We would…
(1) Find out who is actually having abortions.
According to a variety of reports from 2005 – 2008, nearly 75% of women who have abortions are between 15 and 29 years old. Nearly 65% of women who have abortions are minorities. A similar percentage of women who have abortions are considered low-income or below the federal poverty level. It’s also important to realize that half of the women who have abortions consider themselves Protestant or Catholic.
(2) Come to the realization that people aren’t going to stop having pre-marital sex.
If I had a nickel for every time I heard a Christian say something along the lines of, “if abstinence was preached in schools, we’d have a lot less abortions and pregnancies,” I’d be a rich man. Sure, in an ideal world, every un-married person would be practicing abstinence — resulting in a vast decline of unplanned pregnancies and STD’s. But we don’t live in an ideal world. People, especially curious teenagers and twenty-somethings, will continue to have numerous sexual partners before marriage, just as they have for centuries. It’s unfortunate, but it’s reality.
(3) Make sure every woman has access to and is educated about adequate birth control methods.
Instead of bashing organizations that do safe-sex lectures in schools & communities, Christians need to either work alongside them or develop similar practices. What if churches began to go into schools to advocate abstinence but also distribute condoms? What if churches became a safe-haven for young women in a community to receive counsel, support, and resources needed in order to engage in safe-sex and avoid unplanned pregnancies? Right now, even with agencies like Planned Parenthood, it is incredibly hard for young minority and low-income women to obtain adequate contraceptives. Fortunately (and ironically), as the Healthcare Reform that so many Christians opposed begins to unfold, these women will come closer to finally have healthcare. This means these young women will finally be able to consult with their doctors about the necessary tools needed to be safe while sexually active. In the meantime, the church can be a triple-threat in abortion prevention by being a safe haven for women, a voice in community school districts, and a supporter of free medical clinics.
(4) Be willing to adopt or become an advocate for children who were not aborted
Let’s picture a scenario here: Christians get what they want and abortion becomes illegal in the United States. Okay, so aside from the potential development of a dangerous “black market” for abortions, there are going to be nearly 1 million babies born each year to a mother that is severely lacking in maturity, finances, education, or family support. As a result, this child is likely to be shipped off to countless foster homes or will be raised by a mother who either doesn’t have the time to adequately support him or simply doesn’t know how. The scary thing is this is already happening today. There are millions of children who have no parents or are stuck with ones who severely neglect them emotionally, physically, nutritionally. Where is the church? The hearts of those who follow Jesus should break just as much for the neglected children of this country as they do for the unborn whose lives were cut short.
. . .
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it either gives you a new way of looking at the issue of abortion or stirs something inside of you to do more than just hold up signs in protest.
- John
. . .
Sources:
