The End of Roe v. Wade: Kevin H.
The acceptance, advocacy for, and enactment of abortion I believe is one of the greatest horrific evils in this country’s history.
The unborn are the absolute most vulnerable population among us and far too long their lives have been rationalized away. Genuine reason, logic, and scientific advancement show just how alive and how human the unborn are. If they are not human, then what are they? How arrogant of us to think that we can arbitrarily decide when someone magically becomes a “person” at a certain developmental stage and only at that point are their lives worthy of protection. How tragic that we elevate the rights of one person over the right to life of another. With the exception of some extreme cases (life of the mother at serious risk, severe deformity of the baby, etc.) which make up only a very small percentage of abortions, how wicked of us to end the lives of so many completely vulnerable babies who categorically have no voice of their own to cry for their own life.
I am glad that Roe v. Wade is likely going to be overturned. However, I am under no impressions that this is the silver bullet that’s going to cause a great reduction of abortions in our country. That is because in order for abortion to be greatly reduced in our country, hearts need to be changed. Frankly, much of the way that many “pro-lifers” have carried themselves and have carried out their initiatives to fight abortion and other political concerns, has done anything but “change hearts”.
A heart that wants to save the unborn from unjustified death is a heart that reflects the love, truth, and compassion of Jesus Christ. However, a heart that reflects the love, truth, and compassion of Jesus Christ also:
– Cares about the mother and her circumstances and desires that her needs be attended to in whatever ways possible, both before and after birth.
– Cares about the life of the child as it grows up and desires that his/her needs be attended to in whatever ways possible.
– Cares about others in our world who are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, from the immigrant to the refugee to the homeless, and desires that his/her needs be attended to in whatever ways possible.
– Cares about conducting themselves with care and compassion, thus seeks understanding and shows concern for others and their thoughts and circumstances, even those who greatly differ from them in opinion and lifestyle.
– Cares about conducting themselves with truth and integrity, thus avoids the disparaging and slandering of those who are seen as opposing them.
– Cares about conducting themselves with truth and integrity, thus avoids the immoral and unjust support, overlooking, and justification of evil actions by other people and entities that help us to achieve their desired ends.
– Cares about conducting themselves with truth and integrity, thus avoids the spreading of dubious and unverifiable information, calling it or making it appear to be “true”.
– Cares about people following after Jesus and His ways out of faith and love, not from compulsion and coercing.
There are many Christians who while obviously not perfect, do faithfully strive to care in these ways. Unfortunately, there have also been many, seemingly growing in number and intensity these last several years, who do little to show care in these other ways.
If people’s hearts are going to change, they need to be pointed to Jesus. The “Jesus” that many have been pointed to in recent times is offensive to many. Sometimes they may be offended by the cross, but it sure seems that more times than not they are being offended by the politically-partisan, people-hating “Jesus” we point them to. And I don’t blame them for rejecting this “Jesus”.
For the acceptance, advocacy, and enactment of abortion to be drastically reduced, hearts need to be changed.
This is true not only for many “pro-choicers”, but also for many “pro-lifers”.
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Good post Kevin.
With that said “The acceptance, advocacy for, and enactment of abortion I believe is one of the greatest horrific evils in this country’s history.”
Does the reversal of Roe vs. Wade make this one of the greatest turning points in our country’s history? I think it does even though I agree with you that it probably won’t change the number of abortions in our country. It might though. I hope so.
Steve,
I don’t think the reversal is a big turning point as it hasn’t changed people’s opinions or hearts, and like I said, I don’t foresee a big reduction in abortions because of it. I think more than likely, if it comes that people become considerably more anti-abortion in this country and the amount of abortions significantly reduce, it will be much more of a gradual happening than any one moment or event that we will be able to point to.
Amen, Kevin, amen
Jeremiah 8:12
Yeah, my guess is SCOTUS is going to hand to the states the right to abort or not. In other words, the SCOTUS decision will not stop abortion. And even in states where it becomes illegal, they will still continue but in back alleys.
Officerhoppy,
I don’t think there will be that many back alley abortions. Rather, I think we will see two things happen: 1) Women will travel to states where they can receive an abortion and this will be multiplied by politically driven initiatives to promote and provide transportation for women to do so, and 2) even as the abortion pill will be outlawed by states outlawing abortion, people will find ways to get it, distribute it, and use it within their states.
Kevin, I know this is basically anathema to say this here, but I believe it and will say it anyway. Trump did exactly what he promised to put SCOTUS justices on the bench that would over turn the Roe vs. Wade atrocity. I will never regret voting for Trump for this reason alone. I didn’t vote for Trump with any kind of illusion he would change people’s hearts, I voted for him that he would advocate for policy that I could most agree with. Thank you Trump. Only the Spirit can change hearts.
If you don’t change hearts, this will only forestall the return of on demand abortion for a while.
Prohibitions on previously accepted practices don’t work in the long run…
It may be noted too that the basis on which Roe will be overturned may open a bigger can of worms than desired…
Steve,
I don’t think it is anathema here to say that Trump did what he promised in appointing conservative justices to the Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade if given the opportunity to do so. I am even thankful myself for this circumstance.
The difficulty becomes when Christians ignore, justify, support, and even replicate so many of the wrongdoings of Trump, all in the name of defeating abortion or achieving other desired ends. But I do not want this posting to get sidetracked about all things Trump, as this can so easily happen, and so I do not want to say further about the man.
I am staunchly anti-abortion.
But I am also a staunch advocate for safe and effective methods of contraception, up to and including vasectomies.
But when this angle is brought up amongst evangelicals, the only sound you’ll hear is crickets.
One significant piece of good news of course is that the US abortion rate has been declining for about my whole lifetime.
Other notable stats I’ve seen show the abortion rates are higher in the ‘red’ states, so the loudest pro-choice voices are in states where that choice is made less often. And other western countries, where the Church has declined the more than the US, tend to have lower rates than the US.
As an outsider it looks ridiculous the way your Supreme Court is political. Over here, most people can’t name any of the High Court judges. The federal & state parliaments make the rules and only occasionally the High Court sees something they find unconstitutional. Our Constitution was written a century later than yours and there seems to be less scope to argue about what it means – about the most well-known case was a fictional one from a movie.
Kevin
Relevant to this post is an interview with Kristin Du Mez, a professor at Calvin University and a historian of American Christianity. She wrote the book “Jesus and John Wayne”. In the interview she traces the Evangelical view of abortion over the course of decades.
https://youtu.be/whV8heFHXoQ
I predict eventually the entire abortion discussion will shift to the rights of the badly and have little to do with the fundamental rights of the women in the near future. I believe this will happen because of scientific advancements. Artificial wombs are being developed that can bring a baby to term without the mother. We can discuss the ethics of this, but when this becomes a reality which I believe it will, the debate will shift.
Correction. Rights of baby not badly
Duane,
Thanks for the link. I’ll try to give it a listen when I have some more time.
Without having listened to the interview yet nor having read her book, I do know that before 1980, conservative evangelical opposition to abortion wasn’t commonplace and some even supported it.
I think that the generations following the baby boomers have had years to weigh the ethics and morality if abortion and most have found it to be wrong. This was fostered in an environment where political pressure on this issue was waning. Now that it has been brought to the forefront by zealots in the right it might actually work against decreasing abortions and reverting attitudes back towards hostility and support for taking preborn lives. It’s sad, there must be a better way.