows of their hearts. The deception of the promise that abortion would be a clean, easy way to solve a big problem has left them decimated and traumatized. There is no reversal option, no going back to make the decision differently. Having had the right to terminate their pregnancy does not solve the problem of a lifetime of emotional pain.
Though few people will read these words, they are written for my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the ones who must act, in whatever way the Spirit of the Living God calls us. For some, it will mean prayer walks at abortion clinics. For some, adoption or foster care. For others, meeting the tangible needs of a single mother. Some will weep with and bring the good news of the beautiful gospel of forgiveness to women who have had abortions. Those with great wealth or influence can levy those gifts to open the eyes of a nation. Whatever we are called to do, it must be done in faith, and with relentless prayer and the right heart.
I wavered over publishing this blog, because in general I don’t believe social media is the place to change hearts and minds. In this case, it’s more about me coming out of the shadows of my own pride, and asking the church to do the same. Those who disagree with us are also made in the image of God, and should be treated with dignity and kindness. But stand we must, and be willing to be thought of as fools.
Your friend on the pilgrim road,
Loriann Smith
