If you're reading this, and you're one of the many women who've had an abortion, please know that I'm not writing to make you feel worse. Facing a pregnancy that will upend your world is terrifying, and there's not a one of us who hasn't done something stupid or wrong because we were scared. Along with that, it seems to me that abortion is a crime that, in many ways, carries its punishment with it, because who's going to miss the absent child more than the child's own mother? If you are in this place and sorrowing, know that there is certain forgiveness and comfort. The Lord Jesus only welcomes sinners, and so that's me and you and everyone. Please come to him and be relieved of the weight you're carrying. Set it down and be made whole. And know that there are wonderful people who will help you through your grief.
It is because of the great sorrow and weight of an abortion, though, that arguments like this trouble me so much. The pie chart seems to imply that because abortion services are only 3% of the services provided by Planned Parenthood that they carry no weight.
Does a wrong cease to be wrong just because it is performed by a person who mostly does right?
If a doctor spends 97% of his time caring for the poor, and 3% of his time euthanizing the old, are the euthanizations less criminal? If a teacher cares excellently for 97 of his students, but molests 3 of them, are those molestations less horrific? If a mechanic provides good service for 97% of his clients, but cheats 3% of them, is he less of a thief?
There are very good conversations to be had about abortion, about the care of women who become pregnant in hard circumstances, and about providing health care for the poor. But this argument? It is no argument at all.
Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell
5 comments:
I see your point, I really do, but I just don’t think it’s that simple. If you apply this argument to Planned Parenthood, you have to apply it to other areas of Christian conviction.
Planned Parenthood provides far more women with contraceptives than with abortions… and let’s be frank: many of the women benefitting from these contraceptives would likely obtain abortions had they not been given this option. Additionally there are two things that I find troubling with the church’s general stance on this issue. (I come from a long history of church-going, Christian-school-attending ,[ K-college], missionary outreaching background so I am extremely familiar with pro-life ideals and the thinking behind it.)
1. If you believe that 97% of what PP does is “good” but find the remaining 3% of it detestable, why isn’t this argument carried over into other areas of life in Christian America? Examples I can think of off the top of my head would be things like still buying Slurpees or gasoline from convenience stores that make a small portion of their profits selling porn magazines or never asking your OBGYN about his/her medical training and if they were required to do a rotation of abortion and family planning in med school. How many Christians even consider these things when patronizing or supporting ANY organization?
I find this sort of hypocrisy to be terribly ironic within the Christian community. Why does the community pick and choose their “all or nothing” causes? Could it be that it’s EASY to not patronize places like Planned Parenthood, while finding out that your trusted OB chose a med school that required their participation in abortions would be more of a pain in the butt to boycott? Same with the convenience store scenario- it’s more actual, physical and mental work to locate such a store that doesn’t sell pornography and it’s really inconvenient.
2. I don’t understand how so many churches and Christians in general can be anti-abortion and still provide SO little care for the orphans of the nation. I truly can’t see how any pastor or believer can condemn this act without ACTIVELY providing support for orphans, drug-addicted babies, shelter for teen-moms, some sort of continual “welfare” for mothers who simply cannot afford another child, provide birth control, and flat-out just adopting the parentless children of this nation.
Yes, there are organizations that do some of this stuff but on a way, way smaller level than there is a need for and there are far more Christians condemning abortion than there are supporting those who have no- or do not know about- other options .Why isn’t EVERY church that protests abortion just as actively encouraging its members to adopt these unwanted children? The reason this doesn’t happen is because, well, it’s a really hard thing to do! Adopt a child? Support and open your home to a pregnant teen? These are life-altering decisions that can make one’s current lifestyle vastly different…kinda like how a woman with an unplanned pregnancy feels when she tries to imagine a future with a baby.
It needs to become a “given” for the Christian community to offer these services to women, if that were to become a social norm, then I could see your side much better. If Christians spent as much time helping these moms and babies and literally adopting unwanted children (which is exactly what Jesus tells us to do!) as they do condemning the option of abortion, I might be able to better consider your argument, but until then I support Planned Parenthood.
I am not big fan of planned parenthood....so I understand your post. people are not thinking about birth control being an abortive which it is...
I agree with your point completely. Our church is highly involved in the pro-life moment, and it is a growing passion of mine. I read the anonymous comment above and while it is well thought out, the bottom line is still the saving of babies. We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, as commanded in Proverbs (31:8). Sure, we could micro-manage our spending habits, etc. as Christians, and maybe we should do more of this. It's a good point. But I hope, if I meet an aborted baby in heaven, they will tell me "thanks for trying to save my life. Thanks for loving me when no one else did."
Hi Anonymous - thanks for your comment. As to your point one, it made me think. I felt that there was a difference between PP and the 7-11, and I think, when it comes to it, it's the difference between a business and a charity, between necessity and a free gift. You can't always choose where you buy food (or gas), but if you have money that's free to give, you can choose where you give it. Do you think the difference I see there is real?
As to your point two, I'm sorry to hear that the churches you've been a part of haven't been active in adoption and other such ministries. I've actually seen a large movement towards helping orphans in the ones I've been a part of. But I do think you're right that it's our part to help there.
Also, if you want to give to help women in these hard situations - and I think you're absolutely right to do so - you have choice. There are ministries other than Planned Parenthood that help support women through hard pregnancies. Or are you just talking about birth control? (that's a tougher issue, given how many different viewpoints there are on it.)
Again, thanks for the comment.
Knitters Notebook and Kristen, thanks for your comments too.
Knitters Notebook, I'm aware that some birth control methods are (or may be - so hard to tell when you're talking about something you can't observe directly) abortifacient, though some aren't (primarily barrier methods). It seems to more methods there are, the more complicated the discussion becomes!
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