Abortion is one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century—if not the greatest! Far more human beings have been killed through abortion than in all the wars of our century! The destruction of life in any form is the antithesis of God’s primary purpose in creation. The biblical picture of evil and the devil is of a destroyer of life. Even war, a sometimes excusable exception, is no less a horror and an affront to the purpose of God.
For this reason, if in the life-giving birthing process the life of the mother is at stake, a judgment must be made as to whether to save the mother’s life or that of the child. Since we can never know whether the newborn child will be stillborn or survive, and since we do know that the mother is now living, the rational and theological approach suggests that we save the mother, even if we cannot also save the child. This situation is indeed medically very rare in our day of sophisticated techniques for treating problem pregnancies, but the provision must be there for those cases where the situation arises.
At this point a value judgment must be made; weighing all factors, there can be little doubt that a living mother-wife’s life is of greater social value than that of an unborn infant! Professionally, I have had to counsel several young and not-so-young women who have had abortion. I know their scars from this secondhand perspective, and on one whom I have counseled now lives “at peace” with the reality of having had an abortion. But we cannot bring back the dead! Nor will we be able to remove the scar that an abortion causes physiologically, mentally, and morally. However, there are several things that any woman or man who has been involved in abortion can do. Like Dr, Bernard N. Nathanson—the reformed abortionist—one can speak about the evils and dangers of abortion-on-demand (the primary reason behind this book!). Until our entire society—not just the Supreme Court—becomes morally conscious of the horrible evil of abortion, no Christian can remain silent, and men who have encouraged an abortion, as well as women who have had one performed, are the best spokespersons we have in this crusade!
Along with speaking out, we can be visibly active, picketing and demonstrating at abortion clinics is a legitimate form of protest, as long as we do not injure the people we are trying to save or destroy property (all life and property belongs to God). We can counsel in hot-line programs or counseling centers.A woman who has been personally involved in the tragedy of abortion is a far more powerful voice than theologian speaking theoretically. A second aspect to be considered is that a victim of abortion needs to live with God’s complete forgiveness. Carrying a heavy load of guilt will not correct the incorrectable. Guilt is a faith that puts it head and carry! If there is any feature of the Christian faith that puts it head and shoulders above all other religious systems, it is Christianity’s concept of forgiveness. The one truly legitimate death is the death of God for our human failures! God knows how to forgive and yearns for every human being to find that complete release, not only from the power of sin but also from the guilt of sin.Guilt is one of the most debilitating psychological ailments to afflict the human race. If you have violated the sacred trust of co-creating, preserving, and protecting life, then confess that sin to God and accept his wonderful promise that “if we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 9, italics mine; cf. Isa. 1: 18—19). If you have sinned through the act of aborting a potential human being, my Christ, the one who died for all sin!