Pain and Choice

Even the great prophet Jeremiah, in at least one instance, had to be reminded who formed him and
who ordained his life. In the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah, we read:
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

God has given us life, and it is not the role of human beings to take the life of another - inside or outside the womb!   Because we are devoted to our Creator, we can see human life as an instance of His creation, His handiwork, to the extent that we see, on the sixth day of creation, that humanity was created in "His own image," the crowning glory of His creation, so that it could be proclaimed to be "very good."  We rejoice in the concept of life, a life-giving Creator, and the fact that you and I were created in God's image.

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We can rejoice that each of us was created in the image of God and we reflect the majesty of our Maker.  Psalm 139 states:
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

The act of taking the life of an unborn child is so offensive that a majority of Americans at least favor some restrictions on it.  To those who promote and vote for unrestricted abortion, one has to wonder if abortion is so great, why do people - Americans - want to restrict it?

Well, Planned Parenthood and its allies certainly have played a part in trying to paint a false narrative about the acceptability of their services, including abortion, which is the foundation of their business model.  But, wise Americans are continuing to register their concerns.

In a recent Marist poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, 63% of those surveyed said they would support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.  Why 20 weeks?  Why do we hear that number?  Because that is the point where science has shown that an unborn child is capable of feeling pain.  If over 60% of the population opposes taking a human life, it is unconscionable that only 51% of the U.S. Senate recently voted to support the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.  That fell short of the 60% necessary to move that bill forward. 

Alabama Senator Richard Shelby voted in favor of the bill, and Doug Jones, the Senator for whom Shelby, as it's been pointed out, was partially responsible for getting elected, voted against.  In Florida, Marco Rubio voted affirmatively and Bill Nelson, well, he sat that one out.  Both of Georgia's senators, Isakson and Perdue, voted in favor of the bill.

More key information from that Marist poll summary:

More than three quarters of Americans would limit abortion to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy, according to a new Marist Poll. That number has consistently been about three quarters or more for the past decade.

This year, the survey found that 76 percent of Americans want such limits. Strong majorities of Republicans (92 percent), Independents (78 percent) and Democrats (61 percent) agree, as do a majority of those who identify as pro-choice (60 percent).

As the poll's summary indicates, even though 51% of those surveyed identify as "pro-choice," 6 in 10 favor restrictions.  56% of Americans consider abortion to be "morally wrong," a number that rises to 64% for children with "genetic issues like Down syndrome."

Oh, and one more thing, from Pew Research:  in Alabama, 58% of those surveyed said that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.  I can say with confidence: Alabama is an overwhelmingly pro-life state!!  And, 77% believe that religion is "very important" in their lives.

As we consider that takeaways from this data, I want to refer you to some comments from Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson who said, “This survey shows clearly that the ‘pro-choice’ label can no longer be assumed to mean support for abortion on demand. Nor can abortion be thought of as a partisan issue since majorities of Democrats, Independents and Republicans all agree that it should be substantially restricted. It is high time that our political debates reflected this national consensus and used it as a starting point.”

Again, if abortion is so great, as Planned Parenthood would have you believe, why is there such significant support for restrictions?   Even those who might buy into the lie of a "woman's right to choose" seemingly believe there should be some limitations.   I would hope that a lawmaker can look into his or her heart of hearts, seriously consider that a pre-born child can feel pain in the womb, and relinquish any dedication to taking the life of that child.

I think we can rejoice in positive signs in the pro-life movement, such as this type of polling data.  There have been some governmental advances, as well, even over the past few weeks.  But, ultimately, the major shift for life will occur as hearts are changed.  Technology, such as ultrasound, can play a role in that, as women make the choice to allow their baby to live due to their recognition of that child as being a precious life.  The most powerful force, I would contend, is the gospel.  We care about the unborn because we believe that life is sacred, created by God, in His image, and our passion for life should be driven not by political motivations, but by love for that baby and his or her family, as well.

Political victories and defeats will come and go, and those are not to be minimized, but a change of heart, individually and collectively, will determine our direction as a culture on this important issue of life.