The world went from
calling a ‘clump of cells’ nonhuman, to allowing abortions when the clump of
cells begins to ‘look human’, accepting third-trimester abortions, and now
pushing for the termination of babies moments before birth, or in some cases,
just after birth. It seems that what they are seeking is an all-inclusive
licence to kill.
Just the other day,
a cousin wanted help with writing up an argument for a school debate. The
debate? Whether you agree with abortion or not, and why. She took the pro-life
route, but not without some backlash for it. Another pro-choice family member
said that the world did not need any more unwanted children and that women who
were not ready to have children and take care of them must abort their babies
to save the rest of the world some trouble. I sat there for a moment, merely
listening to the debate going back and forth. The pro-choice side was quite
strong and appeared to be winning, but I decided to speak up and deliver one
line: you will answer to GOD for what you have done, I hope you’re ready for
it. Everyone sort of looked away, looking for something to say, but as they
were supposed professing Christians, they had nothing to say. Murder is murder,
no matter the stage of life. The excuse that a woman should have a right over
her own body at the expense of the growing baby in her stomach is weak. No
amount of getting angry or violent will change that fact.
I believe that most
people reading this are aware of what the Scriptures say about murder, life,
and being known by GOD before even conception has taken place. The most
beautiful verse about growing life is Psalm 139: 13-18, verses that I take
comfort in during times of uncertainty concerning my purpose and worth. As
Believers, we know that we can turn to GOD’S Word and find the words that we
need to overcome whatever challenges we are facing, but the rest of the world
does not. They are hellbent on living their lives as they will, not accepting
the consequences for their choices. Every problem must be looked at in context,
but sin does not need a framework to be considered sin, it just is because GOD
has said it is, and murder is a sin. For example, a young cousin of mine has
recently fallen pregnant due to her promiscuous lifestyle. She is 18 this year,
and instead of being in her last year of school, she is only beginning her high
school year as she has failed several times. This can be blamed on her lack of
school attendance. You dig deeper, and you’ll find that she was not disciplined
as a child growing up, in fact, she was primarily left to live her life as she
wished. Both her parents have now passed away due to AIDS, and she lives with
family members but does not respect them. Most of my family wanted her to get
an abortion because her baby would mean one more mouth to feed as she is not
working. According to the world, this context for abortion would be acceptable,
but to GOD it is not. What they are saying is that a life should be
extinguished due to the mistakes of the mother. So, if I was to use their
reasoning then the family of a murder victim should be allowed to kill the
murderer’s mother, father, siblings, or child to atone for what the murderer
has done. It doesn’t sound so acceptable when used in another situation, does
it?
Another family
member had a botched abortion, by botched I mean that the baby lived. She is
also living with HIV, and the father of the child is also HIV positive. We all
(or should) know that HIV can be avoided being passed down to the foetus;
however, her situation led her to take the abortion route. She already has
three children by three different men, does not have a stable job, and is an
alcoholic. She does not take care of her children, in fact, two are now
considered adults and can mostly defend for themselves. The last born is taken
care of by family members. The local clinic told her to have an abortion due to
these circumstances, but she waited until she was five months to do so. Off to
the hospital she went to remove the child from her womb, thinking that she
would not have to deal with another baby in her life. They removed the baby,
put it in a black bag, and tossed it on the cold floor of the morgue. A nurse
entered the morgue several hours later only to find mewling noises coming from
the bag. She opened it and realised that the aborted baby was alive! This sent
the hospital into a panic. They quickly got the baby into an incubator and
informed the mother that the baby was alive. Could you imagine the shock? For
the next five months, the baby was kept in an incubator, damaging her eyesight
in the process. When she was finally allowed to be taken home, the mother was
told that her baby would never be able to walk, talk, and would likely die as a
toddler. To top it all off, the baby was HIV positive. Ten years later, the
little girl is walking, and though she cannot speak, she uses sign language.
She is the sweetest little girl with a cheeky attitude of her own and is well
aware of all that goes on around her. She goes to a special school, is learning
how to write more clearly, and loves anything to do with drawing and colours.
In short, she is a girl like any other, even with her special needs.
Abortions can bring
about emotional trauma that may not be experienced immediately after, but let
me tell you that when it comes to bite your rear end, it takes a chunk. I know
of an old woman who is riddled with guilt for the two abortions she had as a
young woman. It gets so bad that she becomes gravely ill and has to be admitted
into hospital and put under observation. Her mind comes and goes, sometimes not
recognising her living children and calling out for those who have died. Her
reasons for abortion were tied to the hard times of the country when Apartheid
was still in effect. She is a black woman who had had relations with white men
(I do not know if it was rape) resulting in two pregnancies. She managed to
abort two of those pregnancies for fear of being found with a mixed-race child,
but she was not able to do so with her third pregnancy. Now as an old woman,
those abortions have come back to haunt her and do not give her peace.
Of course, the
argument of high-risk pregnancies also comes up. Let me stress here that I may
speak frankly, but I do not feel disgust for the people but for the sin. People
will say that a medical reason to abort the baby is acceptable, especially if
it puts the mother at risk. Also, if the baby is to be born with a deformity,
then it would be better to abort the baby before he/she is born. I hear what
the argument is, but my stand does not change. Abortion is wrong because it is
murder. People would sooner laugh in my face when I say that Jesus is the Great
Physician than listen, but it is true. Do you not think that He would be able
to save both mother and child? Do you not believe that He can help that child
with the deformity? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within us
today if indeed we are His. Nothing is impossible for GOD, but only if we
believe. To doubt is to tell Him that we do not believe that He can do anything
for us. He created the world, for goodness sake, will He not help a mother in
need? But the world chooses to reject Him still, and even His own people doubt
His power to heal. People would sooner find an excuse for their sin than humble
themselves and fall to their knees before Him to seek grace and mercy. Or,
worse yet, His own people deny that He still performs miracles and wonders in
the world today.
Forgiveness is
available to those who have had abortions in the past but regret having done
so. If you serve our Sovereign LORD, then you should know that He will forgive
you for there is no condemnation for those who believe. He scatters your sins
away and makes you clean. Do not miss this opportunity due to your guilt. He
loves you in spite of your sin, but you need forgiveness from Him and yourself
to be set free.
All I know is that
the GOD we serve does not change, neither is He cold to the plight of people.
He loves us all, but not all of us are His. He loves the downtrodden, the
deformed, the unwanted- all of them! The world may reject them, but Jesus
stands with open arms to accept them. What He did back then He can do today,
and what He considers sin is a sin no matter the reasons the world may give. At
the end of the day, you need to understand that there are consequences to
everything, and perhaps you will not experience those consequences now and go
about your life as you want to. But when you stand before the Ancient of Days
and give an account of your life, do not say that you were not warned.
