Is Abortion Right or Wrong?

I was horrified by the gruesome scenes while watching the story of Kermit Gosnell, abortionist doctor from Philadelphia. Watch about it here.  It caused me to think about abortion and the precious life God has given us all.  Think about the following: 

What if I told you I had thoughts of killing my kids?  I’m not talking about being mad as a parent and speaking in hyperbole.  I mean real thoughts of murdering them.  The sane person would instantly begin to attempt to discern my intentions while they stayed with me to ensure the safety of my children.  They would also, regardless of relationship, report me to local authorities who would in turn launch an investigation into my psychological condition and most likely take necessary measures to place my children in a background checked, well-trained, certified safe environment like foster care or appropriate relatives.  I would be subject to constant evaluation of my personal sanity and parental ability.  Petitions and actions would be taken by those who love and don't even know my kids to terminate my parental rights.

I would be labeled unstable, crazy, horrible, monster, and deemed unfit to be a parent.  Sure I would be given opportunity to receive help and healing from my inappropriate and gruesome mental status but still unfit I would be termed.   This reaction was spurred by concerned, loving citizens all from mere thoughts and, up this point, is free from actions or signs of abuse.  Love for my children stepped in certainly before death but even before minor harm like bruises, scrapes, and other non-life-threatening injuries could occur.  Those who stepped in would be heralded by society as heroes and I the villain.  Who wouldn’t protect innocent children from potential danger?  Now my children would be viewed as having a safe environment and a second chance at making the most of their limitless futures.  They would be free from the tyranny of a troubled dad bent on causing them potential harm.

Now what if I told you I wanted to abort my children?  Abort my daughter, whose brain and spinal cord developed during the first month.   Who would be able to walk away without punishment from damaging the brain and spinal cord of anyone already born?  Abort my son, whose fingers and toes, ears and organs have all formed during his second month.  Who would be able to escape the legality of mutilating those parts of those already born? Abort my daughter, whose heart is now beating at week 8 and is opening her mouth, squinting her eyes, flexing her fingers, and stretching her limbs – all while about the size of a grape.  Surely, I’d be arrested and face stiff penalties for harming these rights of those already born.  Surely my son and daughters are alive at this point and deserving of life?  What would be the reaction if I merely told you of my thoughts to abort? 

Some would advise against abortion but no law would be concerned about my thought of it.  Some would encourage me to take action upon my Constitutional freedom to choose abortion.   But was it me who actually chose to start their lives in the first place?  No matter – my freedom to choose freedom is what is really at stake.  Democracy, they say - exercising my rights as an American citizen, is the real issue – not life.  Men have died on battlefields to obtain the right for me to kill my children in the womb and they also died to imprison me if even attempted murder outside of the womb.    

God is good though.  I’m glad He gave my wife and I His love, wisdom, and compassion to chose life for our children – as if we could elevate ourselves to the position of God to choose otherwise.  I believe murder is sin - inside and outside the womb.  Abortion is just a fancy word for murder in the womb like affair is a fancy word for adultery.  Both attempting to scale down the seriousness of sin.  Children are a blessing from the Lord – a reward.  We are blessed to have them and they will never be put to shame (Psalm 127:3-5).   I’m humbled God would trust me with precious lives to shape, lead, and nurture.  I’m proud to be a dad who isn’t perfect but empowered by a God who is.   I’m thankful the Lord knit my family together in our mother’s wombs and saw our yet unformed wonderfully made bodies (Psalm 139:13-16).   Before we were born, He called us (Isaiah 49:1).  Before He formed my family He knew us (Jeremiah 1:4-5).  Thank you for giving us life and entrusting us with the joy of parenting.  Thank you for grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, healing and restoration in our worst sins.  Thank you for those same life-giving attributes accessible to others when they have wrongly chosen to end the beautiful lives You have created inside and outside the womb.   You died to give us life abundantly (John 10:10) – all of us. 

Forgiveness is Liberating!

Forgiveness is a liberating, loving act and attitude we must have.  It frees you from the hurt someone caused you.  It is healthy and brings peace.  Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”  Some of the best advice I could ever give you is to let that offense go, no matter how bad it was.  “But they didn’t say they were sorry!”   That’s the beauty of forgiveness – they don’t have to in order for you to receive freedom from hurt, bitterness, and anger.  Just let it go and choose not to let them have any more control over your life and emotions.

Unforgiveness will lead to vengeance.  Getting even with someone has a high price that most of us, in hindsight, would never pay.  Unforgiveness imprisons you in your past, holding you hostage from the life you want now and in the future.  As long as you are unwilling to forgive, you will be shackled to that person who hurt you.  Their one time act, whether intentional or not, can hold you captive for a lifetime – if you let it.  Let’s say what they did or said lasted one minute.  Yes it was wrong but now that wrong has reached out further than that one minute boundary and has stolen ten years of your life.  Their act hasn’t consumed you for ten years – your unforgiveness has.  Now it’s all you think and talk about.  Hate and vengeance has fed your unforgiveness and now you have created and nurtured a monster to which you are enslaved.

Unforgiveness is like a sore.  It started out as a small, non-life threatening injury. But you’ve continued to pick at the scab and reject healing.  You’ve enlarged it and opened yourself up to infection.  Now your sore has spread and you feel worse than when you started.  Choosing not to forgive is choosing to love hate.  Unforgiveness spreads like a cancer.  It produces bitterness which dominates thinking and creates anger.  Anger produces offense and soon spirals out of control and sparks thoughts of revenge.  Now, you are vengeful and begin to close off from other relationships to avoid future hurt.  Soon, all this will lead to lies, slander, and even profanity. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way!  Forgiveness frees you!  It takes the weight off and liberates you to enjoy life, live in peace, and engage relationships.  Scripture promotes forgiveness because it is a cool, refreshing, life-giving drink to a parched, weary, dehydrated soul.   There are at least 70 pictures of forgiveness in Scripture.  These figures of speech show us the beauty and benefit of forgiveness. 

Forgiving is like opening the cell door and releasing the prisoner.  Forgiveness is like writing “Paid in Full” over a debt.  Forgiveness is like shooting an arrow so far it can never be found again.  Forgiveness is like taking out the trash as to leave one’s house clean.  Forgiveness is releasing an anchor so the ship can sail.  To forgive is to turn the key, open the cell door and let the prisoner free.  Forgiveness is like pardoning a criminal.  Forgiveness is like sandblasting a wall of graffiti, leaving it sparkling and clean.   Forgiveness is like smashing a pot into many pieces so it can never be assembled again. 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean overlooking abuse, letting someone walk all over you, approving of evil, or even pretending hurt never happened.  It doesn’t always mean reconciliation can happen again.  It just means you can be free.  Forgiveness brings life, health, and freedom.  Jesus forgave us from the most horrible, wretched sin imaginable.  He died for our sins even when we didn’t want or deserve it.  The greatest reason to forgive is because Jesus forgave us from so much.