As said last week, Roe v Wade is gone. If abortion is ever made the national policy of the United States again it will not be called “Roe v Wade.” It will go by some other name. It will take on some other form. It will demand new concessions. It will insist upon new so-called freedoms. Roe v Wade is gone.
The desire by some to have abortion on demand is alive and well.
There is much to say about the end to Roe v Wade, but I want to focus on the Christian response to this ruling. We cannot control how other people react, what other people say, or the things other people think. All we can do is strive to let our words and deeds match those of the Master.
With that in mind, I have some things to say.
You can read the previous entry in this three-part series HERE, which was directed to those whose first response is to raise a picket sign in one hand and a Molotov cocktail in the other.
Next, TO THE PRO-ABORTION MOVEMENT, I say…
Try to understand the Bible believer’s perspective…
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].
(Exodus 21:22)
According to the old law of Moses, if two men are fighting (brawling) and they accidentally hurt a pregnant woman, and because of the commotion she goes into labor but no harm is done to the mother or the child, then the man who caused the pre-term birth is commanded to pay a fine. But if the unborn child dies as a result of the fight, then the guilty party must die, under the precept that he must give “life for life.”
God demands life for life, not life for “non-life,” not life for “potential life.”
And, keep in mind, this is talking about something that happens accidentally. It wasn’t even fathomable that someone would deliberately kill an unborn child. That’s why most Biblical allegories to abortion revolve around the pagan god Moloch, whose priests demanded child sacrifices. There’s no perfect 1:1 Biblical equivalent to the deliberate terminating of an unborn baby’s life. The closest we have is the accidental termination, and that’s enough for God to order death to the guilty party, on the grounds that life must be paid for a “life” that is taken.
That’s a text from the old law of Moses, but it provides for us insight into the thought process of the Creator of life, and of how He regards the child in the womb.
To understand that fundamental truth—that God recognizes the unborn is “life”—is to end the debate. There is no more discussion to be had. The science is settled. The Creator of life has defined life. When I hear a pro-abortionist debate the right to privacy, to me it’s as asinine and evasive as the old pro-confederate argument that goes something like this:
“The South was just fighting for states’ rights! It had nothing to do with slavery!”
Uh…what were they fighting for the right to have? SLAVES!
Ergo:
“We’re just fighting for our right to privacy!”
Uh…what do you want the privacy to do? ABORT!
I’m sorry that there exists a chasm between the two sides. I wish the issue was more nuanced, in a way that would allow the two sides to find a middle ground. And while I do concede there’s room on both sides for healthy discussion and understanding in matters that affect the life of a mother, such as in the case of ectopic pregnancies, when it comes to the basic 99% cases, in which abortion is desired solely for matters of expediency, the issue is stark and clear.
We believe the Bible, therefore we rejoice at the news that Roe v Wade is overturned.
Next Thursday, there will be words for the pro-life crowd…
~Matthew