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.
Each human being is a "marvelous" work - we have been formed by an all-powerful Creator, created in His image, with the capacity to know God and to be used according to His purposes. Life is incredibly precious, and we can praise the One who has given us that life. We can also defend those who are in danger and speak out for children yet unborn, so that they might have that chance to live for Him.
God is encouraging people who are devoted to Him to continue to be strong in speaking out and acting in accordance with the life-affirming principles of the Scriptures. Proverbs 24 offers a strong
passage, relevant for these days:
10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
It was January 22, 1973. The U.S. Supreme Court made an ill-advised decision and created a constitutional right for a woman to take the life of an unborn child. It's now called "reproductive rights" or a "woman's right to choose." There are over 60 million people who would have been born since 1973. Just consider the missed possibilities.
January 22 has now become a catalyst for pro-life people to reaffirm their support for the sanctity of human life, a gift from God. The month of January is commemorated and celebrated as Sanctity of Life month. This Friday, the annual March for Life will be occurring in Washington, DC, as thousands of people from all ages will gather in the nation's capital to stand with those who have lost their lives to abortion and to stand against the taking of pre-born life through abortion.
Already, there have been some regional events and, based on attendance, there are some promising signs. A Christian Headlines story shared about some of the occasions thus far this year. One instance:
The powerful image of an unborn child in the womb was put on display last year by Focus on the Family in its "Alive From New York" event in Times Square. This year, there will be five events on the same day throughout the country, including in Atlanta. ALIVE 2020 will occur on the day before Mother's Day, on May 9th.
It's Sanctity of Human Life month, centered around this day - certainly a dark day in American history, but an occasion to affirm life as it has been created by God. We can reflect on three phrases:
1. Celebration in the midst of devastation. Millions of babies have lost their lives; but, we also know that numerous lives have been saved through pro-life work. For example, the network of pro-life pregnancy centers known as CareNet reports that, as of this past September, almost 750,000 babies had been saved over the past 10 years through just its network of centers. That's worth celebrating! And the pro-life movement is strong, and apparently getting stronger. We also reflect on:
2. Worship in the midst of woe. It's a Biblical concept: in the darkest, most challenging times of our lives, we can look to the Lord, offer praises to Him, and draw strength in our weakness. We can continue to be diligent to serve and worship the God who has given us life and opportunities to rescue those who are endangered. Finally, we continue to reflect on:
3. Affirming life even in a culture of death. We are people who recognize the Giver of Life and speak and act boldly to protect what He has created. In an age where there is disregard for the child in the womb, we can continue to allow God to use us to bring light and life.
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God is encouraging people who are devoted to Him to continue to be strong in speaking out and acting in accordance with the life-affirming principles of the Scriptures. Proverbs 24 offers a strong
passage, relevant for these days:
10 If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
It was January 22, 1973. The U.S. Supreme Court made an ill-advised decision and created a constitutional right for a woman to take the life of an unborn child. It's now called "reproductive rights" or a "woman's right to choose." There are over 60 million people who would have been born since 1973. Just consider the missed possibilities.
January 22 has now become a catalyst for pro-life people to reaffirm their support for the sanctity of human life, a gift from God. The month of January is commemorated and celebrated as Sanctity of Life month. This Friday, the annual March for Life will be occurring in Washington, DC, as thousands of people from all ages will gather in the nation's capital to stand with those who have lost their lives to abortion and to stand against the taking of pre-born life through abortion.
Already, there have been some regional events and, based on attendance, there are some promising signs. A Christian Headlines story shared about some of the occasions thus far this year. One instance:
In Colorado, thousands attended the “Celebrate Life” march to rally against late-term abortions, according to Faithwire. A new measure in the state, called “Initiative 120,” proposes that medical professionals who perform an abortion after 22 weeks—unless the mother’s life is at risk—could lose their license for at least three years.Also, there was this report:
To the northeast, approximately 9,000 people appeared in Chicago to protest their beliefs in the “March for Life Chicago.” In 2014, only 1,000 showed to the event. This year’s theme was “Life empowers: Pro-life is Pro-Woman.”
“There’s more people in Illinois and the Midwest who recognize the urgency of this,” said March for Life president Dawn Fitzpatrick. “We recognize that there’s a human being that’s created from the moment of conception.”Illinois Democrat Congressman Dan Lipinski spoke in Chicago; as the article notes, he signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Also attending was Dr. Karen Deighan, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Loyola University Medical Center. The article notes:
After the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement warning against bans on abortion care, Deighan raised the alarm to protect “conscience” laws which allow doctors to refuse to make healthcare decisions against their faith.And, in another pro-life development, according to Live Action News:
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, British professor Stuart Derbyshire — an abortion supporter who was once a consultant for Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocacy groups — claimed in 2006 that there was “good evidence that fetuses cannot experience pain.” Today, while he still supports abortion, he believes — along with his American co-researcher, John C. Bockmann (who apparently does not share Derbyshire’s pro-abortion position) — that several studies call into question the current 24-week pain ‘consensus.’The findings of their study was published in the BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics. Here are a couple of quotes that Live Action News emphasizes:
...The fetus experiences something that is inherent to a certain level of biological activity, and which emerges at an unknown time often speculated to be after 12 weeks’ gestation….”(The emphasis is added there and in the following statement.) Also, the researchers say: "We may doubt whether the fetus (or an animal) ever feels anything akin to pain, but acting as if we have certainty flirts with a moral recklessness that we are motivated to avoid.”
They add, “Overall, the evidence, and a balanced reading of that evidence, points towards an immediate and unreflective pain experience mediated by the developing function of the nervous system from as early as 12 weeks.”
The powerful image of an unborn child in the womb was put on display last year by Focus on the Family in its "Alive From New York" event in Times Square. This year, there will be five events on the same day throughout the country, including in Atlanta. ALIVE 2020 will occur on the day before Mother's Day, on May 9th.
It's Sanctity of Human Life month, centered around this day - certainly a dark day in American history, but an occasion to affirm life as it has been created by God. We can reflect on three phrases:
1. Celebration in the midst of devastation. Millions of babies have lost their lives; but, we also know that numerous lives have been saved through pro-life work. For example, the network of pro-life pregnancy centers known as CareNet reports that, as of this past September, almost 750,000 babies had been saved over the past 10 years through just its network of centers. That's worth celebrating! And the pro-life movement is strong, and apparently getting stronger. We also reflect on:
2. Worship in the midst of woe. It's a Biblical concept: in the darkest, most challenging times of our lives, we can look to the Lord, offer praises to Him, and draw strength in our weakness. We can continue to be diligent to serve and worship the God who has given us life and opportunities to rescue those who are endangered. Finally, we continue to reflect on:
3. Affirming life even in a culture of death. We are people who recognize the Giver of Life and speak and act boldly to protect what He has created. In an age where there is disregard for the child in the womb, we can continue to allow God to use us to bring light and life.
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