Pro-Woman

The intent of God is clear for life itself and for gender is clear from the first book of the Bible.  In
Genesis 1, we can read:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

He has wonderful purposes for men and women; in an age in which you have people who attempt to demonize other groups through identity politics and perpetrate division, the Church has the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ for one another and for a world that is need.  He treasures life; it is a precious gift that He has given to each of us, and all have a role in His plan; each of us in the body of Christ has a purpose.

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Discussion of the recent pro-life bill passed overwhelmingly by Alabama legislators has degenerated into name-calling, misrepresentation, and...identity politics, which seems to be the order of the day in
so many circles. Christians have to guard against that, remembering that Galatians 3 states:
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Planned Parenthood was founded the twisted eugenics of Margaret Sanger, built on racism and identity politics, where black children were singled out for extermination.  There area attempts to misrepresent and invalidate the pro-life movement because men are involved in the legislative process in passing laws limiting abortion, even though the movement is essentially a movement of women, for women.

An excellent piece at Townhall.com by Katie Yoder of the Media Research Center highlights some examples of the mistaken narrative:

“As many people noted, all 25 of those ‘yes’ votes came from white male senators,” added HuffPost reporter Alanna Vagianos.

For USA Today, Alia E. Dastagir noted the “25 white male Republicans in Alabama.”

“The bill passed thanks to the votes of a group of exclusively white, male Republican senators,” echoed Vice journalist David Gilbert.

She continues:

State Representative Terri Collins, a woman, helped sponsor the bill. Governor Kay Ivey, also a woman, signed the bill into law. In a statement, Gov. Ivey prioritized not only the protection of life, but also the enhancement of life.

She urged members to find the “best ways possible to foster a better Alabama in all regards, from education to public safety,” exposing the lie that pro-lifers only care about the unborn. “We must give every person the best chance for a quality life and a promising future.”

Women’s influence didn’t end there. Pro-life women voters elected these representatives. According to Pew Research Center data from 2014, 58 percent of Alabama adults wanted abortion illegal in all or most cases. Forty-nine percent of those were men – and 51 percent were women.

 Yoder continued to bust the narrative that abortion restrictions are in opposition to so-called "women's rights."  Consider these stats from the op-ed piece:

• An August CBS/Refinery29 poll revealed that 72 percent of millennial women are likely in favor of abortion restrictions.

• In January, a Marist poll found 75 percent of Americans – including women – say abortion should be limited to the first three months of pregnancy.

• A Gallup poll last summer found that 48 percent of Americans call themselves “pro-life,” the same percentage who identify as “pro-choice.” Other Gallup data determined that both men and women “generally hold similar abortion attitudes.”

Yoder also cites the number of women who lead pro-life organizations.  The pro-life movement is, at its heart, a women's movement, with women standing up and recognizing the humanity of unborn children and reaching out to women in crisis, a crisis that may have resulted in a pregnancy.  This was typlified at a rally in Montgomery yesterday that featured an impressive litany of mostly female speakers, with a majority female attendance.  One of the speakers, Kay Trattles of Mary's Shelter in South Alabama, shared about her ministry's devotion to providing a stable home for pregnant women.

She and so many others illustrate that pro-life people are not anti-women.  Perhaps you heard about a tweet that was sent out recently.  The Daily Wire reports:

In a tweet pointed out by Twitchy, "blue-check" author and Times of Israel blogger Sarah Tuttle-Singer wrote: "Dear Pro-Life friends: what have you *personally* done to support lower income single mothers? I’ll wait..."

The article says that "Tuttle-Singer did not have to wait long."  A sampling of responses:

I've spent the last 15 years serving breakfast once a month at a homeless shelter and making lunches for the same shelter once a month on a separate weekend...

I'm the president of the board of directors for our local domestic violence shelter...

Donated to crisis pregnancy centers. Volunteered with the Sisters of Life (highly recommend: you can be helpful just by holding a baby while mama gets food at the potluck, for instance) Offered to meet with anyone in a crisis pregnancy to talk about arranging to adopt their baby...

Applying for an open adoption, to take care of a child whose mother doesn't think she can raise the baby, and to keep mother and child in each other's lives. And I'd also add: donating to @prisonculture's Black Mama Bail Out to pay the bails of black mothers and send them home to be with their children... 

Adopted 1 and took in 3 foster who are now staying permanently. In addition to my 6 natural children.

So, those are just some.  Conservative Tribune reported: "Over 13,000 people flooded the comments section, some sharing stories about volunteering in pregnancy centers, others about how their families have chipped in to help unexpectedly pregnant mothers."

So, as we consider what we've discussed today, we can underscore that compassion for the unborn is consistent with compassion for their mothers.  It is not cold or heartless to preserve the life of the unborn child while at the same time point the woman to a better life.  And, pro-life ministries are all too aware that mothers in crisis offer an opportunity to share the love of Christ.

As the popularity of abortion declines and restrictions rise, to the extent that there may no longer be legal abortion in America - a post-Roe generation, as it's been described, the Church can be mobilized to be healing centers in our communities.  The compassion of Christ is compelling and effective in changing minds and hearts.