“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 ESV
The problem with the pro-life movement especially in North America is that it is essentially a pro-birth movement intend on ensuring all babies are born but with little concern as to what happens to these babies and their families once born. The problem with making abortion illegal is that there are a multitude of cases where the situation is not quite so clear-cut. Do you write these exceptions into law and if so where do you draw the line?
What about the woman who very much wants her baby but finds out her pregnancy is ectopic and has to abort or she, AND her baby, will die (and no there is currently NO way of re-implanting a foetus from the fallopian tube to the womb). Do you tell her, in the midst of her distress, that she is committing an evil act?
Where do you draw the line?
What about the 13-year-old, who finds herself pregnant after having been raped by her stepfather. Do you tell her she has to stay pregnant and give birth to a baby that every minute of every day reminds her of the evil act that created this baby?
Where do you draw the line?
And what if this person is 25 and the rapist is a complete stranger?
Where do you draw the line?
What about the 16-year-old who finds herself pregnant because she made a mistake and her boyfriend abandons her as soon as he finds out she is pregnant (and no HE DOESN’T have to live with his mistake)? Do you tell her she has to give up her life, the chance of an education, the chance of a decent job that will keep her and any future family out of poverty?
Where do you draw the line?
What about the loving family of 7, who’s parents both work 2 jobs each to put food on the table for their family and find out that they are pregnant with child number 8 knowing that the birth of this child will mean even more hardship and poverty for the rest of the family.
Where do you draw the line?
What about the pregnant mentally ill woman who can only keep her baby if she stops taking her medication, which would mean her spirally out of control into depression, mania, paranoia … and become a danger to herself, her baby, and people around her?
Where do you draw the line?
What about the women who do decide to go through with pregnancy and birth and give their babies up for adoption only to live with the trauma of their decision for the rest of their life? Will you be there for them during and after pregnancy to help and support them?
What about the babies who are born unwanted to live a life of poverty and abuse? Will you be there for them to provide the love, food, education, medical and psychological care that they need?
If you feel called to protect the life of the unborn, instead of fighting to make or maintain abortion as illegal, why not fight to support mother, father, existing children and the unborn financially, emotionally and medically?
Instead of preventing financial support to women’s health charities around the world for fear that they may provide abortion, why not support them precisely because they are offering women the choice of not getting pregnant in the first place when they are not able to feed the children they already have.
Instead of shaming teenagers when they get pregnant, which is more likely to encourage them to hide their pregnancy and seek an abortion, why not provide them with psychological, medical and financial help during pregnancy and afterwards whether they chose to keep their babies or give them up for adoption.
We need to recognise that ALL pregnant women need help. We need to support women with free medical and mental care, especially if they are struggling with an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy. We need to support them with financial help, especially if they are in a vulnerable situation already. We need to support women and girls with affordable childcare, especially if they are young, to keep them in full time education.
THIS is the battle that, as Christians, we need to fight. This I am convinced would save more unborn babies that any law restricting access to legal abortion would.
We need to fight for the right to live not just for the right to be born.
Also see ‘Love your neighbour as yourself‘