The Pro-Life Battle in 2012
As another year draws to a close, it would be wise to assess the current state of the pro-life movement. Perhaps most helpful would be an examination of the pro-life movement’s moral compass: Are we fighting for the right reasons? For that matter, what tools are we using to fight? Solidifying our answers to these questions will best prepare us for any victories on the pro-life front in 2012.
In one sense, pro-lifers are steadily winning the fight as more Americans recognize the evil of abortion. But in another sense, pro-lifers lose the fight each and every time an innocent child is murdered.
Pro-life activists are selfless and courageous people. They possess the strength of conviction needed to boldly stand against the American abortion juggernaut on behalf of the voiceless unborn. Their stance against the prevailing tide of murderous injustice has doubtless served to ignite a movement that, Lord willing, will continue to grow and expand until those unborn humans who are the most weak and vulnerable among us are finally valued and protected by law.
But for now, the scourge of abortion is still an American institution, with over three thousand children slaughtered each and every day. Even though almost forty years have passed since the Supreme Court handed down Roe vs. Wade, politicians have accomplished little to stop the bloodshed. And with the rising popularity of abortion-causing contraceptive methods like the Morning After Pill, it’s clear that any estimates of the abortion toll since 1973 are probably greatly understated. Untold millions of children are dead because of our cultural addiction to abortion.
This addiction is primarily a theological problem. God has clearly condemned murder in His Word and has promised judgment for those societies who embrace murder. Frankly, we as a culture have refused to believe God, even at our own peril. Every human reflects the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and the Bible prevents the murder of fellow image bearers (Ex. 20:13). Scripture’s teaching that each of these image bearers was knitted together in the womb by God himself (Ps. 139:13-14) is foundational to the belief that human life is deserving of legal protection from conception onward. Furthermore, evangelical Christians affirm Christ’s teaching that their actions toward the most defenseless members of society reflect their true attitude toward Christ Himself (Mt. 25:40).
In 2012, pro-lifers must remember that abortion has always been, and still is, a Gospel issue. There is no change in our culture without a change of heart, something only accomplished through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pro-lifers must continue to build their case against abortion on the Word of God. Some people argue that pro-life activism should be based primarily on science, reason, and emotional pleas. While these types of arguments have their place, they should only be used secondarily to the enduring and life-changing Word of God. Why rely primarily on statistics and psychological arguments for our opposition to abortion? It’s sin! May we never become so so anesthetized to the moral evil of abortion that we forget why we fight. We do not merely fight for a lofty ideal about a “culture of life.” We fight because countless millions of our fellow bearers of God’s image have been slaughtered before our very eyes. We must not lose sight of the most important reason to oppose abortion: God does.
Finally, in 2012 Christian pro-lifers must commit to an even more tireless activism on behalf of the unborn. Driven by the strength of Biblical conviction, we must continue to love the least among us. If abortion is to ever be ended, our fellow Americans need to be exposed to the brutal aftermath of this injustice. Perhaps God will create in their hearts the same grief and anger He feels over the shedding of innocent blood. But in the midst of our renewed activism, we must remember that God is sovereign. God calls us to faithfulness, regardless of the possibility of success.
Our hearts’ longing for justice must compel us to keep working for the protection of our fellow image bearers, but that longing also reminds us of the sure promise that one day, God will let “justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).
Psalm 82:3-4
Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. (NKJV)