ABORTION! Do we really murder?

amen

Very Good!

It is about time that someone affirmed this! I am glad to see that you include that it is, too, "forgivable" without denying the gravity of such a sin.

Love-in-Christ,

KP

If you recall, I have worked at a Crises Pregnancy Center for many years. One learns a LOT there, I mean a LOT!

Anyhow, whenever I had an abortion minded client, I would ask them if they knew what an ab is, what it does? With only one exception, they all said "it is killing."

I would they ask, "do you think this is the right thing to do?"

"No. But I have no choice"

"What do you think God would say?"

"He would say 'don't do it.'"

"So you are still wanting to go ahead and do it?"

"Yes."

"What about God?"

"Oh, I will come back after I did it and ask him to forgive me."

This is what many abortion minded clients told me - literally word for word albeit in abbreviated form.

FYI, I would refer to the verses in Hebrews 10:26-27: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." I have quoted this with trembling and fear... The reality is that I am afraid this literally happens when females deliberately will go against their conscience in this matter.

I have told them if they persist in going against what they know is the right thing, they will not want to ask God to forgive them: they will be angry people - angry at God and whoever else, but angry, nevertheless.

Many experts will say the reason one sees so many divorces is because so many females have succumbed to this sin and as a result are angry people. Many will not make this connection but a good counselor will be able to expose this connection.

Just an aside. People are familiar with the Amish. They embrace a marriage-for-life as long-as both-shall-live philosophy for life. However in recent years, my relatives who live in Amish communities have commented on the number of Amish wives and mothers who will abandon their families. They say we have never seen anything like this before. They are puzzled at this development in the Amish community.

I have spoken to people from the area who will do taxi work for the Amish. Since the Amish do not own cars they will hire a non-Amish to take them to wherever they want to go. Anyhow, one person told me how she would take moms and their daughters to a woman's clinic in a city about 40-50 miles away. In the course of time they learned this was an abortion clinic. Oh..OH! NO! When they learned this they refused to take them there. They have confronted them about abortion, about what it is and does...these females were so ignorant and uncaring. I have since learned there are Amish bishops who are working to address this issue but as long as parents tolerate rumspringa it will remain. But it still will not erase the past, what has been done will go with them all their lives unless they come to the cross for cleansing. Even then the trauma a woman feels in her spirit once she realizes what she has done is so traumatic. This, I would say, is why so many Amish wives and mothers are running away from their spouses and families. (We were taught this in our training classes.)

God bless.

ginnyrose

To the women caught up in these murderous lies, there is forgiveness, a full cleansing, as we recieve Jesus's love through His willing sacrifice for them.

Add to that the early onset of sexual maturation in our society and the pervasiveness of stimulations - through the sexualization of culture - the media, the fashion industry, music video, sexual abuse, etc – all primarily perpetuated by exploitive white males.

Add to that the sad truth that young females have come to view their bodies as means to “win” male attraction – and find acceptance and worth through surrendering their bodies to them sexually. The girls see it as liberation- self-autonomy, rights of her body… (values that are embedded in our society).

We can’t overlook the tragic effects of individualization and lost sense of connectedness (which is essential in raising babies). The virtual networking doesn’t help the matter. When you feel alone in the universe, an abortion is too easy a solution.

Add to that the erosion of marriage. Add also the materialistic and career priorities, and resistance towards family commitment. Add to that the pervasive financial fears – aggravated by the media, job losses, housing costs. Fear is undoubtedly a massive driving force behind abortion driven by a reluctance to raise children.

We must consider the plight of single mothers who are merely kids themselves - who do not have the wherewithal to raise a child (or they believe that to be true). In the matter of abortion, there is typically no reference above the dearth of support networks through family, relatives, etc. (Thank you Ginnyrose for reminding us of the pregnancy crisis center, but you know you can’t fix the massive crisis in this matter.)

Let’s admit, key skills and values are being entirely lost to our society –which are essential in raising children into mature adulthood. (It isn’t merely about women saving their babies!)

Add to that society’s failure to value LIFE itself - reproduction – the high calling of having children, raising children, and contributing to society a next generation. Evolution has played a key role in treating humans as products of chance.

The Catholics include the prevention of life itself (via the contraceptive industry) in this crisis. A renown Jewish psychiatrist (and others too) through research have discovered a close association with the Pill and sense of sexual “liberty” (along with the terrible symptoms: drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, family demise, etc).

As much as I grow weary of reminders about how bad our world is, in a discussion about abortion, I cannot keep silent: We must remember that we are not merely dealing with the murder of countless fetuses and killer-mothers, but we are dealing with the death of an entire civilization!

Satan is the antithesis of life – not merely physical life, but emotional, psychological, spiritual life …. and life of humanity itself. Abortion is merely the tip of a massive iceberg – a symptom of a societal spiritual malady, as Jeremiah described as “an incurable wound”.

Christ is the healing balm. It is in Christ’s life that human life has value. And to the extent that his LIFE is birthed in humanity, life will bud and flourish. If we belong to Christ, then we partner with him in bringing LIFE to humanity .... and yes, blessed forgiveness!

Friends, if the best we can do in this matter is decry the evils of abortion, sign petitions, and try to induce guilt in the mothers, we have failed to offer society anything! And we have, indeed, missed our calling. And we are merely part of the sin problem – and no less absolved!

Even as we address societal evils, let us keep our eye primarily on the implications of our calling – and the ABUNDANT LIFE we ourselves have been given in him – in order to fulfill our destiny.

Now that’s LIFE!

Diane

Well said, Diane.

I address the issue of females because this is who we primarily dealt with. Occasionally we had a dad whose girlfriend was wanting to abort but he was powerless to stop it. These guys would be so uptight they were fit to be tied! The short of the long is that sin has consequences, some more radical then others. In the end these dads were without comfort because they went against better knowledge and now they were reaping. (One must realize I am commenting on people who grew up in the Bible belt who are religious.)

The most frustrating thing about working at a CPC is that we get insights to the causes of this perversion and how do people react? Yyyaaawwwnnn.."did you say sumpthin? ah..you just paranoid.." I wish.

The solution to the problem begins with mom and dad. They must gain a sense of moral purity and how this translates into everyday life. Then ask God for wisdom on making practical applications.

QUOTE:
____________________________________________________________

Abortion is merely the tip of a massive iceberg – a symptom of a societal spiritual malady, as Jeremiah described as “an incurable wound”.
____________________________________________________________

Absolutely true.

There was a severe tension between this fact and me encouraging females to not abort. So, if and when they did choose to not abort, what kind of home will this child be subjected to? What will be there to encourage this child to live for the LORD? Will this child duplicate her parents lifestyle? Likely...I had a client one time who listened well to my spiel and then said, "Yes, I agree. What you described fits my mom. She had an abortion before she had me." But she believed she is strong enough to not allow it to traumatize her emotionally.

I believe it is vital that there would be males who would get involved in this fray. Males need to get out of their lazy-boys and go talk to these boys.* Our director used to tell the boys that came in with their girlfriends that they need to keep their pants zipped up when around women - and they just laughed.

Will quit for now - it still upsets me when I think about it long enough.

ginnyrose

*Actually, we had an Air Force Lt. Col. volunteer at our center, but as the case would have it, no males came in then.

Will quit for now - it still upsets me when I think about it long enough

The solution to the problem begins with mom and dad. They must gain a sense of moral purity and how this translates into everyday life. Then ask God for wisdom on making practical applications.

I appreciate how you are looking at this from the point of the life quality of the child – and actually the family. It is far more than an issue of murder vs not murder. It's even far more than a family matter; it’s a societal issue. There has been a huge change in understanding of sexuality. Now there is a complete severance between sexual expression and reproduction in a marital context. You’ll see that in the changes over the years in marriage vow wording. You typically no longer hear mention about offspring as a purpose for marriage. That is bound to make abortion less undesirable.

Here’s my thoughts: Yes, We must uphold the importance of preserving life from conception onward. But our Christian message will barely touch souls if we focus only on the deed in itself – and fail to consider the many driving forces behind abortion.

For example, once a 31 yo professing Christian told me she had an abortion at 6 weeks gestation. To her it wasn’t murder at this stage. It was pointless to argue because her mind was made up; It would merely have been a door closer. So I aimed to explore the driving force behind her choice. She said she made that choice believing it was the way to ensure her partner’s love. She thought he wanted the abortion because he took her to all her appointments and said nothing. Afterwards he abandoned her, saying it was because, of her decision to abort HIS child. She was devastated and felt betrayed. Why didn’t he say anything? Actually, the relationship became very confusing and messy. I commented that she was suffering the effects of relationship practices which we were not designed for. We are designed for the commitment of marriage and family. But she said, she had long ago vowed to herself that she would never have children. (see the cultural influence here?!)

Through our conversation and further questions on my part she was able to recognize her fear of being single and alone. She acknowledged her desperate need to feel loved. She also came to see that her ways of “handling” her boyfriend and her choices was manipulative and self serving. She NEEDED him for her own sake. She had become controlling – and that may have also helped drive off her boyfriend.

Ultimately she came to recognize a far bigger sin problem driving her behaviors – of which the abortion was only one. It was her an inability to trust God with her life – causing her to be driven by fear and anxiety. She saw that she needed to put her trust in God regarding her need for security and love.

She thanked me for helping her see her faulty ways and her need to trust God fully. I pray that she finds Christ to be the wellspring for all her needs. May HE fill her heart's longing.

Diane

If one is guilty of murder just by their thoughts, I shudder to think of those who have made it an art.

If one is guilty of murder just by their thoughts, I shudder to think of those who have made it an art.

But how does that relate to the redemptive/emotional/physical, relational needs of mothers who choose or consider abortion?

Diane

I think by "Art Form", we are referring to the machine like organization and slickness;

Okay, I get it. But alas: I’m having enough trouble accepting the label “artist” to refer to musicians – and horrible screechy "artists" at that …. never mind using the words "Art Form"to represent shrewd wickedness. Oh, Wows! What’s happening to our English language when “wicked” means lovely….. and a word for beauty means …… this atrocity! May our ESL guests here receive a heaping measure of understanding and patience with us!

Now about abortion – I’ve witnessed all this horrifying stuff in my obstetrics training. That was back in the 70’s! …. Clean procedures, charts, everything done so properly. The mother never sees her fetus – to avoid the risk of bonding or regret. … But back then it was quite private, and you needed a reason: “Mother with depression”. And there was a committee who reviewed each case. Today that is not so.

Still, I believe that measures like bill boards saying “Abortion stops a heartbeat” are not effective enough in penetrating the collective conscience of our society. And let’s admit, individual choices are largely shaped by societal values – (which I’ve already touched on).

Personally I come from an evangelical perspective –and that means, for me, that my aim in the matter is to bring the redemptive hope and promises in those people God puts across my path.

I don’t feel called merely to attempt to change social conscience or legislation. I know there are many already who are speaking up for the murderous evil of abortion. And that’s good.

Still, I wonder how many of those who participate in abortion have never heard any of the objections That certainly is not the case for the woman I spoke about in my last post.

Thoughts?

Diane

the machine like organization and slickness

While the world was watching the slick, precision bombings on TV (of the first Iraqui war), and feeling relieved by the removal of unwanted life, how many were thinking about the unfortunate victims of death and suffering.

It could be argued that if war measures are a tragic necessity for the sake of one's well-being, then those who opt for abortion have a justification too: the preservation of their well-being - as they see it.

How is one act of killing heroic and another murderous?

Diane

Hi roadsign,

Good points.

I do wonder what changes the hearts of women in regard to abortion. I think that society -- particular leftist feminism -- has been thrust upon girls in society over the past few decades. Many claim to see abortion as nothing more than a medical procedure to remove "unwanted fetal tissue." I think that it is quite telling of the times in which we live.

While I was in college, I used to take a shortcut through the Human Biology building in order to get to work or go to the university's main SUB (Student Union Building). Many students would do the same since it was a shortcut to the cafeteria from a major academic area of the campus. Students would enter and exit through a foyer. However, one of the professors decided to decorate the hall with jars of "aborted fetuses" meant to show the various developmental stages of gestation.

If this professor meant for this to have a "positive" effect in regard to abortion "rights," he was wrong. The student body on campus was largely disgusted by this display. Students rallied against it. They called it the "wall of death" and complained that it caused them to lose their appetites on the way to the cafeteria. Ultimately, the display remained for quite some time and was then moved to a different display case elsewhere in the building. Still, I remember reading a letter to the editor of the school newspaper in which a student mentioned that it caused her to change her mind about abortion...and become an activist against it.

I have known women who defended abortion tirelessly -- mostly using the same excuses about "rape" or "incest" -- only to eventually reveal that they had had multiple abortions performed as nothing more than a form of birth control. More importantly, I was surprised by the psychological effect that more than one of these women admitted their abortions had caused. So, liberal feminist organizations often prefer to dehumanize unborn babies in a vain effort to relieve mothers from the guilt of killing them. It must be one of those terrible moments of realization and admission -- that a mother would choose to kill her child most often for no reason other than the selfishness of not wanting to change her lifestyle.

I think that this is one reason why Liberal organizations protested so vehemently against the Tim Tebow pro-life advertisement during the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. It places a "face" on an otherwise dehumanized procedure.

Chris, Thank you! It’s encouraging to see evidence of moral consciousness on the matter – and the surprising ways people can change their views.

I do wonder what changes the hearts of women in regard to abortion. I think that society I think that it is quite telling of the times in which we live.

I suspect many who find themselves pregnant don’t go through any MAJOR changes at all, but merely reflect the inevitable outcome of well-embedded values and practices. I wrote a post earlier describing some of the societal factors. (I would love to hear your comments on that, Chris.) Actually, we could go back to the Industrial Revolution itself, even the Enlightenment – and consider how that shaped our society to where it is.

I believe we must try to grasp this bigger “handle”. Otherwise we are in danger of being like the Pharisees who pointed condemning fingers at the woman caught in adultery – without seeing a bigger picture (ex, the man) – including their own sin problem! No doubt their own condescending societal-shaped views towards sinners (women, Gentiles, defects) helped contribute to the problem - ie, their failure to fulfill the great commandment. Thankfully Jesus did not let the Pharisees use the woman (or himself) as a scapegoat.

…. choose to kill her child most often for no reason other than the selfishness of not wanting to change her lifestyle

If you don’t mind, I am going to challenge this comment. It seems somewhat broad-sweeping and points squarely at the woman, as if she is an isolated entity with the full cognitive equipment to make the right choice - but becomes driven to kill simply because she is selfish and lazy. It may be that she is indeed desperate to preserve life – her own life. It may be that she sees herself as essentially dead if she surrenders her career opportunities, material securities, or her “freedom”. We cannot overlook the driving power of fear (which I describe elsewhere as the mighty giant in the land). Fear of death (including death of identity) is a very real and very powerful force within – even if it is subconscious.

Of course we too are conditioned by our culture -ex individualism - and tend to view people with an individualistic perspective. So in our mind we isolate out the woman caught in the act, without considering how she reflects the inevitable outcome of shaping by many other people who are also accountable in the sin problem.

From that perspective we see the great sin problem of humanity: “There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” That is the launching point for hope: “…. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”. Rom. 3:24

Now that’s the gift of LIFE, the Living Water – which conquers all fear of death!

Diane, Ginny, Tom. Etc.... I do appreciate your insight in this morbid and cultural indicting subject. To reverse Roe vs. Wade might get us closer to social correctness but morally man is awash in this sin. There can be no greater pride of life than for one to elevate self so highly, that other's lives become of little to no value. This is a great evidence of the Spirit of anti Christ working in humanity. I think to myself, even if the landmark decision as it is called were to be reversed, to what extent would people go to pursue the same outcome? (SELF). This is a sensitive subject no doubt, and I do not wish to be callused to those who have been partakers in this genocide of convenience, possibly myself even for my former life was very permiscuous, but Paul did not fail to Glorify God for the Change in his life that took him from the murderous zealot that he was to the servant of the Precious Savior. The murders were a part of his testimony as to how God can change a heart of granite.