Note: If you have had an abortion, please visit the post-abortion section of this page.
"Your next assignment," said my speech teacher, "is to give a speech presenting both sides of an argument. I want you to use the same topic you used for your persuasive speech."
Oh, no, I thought. I can't do it. I approached her quietly after class to request another topic.
"I'm not asking you to change your beliefs," she said.
I knew that, but I couldn't do it. How could I explain it to her? I didn't understand my own reaction--and I wouldn't until many years later.
In my persuasive speech, I had presented the pro-life perspective concerning abortion. I had always felt strongly about this topic, but my opinion had been based on abstract facts. I didn't like the idea that a baby was not considered a person until it was born. What was it about the birthing process that made a fetus a person? It certainly couldn't be the baby's development--I had been born 12 weeks early, and I was a person.
When I did the research for my persuasive speech, the abstract facts became real. I could not read the printed articles about abortion or see the pictures, so my mother read them and described for me. Several times she began to cry as she described pictures of aborted babies bigger than I had been at birth. I was deeply moved by her tears and descriptions. I couldn't do the second assignment. It would be like verbally compromising my position, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I wouldn't do it in my heart, and I wouldn't do it with my mouth.
Somehow I persuaded my teacher to allow me to do the new speech about prayer in school. My mind and heart rested.
Speech day finally came. I loaded up my books, and Mom drove me to school early so that I could participate in a Key Club function. We had planned a Christmas party for a group of students who had severe disabilities--mental retardation, autism, etc.
I had a good time at the party and plans. We sang carols and ate cookies. As the party came to an end, a girl approached me and took my hand, clinging to me like a child.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Michelle," she said shyly. She was 19 years old, and she wanted a doll for Christmas.
I wished Michelle a merry Christmas, and she gave me a hug. My heart melted, and I wished that I could somehow make a way to spend more time with her. She may have been different from me, but she was happy and knew how to show appreciation and care for others. On my way to my first class, I thought about how I would like to be more accepting of people, as Michelle and the other "special ed" students were.
That afternoon, I learned that someone else had opted to talk about abortion. I couldn't help noticing that her speech was slanted heavily toward supporting abortion and thinking that this was precisely the reason I had given up the topic. I knew I could not have discussed it fairly.
At first, I thought only that she wasn't doing a very good job of being impartial. Then she made two statements that cut deep into my soul. "You could give the baby up for adoption," she proposed, "but some people don't want to do that."
Don't want to do that? So that made killing the baby acceptable?
She wasn't finished yet. "People say everyone has something to offer," she continued, "but not handicapped people."
I winced and tried not to overreact. How could she say that? Did it mean that I had nothing to offer because I was blind? And what about Michelle? Did she not have something to offer?
But she did! Not the same kind of things a "normal" person could offer, but she had something. She had her love! Did a person need to be able to get a college degree and a six-figure job in order to offer something to the community?
I've never forgotten that day. I remember it often, especially as I struggle to explain the reasons for my pro-life position; for not only have the facts become reality, but I've also decided that I cannot sit quietly and wait for people to ask about my position. I can communicate it respectfully, but I cannot keep it hidden.
Much of the debate about abortion revolves around the question of when life begins. This is not an easy argument to solve, as is evident in the article, "Abortion, Bioethics, and Personhood". Is there a difference between "life" and "personhood"? If we cannot agree on definitions for these terms, then how can we use them in our arguments?
As is discussed in the article, some researchers define personhood as the possession of certain abilities which develop at some time during the pregnancy. One need only look at a few articles and books discussing fetal development to find out just what abilities an unborn child possesses at a given time during the pregnancy.
Another article, which includes a discussion of "the SLED acronym," discusses the difference between the fetus and the baby who has been born. Finally, the story about the two Heathers poses some interesting questions regarding the unborn and premature child.
Sidestepping the task of defining life is probably the only way people can stand to talk about abortion--that is, assuming they know what is really happening (and many people do not). Abortion is gruesome and cruel. If I hadn't been convinced of my position before, I would be after reading the following pages. They are graphic, and I would not advise that children view them. I do advise that anyone considering having an abortion view them. You have the right to know what will happen.
Abortion Methods
This is an overview covering methods of aborting babies through the third trimester.
Partial Birth Abortion
This was an abstract concept for me until recently. I was sickened when I read it. I thought that babies could no longer be aborted during the third trimester.
How Are Abortions Done?
Here is more detail on abortion methods as well as "side effects" and "complications" (e.g. babies being born alive).
Behind the Scenes of an Abortion Clinic
This article is based on an interview and explores the ways in which staff avoid facing the truth about the harmful impact of abortion.
The Silent Scream (video)
Did you know that a baby can and will react to the intrusion of the abortion instrument? Watch this video or see the script and photos.
Abortion may seem like the easy way out, but it isn't. It can cause physical, psychological, and spiritual damage. Many of its effects are discussed in the article, "Understanding the Aftermath of Abortion". The most important thing I can tell you is that God loves you and cares and wants to heal these areas of your life. One of the best resources I've ever come across promoting healing is a tape from Focus on the Family of a program called "Tillie" which was aired in 1987. This tape is available for $7 by calling 1-800-232-6459 (1-800-a-family). There are also many additional healing resources on the Web.
This was old news to some people I knew, but not to me. Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) is now a Christian and is participating actively in the pro-life movement. I encourage you to read her testimony.
For years, I have limited my "pro-life" stand to the abortion debate. However, I can no longer do this. Standing up for life means standing up for all life, and this has become a very foundational issue for me. Saying that I am a Christian probably sounds cliche, but I am amazed to know how many Christians do not take a stand for all life. So perhaps it would be prudent to explain my reasons for using this statement.
I made a conscious decision when I was 12 years old. I wanted to "please God." At the time, that was all I knew, and I knew that pleasing God was somehow connected with "getting saved" and being baptized. So I was baptized. Over the years, I began to truly understand who Jesus Christ was and what he had done for me--indeed, what he had done for all people. I also began to understand his relationship with his heavenly Father and what that means for my relationship with God.
One of the lasting impacts of my premature birth is an eye condition which leaves me blind. I can see some objects and some color contrast; but I cannot read using my eyes. Blindness has always been fairly normal to me, meaning that I know how to live with it even though sometimes I haven't wanted to. During my young adulthood, I was diagnosed with two conditions that confronted me with situations I had always dreaded. I was diagnosed with a mild but slowly progressive low-frequency hearing loss in 1999. This means that I have difficulty understanding speech at times. The result is an almost desperate feeling of being cut off from what is going on around me. In 2000, some mysterious symptoms I had been having for many years were finally linked with migraine. One of the symptoms is dizziness which can be so severe that I am unable to stand without holding on to something. During these times, my ability to perform basic household tasks can be diminished, and I become frightened of the possibility that I might someday need help caring for myself. I never wanted to live with these disabilities. I feared them. But now that I have them, I would rather learn how to live with them than die. Fortunately, I have the ability to tell this to people.
When I heard about the legal battle over whether to remove the tube providing food and drink (aka nutrition and hydration) for Terri Schiavo, I knew that I needed to move beyond the anti-abortion debates. Babies aren't the only people who are dying and unable to speak for themselves--and I could be one of those people someday.
God is the Creator of all life. He created all things for a purpose, and that purpose does not change even if we exercise our free will and depart from it. The fact that something has happened outside of His perfect will does not justify taking or cutting short a life. God is very patient and He knows how to alter His plans to accomplish His purpose. He knows how to take what was meant for evil and use it for good. He knows how to soften hearts, and indeed He searches the hearts of all people and tests us all to see what is there.
Knowing these things, how can I even think of supporting the destruction of life? How can I judge the quality of a disabled person's life or the value of a criminal's life? I can't. These are not easy stands to take, but sometimes my intimate friendship with God demands that I stand up for things that are not easy to stand up for.
Having said that, I want to add here that violence is no way to stand up for life. I am to proclaim truth with love, to be angry without sinning. That isn't easy either; but if I love God intimately, then He will also enable me to be bold and to show mercy and grace.
If I stand up for life, than I also must stand up for other things that go along with it. I must insist on a balance between respecting a criminal's life and keeping our society safe. I must also stand up for people who cannot ask for what they need. Part of respecting the lives of people with disabilities and unwanted children is providing for their needs. We as families, friends, and communities are entrusted with their care. How we care for them tells God what is in our hearts. Do we do it with a resentful spirit? If so, we must examine our hearts; and perhaps sometimes we must allow people who are gifted in the areas of mercy, healing, and hospitality to care for them for us. This may mean allowing an unwanted baby to be adopted instead of aborting her. This may mean finding a guardian for a disabled child or adult when we as family members do not have the strength or resources to care for her. Most of all, it means being honest about what is in our own hearts.
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