Everyone recognizes the physical differences between men and women (though some seek to blur the differences for political purposes). One difference is that God created the woman to cradle the unborn in her womb as the child grows and develops sufficiently to be born.
A wonderful passage in Luke reveals the conversation between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (1:42). Most women rejoice at the news they are pregnant, and revel in their unique position as the protectors of the unborn. Author Maureen Hawkins wrote concerning her child, “Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were an hour, I would die for you. This is the miracle of love.” So many women feel the same.
We are living in turbulent times. After 49 years of legalized abortion due to the Roe V Wade decision, the issue was revisited recently. The result was an overturning of the decision by the Supreme Court, and a return of power to the individual states to restrict abortion.
While the decision of the more conservative court is hailed as a victory by those who are pro-life, it is considered a horrific reversion to barbarism by those who advocate for “a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body.”
Society has completely rejected the central issue at hand. No more do you hear a politician pandering in an attempt to walk a thin line, “I’m personally against abortion but I support a woman’s right to choose.” No longer do abortion advocates proclaim that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” Instead, advocates call for abortion on demand, because a woman has the right to make (with her doctor) reproductive decisions that suit her body and her lifestyle.
In fact, the issue has never been about a woman’s rights. At least, not on the part of those who are pro-life. (Which is why the terminology is changed to “pro-choice” and “anti-abortion” by the mainstream). For those of us who oppose abortion, it is not about the woman’s choices, but about the protection of living human beings. The child in the womb is the most vulnerable living human among us.
So, to be clear. I do not in any way oppose the woman’s right to choose what she does to her own body. She can have her sovereignty. She can tattoo away, augment or reduce, poke holes where she desires, and color, cut and buzz away. But, there is a line that moral people draw in the sand. “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
