Friday, January 23, 2009

35 years and 50,000,000 unborn children later...

At what point in time do we, as people, say that enough is enough? How can we continue to allow a genocide to occur in front of our faces with our eyes wide open and yet say nothing or do nothing about it? What does it say about us that we would allow the taking of some 50,000,000 innocent lives and we do not stand in the way and stand up for these poor, helpless souls? Better yet, how can people stand up for the practice of taking these lives all in the name of convenience and the right to choose?

Well, it all goes back to January 22, 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court made a new law stating that abortion is a constitutional right of a woman. It is her right to do with her body whatever she believes is right. No one can tell her what to do. It was back then that Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, sued for the right to have an abortion. She had previously given birth to 2 children, who she subsequently gave up for adoption. Not wanting to go through that same ordeal with a 3rd child, she fabricated a story that she was raped. After that, the doctor and a few lawyers ran with it, and now we see what it has turned into.

Anyway, Norma McCorvey is no longer an advocate of abortion. In fact, she is exactly the opposite. She is a proponent of the rights of the unborn. In a 2001 interview, she admits that she felt used by the pro-abortion groups. They used her as a means to advance their cause. They would stop at nothing to have abortion legal and readily available. They really did not care about her, only the issue.

We are now living in a day 35 years later where the pro-abortion groups have tried to morph into groups labeled as pro-choice (because it does not sound as bad). They now say that they do not want abortions to be commonplace. Rather, they need to be available, just in case the need arises for a woman to have an abortion (and these are usually brought up as cases of rape, incest, and where the life of the mother is in danger).

While I do not know anyone that has ever been in any one of these ‘special needs’ cases, I am sure that there are a lot of ideas running through one’s mind in such times. In the cases of rape and incest, there is physical and emotional pain to be dealt with. There is much psychological trauma that one goes through. However, to have an abortion is not the answer. As the old adage goes, ‘Two wrongs do not make a right.’ To take your anger out on an innocent 3rd party cannot remove the grief and agony of what one is going through. It can only add to it.

Concerning the life of the mother being at risk, we have made so many medical advances over the years that this is very uncommon. There are many medical ways, now, that a woman, experiencing some medical difficulties, can have a child without putting her life at risk. I would encourage you to read the book Legislating Morality by Dr. Norman Geisler for further information regarding this.

As far as the act of abortion, most are done due to the mother not wanting to be pregnant. The main reason we hear is that women should have a right to do with their body whatever they want to do. However, I have a problem with this. They already have done with their body what they wanted to do. That is why they are in this position in the first place. The real issue is that they do not want to deal with the consequences of their actions. They think that by having an abortion they can get rid of the consequences. However, more often than not, it does not. It only creates greater problems, whether physically, or more importantly, emotionally and psychologically. How many women have been talked into having an abortion, and now regret it? My guess is that this number would be fairly substantial.

Some abortions are done because of a detection of a birth defect. People will tell you that they want their kids to be ‘normal’ children. A birth defect will only limit that ability. It will also upset their own life, as the child will have special needs which will upset the apple cart that we consider to be our own perfect little lives. The problem with this excuse is that we decide to play God. Who are we to decide who should be born and who should not be? That is not for us to decide. God gives life. Who are we to decide that this unborn child should not have a chance to live? God has a reason for allowing this to happen, and we should trust in Him.

Yet others would say that abortion should be necessary because some people cannot afford to have children. Well, if that is the case, don’t engage in behavior that could lead to becoming pregnant. The child may be born into a home where they will not be loved. I admit that this is a problem, but abortion is not the answer. There are many out there who are willing to adopt because they are not able to have children. To witness the pain and agony of a couple who wants to have a child but cannot become pregnant, or worse yet, they become pregnant, only to end up having a miscarriage, is heartbreaking. Yet women out there, every day, get pregnant and discard their yet-to-be-born children through the act of abortion – this is wrong.

Some would say that there are not enough people out there willing to adopt these unborn children, which very well may be true. However, first and foremost, it is the responsibility of the couple that becomes pregnant to take care of that child. My wife and I are responsible for our 3 children. I am not responsible for other people’s children. They are responsible for them. They should be taking responsibility, not looking to duck it.

May people today criticize Abstinence Only types of sex education. People like to point out that many girls going through this type of program still become pregnant. The reason for that is that these girls (and guys, too) do not practice what they have learned. Abstinence works. You will not get pregnant if you do not have sex. You just have to make it part of your lifestyle.

Others would say that the fetus is not a viable life form. Well, after my wife and I have had 3 children, I can say that this is a viable life that is within the womb of the mother. I have been to several ultrasound appointments (with my wife), where I was able to see the movements of the child in the womb. I could see that outline of a human body. I could hear the heartbeat. I could feel the baby kicking. This is life, not just mere tissue.

I saw a commercial for a special to be run on the National Geographic Network about cats and dogs and life in the womb for these animals. I was captivated by the images of ultrasounds on these animals. Then it made me think: would the pro-abortion crowd perform abortions on these animals because they do not want to see more animals end up in shelters or they do not have the room in their house for a litter of dogs or cats? Most likely, the answer is no. Then why would we consider doing this to an unborn child? Are the lives of dogs and cats more valuable to us than the life a human being?

We hear news stories about a woman giving birth in a bathroom stall or in a bedroom or a hotel room somewhere who does not want to keep the child. They throw the child away or leave that child behind in hopes that it will die and they can walk away. First, they can never get away from the inner struggle and the guilt of their actions. Second, we as a public, are generally outraged when events like this occur. We ask ourselves how someone could possibly do this. Yet, if they would have had an abortion 10 minutes before the child was born, then we would think nothing of it. This would then be a legal act. Tell me, what is the difference in that 15-20 minute span? The only thing I can think of is the location of the baby in relationship to the womb.

Let’s stop and think about this: Abortion has been legal in the U.S. now for 35 years. Approximately 50,000,000 children have been aborted over that time. If the U.S. population is approximately 305 million, then this would be equal to about 16.4% of the population. Imagine if we had those children with us today. We would have doctors and researchers trying to find cures for different diseases, business leaders, political leaders, educators. Yet we have chosen a different path, all in the name of convenience, in the name of choice.

Yes, this is a genocide, more specifically, infanticide. It bothers us when we hear accounts of children being killed in accidents, by the actions of a parent, in the face of war. As a nation, we look at places like Darfur and Somalia and their ongoing genocides, brought on by their tyrannical leaders. Are these wrong? Yes, they are, and there are not many, if any, who would disagree. The people are guilty of nothing but living in a country where their leaders rule with an iron fist and suppress every possible human right and privilege that they possibly can.

How then is abortion any different? What are these unborn children guilty of? Did they do something wrong? No, they did not. Rather, they are a mere inconvenience to someone looking to run away from the consequences of their own actions.

No comments: