Pro-Life Passion and Pro-Abortion Intimidation

Jesus calls us to walk in His truth - to know the reality of who He is and to follow the certainty of His teachings. We have to be aware that there is the potential for corruption for the Church as a whole and for individual believers. 2nd Peter chapter 2 says:
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

There are several passages that come to mind that are similar to this in the Bible, in which the writer is warning against those who will negatively impact the Church by their deception. We find speakers and authors who somehow find a Biblical justification for abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, and a host of other issues that the Scripture plainly labels as sin. We have to be pure in our beliefs, rooted in a Christian worldview, and be discerning when errant teaching makes its way into the Church.

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God intends for our lives to be centered on His truth, and in Job chapter 31, we find a passage that reinforces the sanctity of life. He states:
13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,
14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

In two months from tomorrow, voters will go to the polls in mid-term elections.  Nationally, the entirety of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate is up for election.  Statewide in Alabama, the entire state legislature and elective statewide offices will be in play.  So, make sure you circle Tuesday, November 8 and be ready to vote.

My Faith Votes has announced its Voter Registration Sunday - it's coming up weekend after next, on Sunday, September 18.  The organization, on its website, states:

National Voter Registration Sunday is about encouraging Christians to bring the solutions of their faith to the ballot box. According to Barna Research, in 2016, 61% of Evangelical Christians voted. That number increased in 2020, but it remains that 1 in 3 Christians do not consistently vote, with participation in local elections even lower.”

Because of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion groups are sensing an opportunity; My Faith Votes also states on its website, making reference to a Fox News report:

The pro-choice organization Planned Parenthood is pouring a record $50 million into the 2022 midterm elections in an attempt to elect pro-choice candidates up and down the ballot this November. In a press release Wednesday, Planned Parenthood announced its massive midterm spending plan and the launch of its new electoral spending program, "Take Control," following the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, making way for the states to place stricter restrictions and bans on abortion.”

The article goes on to say:

Two major abortion groups, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY’s List, together with Planned Parenthood are planning to spend 150 million dollars to support pro-abortion candidates in the nine states of Georgia, Nevada, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Michigan and Wisconsin. Why these states? Six of those states have competitive U.S. Senate races, which can affect the confirmation of any pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice nominees.

And, here's the sobering news; My Faith Votes states:

Our work is critical due to an alarming trend in voter registration data: in battleground states with pro-life laws, people who are likely to vote for pro-abortion candidates are registering to vote in higher numbers than likely pro-life voters. It is thought that the loss of perceived “abortion rights” is the motivating factor for these new and younger voters. For pro-life Christians, the possible loss of the right to life for unborn babies in these states should be our own motivating factor.

The article quoted from a TargetSmart piece that referenced the earlier defeat of an amendment to the Kansas Constitution that "would have removed abortion as a right and allowing legislators to decide the state’s laws on abortion," according to a Live Action News piece that stated:

Despite the celebration from pro-abortion politicians and advocates, the failure of the Value Them Both amendment was not a sign that Americans are rejecting pro-life laws; instead, it showed that in this instance, the abortion industry had superior messaging. Rather than being truthful about the amendment and what it would do (claiming it was a “ban” on abortion when it was nothing of the sort), organizations like Planned Parenthood framed it as a matter of personal and constitutional freedom.

The article goes on to say:

In the past several years, the abortion lobby has openly campaigned on extreme laws — like the failed Women’s Health Protection Act — and argued that abortion should be taxpayer-funded, and easily available for any reason, at any point in pregnancy. This is not a popular view with the majority of Americans, so it isn’t difficult to believe that the abortion industry could embrace the deception used in Kansas, making the abortion issue one of “freedom” rather than of every human being’s inherent right to life — to not be unjustly killed.

The pro-life movement needs to be aware of this potential messaging change, and be ready to confront these lies with the truth about what abortion really is: the killing of an innocent and defenseless human being.

And, Joshua Arnold of Family Research Council, writing for The Washington Stand, echoes the cry of My Faith Votes to recapture the passion for pro-life action that has driven the movement for the past 50 years, stating:

This was a historic moment, the culmination of 50 years of coalition building, marching, campaigning, public persuasion, and prayer. Wasn’t this the hard-fought victory pro-lifers sought to achieve? Did pro-lifers campaign 50 years to return control of abortion to elected officials, only for those officials to sit on their hands? While some did celebrate, for many, the reply was muted. 

He quotes from his colleague, Director of Federal Affairs at FRC, Connor Semelsberger, who said: “There’s just been mostly radio silence...There really isn’t a unified message.”  Arnold believes that pro-life lawmakers shied away because of what the media was saying.  Semelsberger is urging pro-life candidates to be clear and bold on the issue; Arnold writes:

Semelsberger urged them to give “pro-life Americans that have been fighting for 50 years” something to vote for. These hardworking Americans want “to finally pass laws to protect life. They finally have their opportunity to elect leaders that can actually protect life in the womb. They, too, want to turn out and vote for candidates that they know protect life. But there has to be leadership.”

Leadership like recent Focus on the Family guest, Sen. Tim Scott, who said, according to Arnold, "I don’t believe that [the overturn of Roe] will have a negative impact on us at the polls.” Arnold responds, "Listen to your voters, not your adversaries."

That quote from Sen. Scott is pulled from an interview with Martha McCallum of The Story at Fox News, in which Sen. Scott said, according to Breitbart:

“I don’t believe that this will have a negative impact on us at the polls, to be honest with you. Ultimately the decision about life is not left or right. It’s a wrong or right. I’m thankful that for my mother, she made the choice that brought me into this world, and so many millions of other kids are having the same experience enjoying a fruit-filled life even for those of us starting in poverty.”

Scott added, “It’s one of the reasons why I talked about the painful, miserable story of my grandparents growing up in Jim Crow South in my book. I want people to know that there’s life, there’s reasons to be optimistic. There’s reasons to remain hopeful, to be resilient, to be tenacious, and to know that in America, all things are possible.”

Life has its victories, and while we can certainly celebrate those triumphs - and I would rate the overturning of Roe as such, we have to realize that we are still in a battle for the lives of unborn children. This principle holds true throughout our lives: we don't need to allow a win to make us complacent.  Nor overconfident.  We can continue to be vigilant and realize that the Dobbs decision turned abortion policy back to the states; some even think that it opens a door for the federal government to craft abortion-related legislation.  

So, our votes count, and we have to be discerning about the candidates for whom we vote. While not every candidate is going to be a Bible-believing Christian, as it's been said, we have to find the candidates who best reflect our values. And, we can most certainly be supportive of those who embrace life. 

While abortion is a political issue, it certainly is a moral - and spiritual - one.  We also recognize that there are many who support the taking of unborn children's lives who want to cloak that and shift the focus to things such as so-called "reproductive rights" or a "woman's right to choose."  They will brand pro-life people as "extremists" and ignore scientific data about the development of the unborn child. We have to be aware of the tactics of those who support abortion and make sure we are staying focused on the truth about life.