Blood on Our Hands: 7 Reasons Why I’m a Christian against Abortion Who Doesn’t Vote “Pro-life”
As we approach the November 6 election in the US, I again hear and read comments that people who vote for pro-choice candidates have the blood of millions of murdered babies on their hands. Sometimes the opinion includes the question of how such voters can call themselves Christian.
I’m one of the people those comments target. I am a Christian from the Anabaptist stream — a historic peace church that includes Mennonites and Amish — and I usually don’t vote for so-called pro-life candidates.
Why? Because the Anabaptist ideal, as I understand it, is that as followers of Jesus, we are to be as pro-life as possible in our complex world. (Some people use the term “completely pro-life,” which makes me wince a bit. Because humanly speaking, when are we consistently and completely anything?)
This means no killing. By abortion. Or the death penalty. Or of enemies, even in war.
You see where this leaves me? Given my faith perspective, to cast any vote is to have blood on my hands. I can find pro-birth candidates. But I have yet to find a completely pro-life politician in any party.
Historically, Anabaptist Christians have “solved” this dilemma by not voting at all. I grew up hearing that not voting is a witness to society that we belong to the Kingdom of God, not to the kingdoms of this world. I was taught that not voting is an expression that we are in the world but not of the world.
Some Anabaptists still follow this practice. Others, including me, believe that we have a responsibility to vote, that there are no pure enclaves under a bushel somewhere to hide in and be absolved of the whole bloody mess. As German theologian and anti-Nazi activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Given the complexity, why don’t I just vote for pro-life candidates, as some of my fellow Anabaptists do, even if those politicians are more pro-birth than pro-life? At least I’d know I’m not supporting the murder of babies. Here are seven head-and-heart reasons:
- My convictions are shaped by my work as a counselor with left-behind children in public schools, some of whom wished they had never been born. I’m glad people care passionately about unborn children, but I find my heart breaking when that passion seems to dissipate once a baby is born and disappears altogether at our borders.
- I’ve done community trauma work on five continents and have witnessed the devastation and suffering of real people impacted by violence, migration, war, injustice, and dignity violations. The way our elected officials vote on war, immigration, and foreign aid have life and death consequences. I want the babies and children in those far-off places, created in the image of God just like my own, to live and thrive, too.
- Pro-life legislators are more likely than their pro-choice counterparts to vote against the very programs that research shows decrease abortion rates: access to affordable contraceptives, age-appropriate sex education, paid maternity leave, and access to affordable child care.
- Pro-life politicians are more likely to support the death penalty and increased defense spending, which includes bombs and drones that kill other people’s babies and children.
- Even if I don’t condone abortion, I know it’s going to happen. I don’t condone war either, but I know it’s going to happen. I don’t support defunding and closing veterans’ hospitals as an attempt to stop war. Rather, I put my effort into supporting policies that reduce the likelihood of war. Likewise, I believe the most effective anti-abortion work I can do is supporting policies that prevent abortion and decrease abortion rates rather than working to defund or close clinics or criminalize abortion. I value the lives of women having abortions and want them to be safe, just as I value the lives of our veterans who need care even while disagreeing with their choice to go to war.
- Being as pro-life as possible means we don’t kill through supporting policies that deprive those unaborted babies, once they get older, of healthcare or school lunches. We don’t kill by allowing assault weapons on our streets or supporting systems that pipeline young people to prison. We don’t kill this beautiful planet Creator God has given us through policies that increase our carbon footprint.
- If we’re one-issue pro-life voters, foxy politicians — as Jesus called Herod — play us. All they need to do is say they are pro-life, and voilà, they have a whole flock of Christian voters in their pocket, regardless of their character and even if they support policies that increase abortion rates and kill in other ways.
The way I vote comes from being deeply rooted in my 500-year-old faith tradition, yes. But it’s not just something I inherited. It’s based on what I have seen and heard and carefully considered. When another Christian disparages my lifetime calling and my faith, it saddens and sometimes angers me.
Amidst the clamor that deepens divisions, it’s easy to forget that Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and each other. I wish we loved enough to stop demonizing: “Pro-life Christian voters are simplistic and end up harming women and children with their narrow focus;” “Pro-choice voters are disingenuous child murderers who can’t possibly be Christian.”
What if we stopped the othering rhetoric and started over with something we all agree is solidly Christian, a humble confession: We all have blood on our hands.
Maybe then we could work together, despite our differences, in the life-giving spirit of that greatest commandment. Love.
Carolyn Yoder is a psychotherapist, trauma specialist, and author of The Little Book of Trauma Healing: When Violence Strikes and Community Security is Threatened. www.PeaceAfterTrauma.com
You have spoken like I only wish I could. Thank you your boldness and clarity. You give me hope.
Thank you, Sharon. Your comment gives me strength. We so much need to be each other’s bread and wine these days.
Thank you for this. It articulates well my thoughts and it is good to see it written in a way that I can’t.
Thank you, Lynn.
Thank you for this. I am a pro-choice voter because I am pro-life. I don’t want to see any more high school girls dying from self induced abortions, as one did in my high school before the law went into effect. I am also not a single issue voter. I loved your reference to how easy it is for single issue voters to be manipulated by savvy politicians. Too true.
I dont believe you are really pro life then, you may want to save the womens life but you still leave out the child..being pro life would be to encourage no aboritions and help all women..even a lawful aborition isnt fully safe and more than anything is still murdering another life..so incredibly awful and sad..
Being pro-life should include eliminating as many reasons for abortion as possible. So many women have abortions due to economic concerns, so a pro-life candidate should stand for policies which help raise the economic status of these women. Many other turn to abortion due to lack of reliable birth control, so a pro-life candidate should support access to free/inexpensive, long term birth control for these women so they can avoid getting pregnant in the first place. Other women turn to abortion due to health issues that, if they had access to adequate health care in the first place, could have been corrected so they did not have to abort the child they wanted to keep.
It is cheaper and more satisfying to lash out and pass laws against abortion than to actually do what is needed to eliminate the need for them. Doing that requires a compassionate approach to life at all stages, not just being pro-birth.
well said Richard
Well said. Anti-abortion is only one of many positive life positions. If you are staunchly anti-arbortion but don’t speak out about Trump’s immorality/amorality on almost every other area of American life, and vote for Republicans to stay in office to maintain the current power and amorality in the White House and Congress, God will not forgive you anymore than the historic Pharisees.
Of course, I already know I’m going to hell since I voted Democrat in an effort to balance “pro-life” issues more consistent with Richard’s views above.
Clair
Exactly, what you say. This is the dilemma and it well illustrates the hypocrisy of the Republican party who prefer to blame women for their lot and to remove all supports that would guarantee what a woman needs to successfully raise her child. It is extremely hard to conceive that they care for the life of the child beyond birth. I firmly believe that seeing that a child has what is needed for qualify of life should go along this concern for one’s birth. When not, it appears to be only a useful tool to hammer the dem party with, as simply a wedge issue to cast condemnation and drive divisions.
I’m not trying to be difficult, but please give me a few specific examples of policies/laws that the Republican party promotes that “removes all supports” from women. And what are several examples of policies/laws that you feel would provide “quality of life” for a child, but that the Republican party is against? I really would like to better understand your viewpoint.
If what you say is true, then why isn’t abstinence not promoted more vigorously? Do we assume that teens and others are going to have sex anyway, which out of wedlock is a sin, according to Scripture, or just give them contraceptives and hope they use them correctly? Abstinence is 100% effective every time it is tried and that is a fact and that is a Pro-Life stance that few want to pursue. It places responsibility where it belongs – on the individual.
Proven statistically: more wealthy women have abortions than economically disadvantaged women. Your argument does not hold.
Fun fact: economically disadvantaged women can’t afford an abortion. And often can’t afford birth control either…
Leslie, Did you really read what she wrote? Did you listen to her heart? No, I suspect you read her words through the lens of your own bias and therefore missed it all.
Does that include victims of rape? Fetal anomalies? The world isn’t black and white. Sometimes it’s not good versus bad, but doing the least amount of harm.
Hi Lisa, I just feel compelled to add one thought on your raising the issue of pregnancy as a result of rape. This was addressed in a true-story movie some years ago about Rob Roy in Scotland. His wife was horribly raped and pregnant as a result. She was distraught until he told her “It’s not the baby’s fault.” I’m not saying there wouldn’t be very difficult times and thoughts and decisions. I’m just saying it’s a thought.
Reports show that less than 1% of abortions are due to rape or incest and 2% for foetal anomalies.
When I worked in crisis pregnancy counselling 50% of rape victims chose to keep their baby. Think on the word THEIR – it is their child just as much as the rapists, the child is an innocent victim in this. Abortion shouldn’t be automatic or the best solution for a rape crisis pregnancy. Maybe trauma counselling should be but not abortion.
So by deduction 97% of abortions must be for other reasons that are probably easier to deal with.
The most commonly cited reasons are economic or interfering with the woman’s education or ability to work (which goes back to economic).
Free childcare would instantly take away the need for 74% of all abortions. It would also allow more women to work so feed money into the tax system so could end up being cost neutral. It would also provide more part-time employment providing childcare so lifting more women out of poverty.
Providing free and easy access to birth control will wipe out a big chuck of unplanned pregnancies.
Abortion is only one thing to consider when you are voting for a candidate that will be responsible for the laws and well being of this country. Abortions have happened as long as I can remember and I m 87 yrs old. No matter what Party is in charge, abortions continue. The Democrats just want a place for women to get health care who don’t have the money otherwise. Abortion word is misused in politics.
You can only hold to these ideals if you are surrounded by those who are willing to pick up arms to defend you.
Then I am one who would defend her. Thoughtful ideals from those that know there are no easy answers, are worth defending, even with arms. I’m sure Ms. Yoder would disagree but I would stand by her.
Richard, I am grateful to live in a free country, and I know many have sacrificed their lives in service to it. That is a noble sacrifice. I would never disparage it.
Like Carolyn, I believe in another nobility. The kind that says, “I am willing to die, if necessary, rather than to kill.”
Would I be strong enough to withstand torture and death in order to hold to the ideal of not killing? I don’t know. But ever since Jesus himself lived among us, and commanded us to love even our enemies, and forgave his murderers, there have been a few Christians strong enough to do so. I am so grateful that I have heard their stories from my youth.
Origen said “Nowhere does He teach that it is right for His own disciples to offer violence to anyone, however wicked. For He deemed the killing of any individual to be against His laws which were divine in origin. If Christians had owed their origins to a rebellion, they would not have adopted laws of so exceedingly mild a character. These laws do not even allow them on any occasion to resist their persecutors, even when they are called to be slaughtered as sheep.” Origen, Against Celsus, book 3 Chapter 7.
Yes
Actually the original text dues NOT say no ‘killing’, it says no murder. A little error goes a long way.
Jim Zook, I presume that you make exceptions for war and capital punishment, which you would not call “murder”. Caine was the first murderer, and God called him on it; shamed him for it. God, who has the right to decide who lives and who dies, did not kill Caine. He punished Caine, but He did not kill him, even for an act as heinous as murder. The Word of God says that MEN will kill men for committing murder (it is an axiom that sinful men will murder other sinful men out of anger and a need for revenge), but God didn’t do that. He struck people dead for other reasons, but not for murder. God did not allow David to build His Temple because David was “a man of blood”, meaning one who goes to war. Solomon, whose very name means “peace”, was allowed to build God’s Temple. Jesus forbade Peter to raise the sword, even in defense of the only innocent Person who ever lived. He spoke another axiom as He healed the man who came to take Him away to His crucifixion, “He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.”
So what do you say about Acts 5:1-11?
He already commented on that God “struck people dead for one her reasons.” God’s purview is taking human life, not ours.
Darla you said it well!
So thoughtfully articulated. Thank you. I have spent many decades debating this issue of abortion, even debating myself of the pros & cons. I could not have assembled a better list. I would only add that being a child of the fifties, and a nurse since the 70’s, I am acutely aware of the alternatives to appropriate education regarding reproductive health, birth control, and safe legal abortion. Abstinence as the only education alternative does not work!
Politicians arent perfect or even great in the pro life catergory, but these are LIVES being murdered, that NEEDS to be stopped, SO MANY and one too many lives have been murdered, ended from thriving and happening, real souls, real people. Compared to politicians that are pro choice that will continue and work to not stop aborition, no thank you..thats why many also find it extremly important to not choose them..every life is important and it is not about being only pro birth, of course not, but many individuals are not just
pro birth, they support more..first though: *ALL HUMAN RIGHTS STARTS WITH THE RIGHT TO LIFE.*
Furthermore, its important to not support but change the clinics that do aboritions (or offer clinics-which there are some) to help save both lives, help and encourage. That is the better answer..
Im upset that this blog can encourage others to be in the area of pro choice and is misleading because we should aim higher to save and help ALL LIVES, and as many want to do but we cant settle by letting aborition still slide.
The veteran hospital analogy isnt the same..
Did you even read the article in full?! For starters, I don’t believe the author is ‘encouraging’ anything; she is simply stating FACTS and laying down her own personal thoughts on those facts. And her article is EXACTLY about saving ‘ALL LIVES’, as you seem to think the article ‘should discuss’. Go back and reread the article… Perhaps read ALL the words.
You simply spewed off a string of old, repetitious ranting words that give the perfect example of someone who refuses to acknowledge truth and facts. If you had 2 candidates in front of you who both said, “look..I cannot completely eradicate abortion…” then one said, “… And my way, the number of deaths will not change much, if at all”… And the other one said, “… But my way, the number of deaths will decrease”, who would you choose. You will NEVER get your wish of abortions completely eradicated. So why not choosw a side that assists in at least decreasing them? And if you think that’s the side of “pro-life”, you haven’t done your research.
God bless… To you and to all those other lives in site you must be helping live beyond birth.
…. Stupid auto correct 😑
“site” = LIFE
There is a large degree of melodrama clouding the facts, much like the anti-Vaccination debates. Aborting a fetus is no different biologically than removing an organ or cutting your skin. Both are diploid blobs of cells. In fact an organ is more functionally complete than a developing fetus.
In nature, the life of the mother ALWAYS trumps both the fetus and the newborn. In humans, the line is always shifting, based on when abortion is appropriate based on (1) the life of the mother and (2) our technical ability to save the life of the unborn post-partum and (3) how well we’ve addressed the social root causes that fail to eliminate the need for anyone to have an abortion in the first place. The decisions are not binary and abortion is not murder. As with all medical debates, and war, it is rational, and complex. Mothers, families and societies are better served when the decisions and laws are left with them and their medical providers and scientific consensus, not a person’s personal religious beliefs that lead to outrageous and dishonest claims.
John…I’m going to make the assumption you are an intelligent individual but when I read your comments stating an organ (your appendix?) is more viable then a developing fetus (which has a heartbeat at 6-8 weeks)…I was shocked. I will defend your right to say so and nothing I can say will likely change your mind…but stunned and shocked I remain.
Hi Dan, I just want to say that I agree with every sentence you wrote in your comment. Thank you for your rational thoughts! I am stunned and shocked too.
Hi John, I read your comment more than once to make sure that I was not inserting my own thoughts into yours. A few days ago I watched a recording inside a mother’s womb of her baby being aborted. (I’m not sure now where that recording is, but you might find it on YouTube.) I watched the baby being torn apart, limb by limb, so that it could fit to be removed through the birth canal. I listened to that baby screaming in pain, which still makes it hard for me to breathe. I would imagine that you would scream too, if you were being torn apart limb by limb; wouldn’t you agree? I would encourage you to watch it for your own enlightening; you seem to like knowledge.
Yoder makes many good points. Christians should look at the big picture and not be just one-issue voters. I’m a Republican, and far too many Republicans are “one-issue” voters. The one thing I can just never understand is why so many Democratic Christians are afraid to push for criminalizing abortion. It’s clearly murdering human life. There’s nothing ambiguous there. Support the parts of the Democratic platform and policies that you believe support life and support people, but don’t just constantly close your eyes and look the other way and accept the murder of thousands and thousands of human lives. Open your mouths and be active in supporting unborn human life. Be a voice for change within the Democratic Party and don’t just accept the status quo. No, criminalizing abortion won’t magically stop all abortions, but it will certainly help reduce the river of blood daily pouring from abortion clinics. No Christian, Republican or Democrat, should just “look the other way” in regards to allowing the scourge of unborn baby murders to continue year after year in a civilized country.
Voting pro-life does not mean voting against sex education, helping pregnant women, etc. Voting pro-life means saving babies lives, whether several or just one. While saving babies lives, the immediate action, the other issues can be worked on.
Thank you for common sense. It’s really very simple isn’t it?
Outstanding in clarity and on point all the way!
Thank you for verbalizing the ambiguities of this issue so well.
Excellent article! As a Christian, I don’t vote for the greedy who line the pockets of the rich donors while the poor starve. I don’t vote for those who wish to turn away refugees from our borders, or throw children into cages, or separate families. I don’t vote for people who call any other person “illegal”. I don’t vote for those who show reckless disregard for the sick and the elderly. I don’t vote for warmongers and war profiteers. I don’t vote for those who promote ignorance so that the electorate can be easily manipulated to vote against even their own interests.
Hi Lisa, I just feel compelled to add one thought on your raising the issue of pregnancy as a result of rape. This was addressed in a true-story movie some years ago about Rob Roy in Scotland. His wife was horribly raped and pregnant as a result. She was distraught until he told her “It’s not the baby’s fault.” I’m not saying there wouldn’t be very difficult times and thoughts and decisions. I’m just saying it’s a thought.
Sorry Darla, my reply was intended for someone else, but the comments had moved significantly while I was putting mine together. I apologize for any confusion.
Hi Darla, Actually I did want to ask you something. I’m kind of getting the feeling that your message is more or less anti-Trump. Thank God we live in a country where we can voice and vote our opinions. I do simply have one question: you do know that it was B.H. Obama who put those children in those cages, right?
I am pro-life and consistently anti-violence as well. I share your concern with anti-abortion politicians who do support other forms of violence while also waging war on the poor. I am not utilitarian nor consequentialist because as a Christian, God is clear about both, leaving the 99 to save the 1 and condemning those who do evil so good may come. Saving lives from abortion does not justify taking other lives nor oppressing the poor and the migrant. Anti-abortion politicians in Congress do not really ever save lives but even if they saved more lives through policy than they took, this is clearly not congruent with Christianity. I can not vote for them because of that. This seems to be your stance. I applaud it.
However- you do not seem to recognize the inherent contradiction of your choice to vote for candidates who support abortion and how it flies in the face of this logic and our values. Helping many does not justify killing the few. Likewise, voting for supporters of abortion is putting your stamp of approval on genocide, even if you vote this way for moral reasons in spite of this stance. It is still saying you are okay with expanding abortion access and stopping regulations that would spare children because you consider these other issues more important than protecting the unborn. You are saying the means (supporting abortion with your vote and giving up on trying to give unborn children legal protections) are somehow justified by stopping other acts of aggression and oppression. It is not.
Just like the reasons stated overwhelmingly show that anti-abortion candidates who do other evils clearly make supporting them an immoral decision, a candidate’s support of abortion likewise makes them an equally unacceptable vote for Christians who is not making excuses and rationalizations. What you have done is the same as what people do all the time to justify voting anti-abortion candidates who wage war on the poor: rationalize that saving babies justifies their vote. Instead, you rationalize that helping born people justifies a vote to kill unborn people. It goes both ways.To claim to be pro-life and vote for those who support killing anyone (by abortion, capital punishment- whatever)- This is hypocrisy.
Those consistently Christian in their vote do not craft justifications to vote for either putting immigrant children in cages or killing children in the womb. Those consistently Christian simply refuse to support either and focus on creating truly Christian alternative candidates. This is why I vote American Solidarity Party. https://solidarity-party.org/
we are living souls having lives before as well as after always being, knitted to our dna bodies(turn to dust). given that we are living souls having a life before, consider, we living souls are not knitted to a fertilized egg that is incapable of any consciousness whatsoever, but instead to the fetus when it becomes fully humanly functional. annually there are 44 million miscarriages worldwide, in god’s economy 98.3% happen in the first trimester. viability is a legitimate issue due to advances in science. any restrictions on abortion only affects the poor they least capable of handling an unplanned pregnancy, furthering generational poverty. the haves that enacted or support the restrictions go where ever they choose to get whatever abortion they choose.
No candidate or politician supports abortion. Carolyn clearly demonstrated that pro-choice candidates and politicians actually support programs that reduce the number of abortions. The inability to see this basic fact is a real stumbling block to dialogue on this issue.
any restrictions on abortion only affects the poor, the least capable of handling an unplanned pregnancy, furthering generational poverty. the haves that enacted the restrictions, go where ever they choose to get any abortion they choose. we are living souls knitted to our dna bodies(turn to dust). given that viability is a legitimate issue due to advances in science, abortion is about bring a living soul into this world responsibly, responsibly to the living soul, the mother, as well. we are not our bodies but instead live thru the construct that is them.
You make some excellent points regarding the complexity and perhaps hypocrisy of calling oneself “pro-life” just because one opposes abortion. The enormity of the number of US abortions since 1973 (approx. 65 million) is simply staggering. 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and that number remains shocking to this day. More than 10x that many young lives have been lost in our nation, by abortion. Some women have felt relief after their abortions, but many women have been terribly traumatized by their choice, made in a time of pressure and perhaps desperation. I say that to point out that women, as well as their babies, are subject to harm because of abortion. I must continue to oppose abortion, but also, as you say, to support life after birth.
Yes!
I’m an educators of 34 years and like you, pro-life but never look at a person’s stance on abortion as reason to vote for them, almost 90% of those who claim to care about unborn children so much ignore the society they are building by underfunding social needs greatly, education greatly wall feeding monsters of war or those leaches who live off war and think we all should pay for it.
I now work full-time with refugees and immigrants who suffer with trauma. Many of their non-immigrant classmates who have grown up in a pro-nuclear-family America suffer al kinds of trauma too through isolation in modern America. Believe me! We can do better than most of these Pro-Life Candidates like Kevin Yoder here in Kansas who vote 90%= of the time for Turmp’s positions and vote to build walls while so many suffer in our society from neglect and lack of spending, lack of equity and lack of proper human development that almost all other wealthy lands are striving for.
While I support many of the positions held here (for example I don’t own a gun because like the author’s anibaptist beliefs I could not see myself taking another’s life even to save my own) most of his/her beliefs are not at all “pro-life” not logical in the least. They boil down to an elitist view of “quality of life” not “pro-life”. Example: the supposed trauma of children in poor situations and the false narrative about a candidate not supporting school lunches ( a long disproved scare tactic put out by teachers unions controlled by one party – I would bet $100 bucks the author is a teacher). 200 years ago 99% of southern USA children would have been considered living in poverty by today’s elitist standards (having now added “affordable healthcare” to the consideration of standard of living). Should those children have been better off aborted than to live in such squalor? Certainly not. Children outside the USA still live often in what Democratic elitists consider squalor but here is the interesting part – unless someone shows them, they don’t know nor care. It is normal to those without covetousness (comparing to others).
I once had pity (thinking he was alone and had to have a terrible life) on a mentally challenged 30 something janitor so I invited him to family thanksgiving. He politely declined and told me he was excited that his mother was taking him to see his girlfriend. The look on his face was amazing – happier than any person I have ever saw. He was so simple and happy. Doing a good Job was enough for him to be happy. Seeing a girlfriend put him over the top. I was jealous! With all my ambitions and goals And being the most blessed man I know, I am still not that happy. He had a standard of living I cannot ever achieve. Yet many of the elitist liberals like this author would call for such a handicapped child to be aborted. After all he would live in trauma, poverty and despair. No !
Having the chance at life is far mor e important than having a good life as defined by some elitist standard. The hope of a good life (ultimately brought about by the hope in Christ but certainly worldly hope plays a lesser similar role) is worth allowing children to be born – to have a chance. To take that away is unforgivable. God called for the destruction of all civilizations that sacrificed their children. That evil was so abhorrent that God’s solution was to annihilate the evil from the world. Yet everyday we sacrifice our children to the gods of convenience. There was no other sin so great that God required such a desperate remedy to prevent its spread.
I have identified one key trait when I hire people for my research group. There is one trait that tells me if a person will have success in my group. The ability to prioritize. Doing what is most pressing, most critical first sounds obvious but most people tend to choose television, and entertainment above what is more pressing – like career preparation, repairing a car or house AND growing spiritually. So in this political world, selecting proper priorities is a mark of a successful person. Choosing life for the unborn over unfounded fears of school lunch programs, fear of war and fear of poverty (note the same adjective) is a measure of a person’s ability to properly set priorities. All of the authors concerns are based in “fear of______” whereas millions of babies ARE being chemically burned, mutilated and murdered. When a policy is based on fear (as I have argued many of Trump’s policies are) the source of that policy is made apparent – the enemy. Voting any other way than “pro birth” (using the authors terminology) is trading the lives of innocent children for the fears something bad may happen to others and declares oneself as unable to establish even the most obvious priorities. Without life, nothing else matters.
To drive this point home. I have a son who is 29 days old. Democrats – all of them without exception (there are no prolife democrats) say it would be okay to kill him 30 days ago. That is evil and we should as Christians prioritize the destruction of such evil policies.
Thank you!
Unfortunately you ended your comment with a lie. There is no “Democrat” anywhere who thinks it is okay to abort a baby one day before the baby is due. That is a ridiculous scenario that any honest person knows would never happen. Shame on you for lying, and for demonizing an entire group of people who do not believe the absurd, cruel, violent thing you said they believe.
By what right do you have to force your views on others.I have never heard a Pro Choice person demand anyone to have an abortion ,but you “Pro- Life ” people want to force women to give birth,even a 12 yr. old rape victim -a woman with a dead fetus and 5 more months to ejection-a woman who may die giving birth.There are billions of people on Earth that do not believe in Christ but you have decided that you have the only true GOD.You ignore the FACT that Christ was born a Jew and died a Jew and only became a Christian 300 yrs. after his death
That’s a Lie Mort!!
I think the Bible notes more than once that God created humanity with free will, the ability to choose. Our Constitution, as imperfect as it may be, protects freedom of choice. the First Amendment covers most everything in this situation. In our county we need to have more respect for all citizens, and in our nation, we do not respect minorities, differences in religion, race, sexual orientation, and little respect for the great majority: women. The choice a woman faces in the case of pregnancy is very intimate and very personal. She has the right and the responsibility to make the best choice for her and the potential life she carries. Strangers, politicians, government has no place there. It is her choice in light of her religious beliefs, her physician, her knowledge of herself and her situation. Further more, a medically performed abortion is no more dangerous than having the baby. Education and healthy support can prevent abortion, as the article mentions.
Thank you for the clarification!
So sad that people try to justify the slaughter of the innocent this way… Jesus never condemned govt on things like capital punishment even as he hung on a cross. His message of love was to individuals as to how we should live not how to govern… He did however have pretty strong words to those who would harm children saying they would be better off tying a stone around their necks and thrown into the river. As a parent of 2 adopted kids and having fostered others, I shudder to think of a world without them in it. One of the reason I left the Mennonite church 30 yrs ago was because I was hearing this same lame rhetoric. If you think govt policies can change the world you miss the message of the cross.. Anyone who understands our Constitution knows that govts role is to protect our borders and the rights that God gave us, not to try and elevate one group over another. Our country was founded on equal opportunity that is we all have the right to live life as we choose, not to ensure equal outcome.
As long as you are an Abortion supporter or turn your backs on abortion.. you all are compliant.!!
There are only 2 camps!! One party platform (Dems)supports abortion one does not.(Repub)
As long as you can explain your vote & support for Death of the unborn to Jesus some day soon.
Keep making excuses!!
The Gospel says otherwise!!
Chose this day whom you will serve!!
For whatever reason an abortion is wanted … even in the very rare, according to doctors, case of saving the mother’s life over the baby’s, it is STILL killing a human life. There’s no getting around it…..a fetus IS a human life. Those who deny it are truly fooling themselves.
Dear Carolyn,
I am a Midwife in Port au Prince, Haiti where abortion is illegal. In 10 years of working in Maternal Health Care here I have found that 7 of 10 women have chosen abortion at one time or another. Most of this is due to lack of access or lack of compliance with birth control. I could not agree more with you about what you have written here. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you for your comments about “foxy politicians” who dangle the pro-“life” platform before their constituents to influence and/or swing their votes. Reagan, Bush 1 & 2 and now Trump have all had the majority of Congress and have done nothing to interfere with abortions. Any such activity has been at the state level. They ignore the fact that Roe v. Wade is settled, but act like it is an upcoming proposition that can somehow be voted on again. Their goal is to somehow get abortion back to the Supreme Court to get it overturned. That in itself is a problem when the Court and not the Legislators are making law. This should be done at the legislative level, but the politicians from both parties are afraid to handle it, while it is within their power to do so. That alone shows their true colors.
Again, thank you for a well written argument.
To make it seem like most pro-life Christians blindly just vote for the pro-life candidate is painting us in a false life. No one on Earth is a simple as that. And, it’s not an all or nothing thing. You can look at the importance of protecting the innocent unborn and weight other life-and-death issues separately when it comes to voting. All life is precious, but you can separate out war and abortion in your voting priority list.
Also, the facts are lacking in this article. If you look around, there are no pro-life, anti-birth people. This is a false argument as most of the pregnancy center, parent support center, opiod addiction treatment for babies, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, food pantries, adoption agencies, orphanages, foster care agencies, clothing closets and hospitals are run by faith-based groups who are pro-life. We are already taking care of people after birth and have been for years.
I would also suggest adding more facts to back up your claims.
What policies exactly? Where is the push to make sure clinics are inspected and have ties to hospitals for emergencies? The push to make sure “fetal tissue” is appropriately cared for and not thrown out or sold? Those come from the pro-life side. They push for these and then it closes clinics because it seems that those who want to make it a choice don’t care about it being safe at all, just want it to exist.
The main thing that decreases abortions is the truth. Making sure women make informed decisions by seeing the baby with an ultrasound, hearing a heartbeat and knowing the science of fetal pain is what these legislators vote for, along with supporting the local agencies who support the organizations I mentioned above. I have never seen my local pro-life candidates vote against “access to affordable contraceptives, age-appropriate sex education, paid maternity leave, and access to affordable child care.” These are even things that are personal to families, school districts and companies. Not for the government to decide.
True. If all the faith-based helps were removed, THEN women really would have problems.
Excellent points, Sarah. Straw man arguments choke this entire article. “Being as pro-life as possible means we don’t kill through supporting policies that deprive those unaborted babies, once they get older, of healthcare or school lunches.” Comparing access to school lunch with ripping a baby apart in womb is an egregious abuse of logic.
A very well written article, where it’s clear to see that the author spent a significant time researching, thinking, and reflecting on all points before presenting her argument… I congratulate that!
One thing about this whole conversation that never fails to surprise me though, is how so many people of faith, the author, commenters, and others having this conversation in other circles, miss the fat that the bible is pro-abortion. So these very heavy and hard conversations all operate under a misunderstanding of the very text that these people claim guides their life.
If you all open your bibles and turn to Numbers 5:11-31, you’ll see it starts off w/a passage entitle, “The Test for an Unfaithful Wife.” It goes further to explain how, if you feel your wife is cheating on you, take her to a temple, have the priest mix a potion, feed it to your wife, and if she’s been unfaithful, God will abort the baby. I would suggest reading the entire passage for context, so that you can see I’m not just editing a few snips of scripture to prove a point, but here’s the damning evidence:
’19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse[d] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”
“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.”’
As you can see, this entire conversation is based on false pretenses. God is pro-abortion. Now, this is in the actual act of abortion, but if you logically follow out what happens with miscarriages…. if the potential mother does EVERYTHING she can to be healthy and keep her baby healthy, then it’s essentially an act of God if the baby miscarries… thusly, an abortion of sorts by the divine.
BY NO MEANS! At that time, there was no due process in tht, when accused, there was nothing a woman could do. God was allowing for the woman to have a way to clear her name. Yes, it may end in His causing a miscarriage,, but that is NOT the same as an abortion.
No painful burning with saline or ripping apart the baby, let alone turning them so the feet come out first and before the head comes you snip the spine or suck out the brains.
Thank you for your excellent article. You clearly articulated what I think about a complex subject. And you are living your beliefs where many just speak them.
We need birth control for men and women. People obviously will always have sexual
Relations. But sexy does not have to equal a child or an abort. NO ONE wants to hurt, we are all empathetic to a deep self inflicted condition. Help everyone beforehand. Is there something irrational about taking the better safer path
Too many people who call themselves pro-life are not, actually. A better name would be pro-birth. They show little support for programs which help women — young girls— avoid pregnancies, little support for programs to keep the mother healthy, and once the child is born little support for programs to keep the infant alive and healthy. High death rates of women and infants are not their concern.
Nearly 3,000 abortions a day in the USA is not insignificant. Rejoice, O young man in your youth and let your heart cheer you in your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know, God will bring you into judgement.
If you cannot stop all killing, why not make an effort to stop the number one most deadly practice world wide: abortion of defenseless unborn humans. Way more than any war or bad habit or bat-crazy mass murderer.
I cannot receive your “wisdom” as a God fearing choice of one who embraces the love of Lord Jesus.
You say you love, but you don’t stand for the children? You merely say you love.
What do you mean by “left behind”?
It’s a play on “no child left behind.” The reality is, lots of children are left behind in our educational system, and in other ways that I name in the article.
[…] this morning, my pastor forwarded me this article written by an Anabaptist therapist about why she doesn’t normally support pro-life […]
Your points are well taken. I agree with them and while reading a lot of the comments, I wished for a “like” button! I will take it in a practical direction. Voting for a “pro-life”candidate is a wasted vote if you are voting for them because you want to end abortions. I am old enough to remember the days before Rowe vs. Wade and there were plenty of abortions. Making women who have abortions criminal is the only reason I can see for outlawing abortion. Women with the means to go to a location where it is legal will still go. Poor women who want an abortion will use any means to do so. I think we need to take note of Tara’s comment about Haiti. 70% of women still have abortions. Having laws against them has very little effect. You may think the RATE of abortions has increased in the US, but, seriously, who is going to report an illegal abortion unless it causes complications or the mother dies. And do we really want jails full of mothers who have had abortions? On another note, I dislike the misnomer “pro-choice” because so often it is not the Mother’s choice to end a pregnancy. I am a voter who does not support abortions, but I will continue to support mothers who find it necessary to go down that road. I will also continue to vote for candidates that have reasonable solutions to bettering the lives of the children after they are born.
Everyone (aside from rape) has choices. When you elect to have unprotected sex, you give up your rights if the outcome is a new life. I do not believe in young people having sex because of my Christian upbringing. But will they? Of course! I believe education and prevention are key. There are so many forms of birth control today, there really should not be a need for abortion. If you don’t want to teach our young people chastity, then teach them how to be responsible in their decision making.
And to compare the innocent murder of a baby along side the obviously horrific thought of war is not a fair comparison. The baby is given life at conception. Can it then be killed because no one has yet held it alive in their arms? Could you kill a newborn outside of the womb? I’m sure there were many Jewish babies who were killed after they were born. Should we have just turned away and not sent armies to save not only these children, but the hundreds of people affected by just this one war? There are wars in the Bible. Evil must be stopped. But a pure an innocent baby should not even be mentioned as a comparison of the taking of life or shedding of blood in the event of war. A baby is not evil. Evil men must be stopped.
The author misses a key point. If a woman chooses abortion, it is her responsibility to pay for it, not the taxpayer’s. Dig deep into Planned Parenthood and you will discover they sell off aborted baby parts, and more. Those of us who are pro-life are deeply offended that our taxpayer dollars fund abortion. Murder is a sin, and those who who support it should bear the burden both financially and spiritually. After all, they will one day meet their Maker, to whom they will have to account.
You “wish we loved enough to stop demonizing.” So why are you demonizing pro-lifers by saying they are only pro-birth? Just because we don’t also subscribe to a bunch of other misguided, harmful, socialist nostrums that you may believe in, that doesn’t change the fact that we are pro birth and pro life.
https://www.lifenews.com/2018/11/02/anabaptist-claims-christians-can-support-pro-abortion-candidates/?fbclid=IwAR25Bo8qbAOVsCI-PFqsAxQpqV9KZ0WxSsGNV9S6eMgYyF5O8idsAZppX0Y
“Pro-birth” is not an insult.
My heart was saddened by this post.
Abortion is not a gray area for followers of Christ. It is murder of our most vulnerable and innocent. No human thought process that justifies the sacrifice of infants in the womb is approved by our Heavenly Father – our Creator.
Condoning the sin of abortion has permitted the downward spiral of our nation. Satan grows stronger when we ignore God’s laws and justify our sins as the right thing to do because we reason that it somehow benefits us.
Life is in the blood. Leviticus 17:11
A king sacrificed his eldest son on the city wall – Israel fled.. (2Kings 3:27)
There is power in blood sacrifices. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sin – His choice!
When Christian rationalize that they must vote for a candidate whose party whole-heartedly supports abortion – they are telling God that His laws are powerless to save us. They are shouting out to our Father, “We know best.”
If we want a society where God’s blessings are poured out – and all benefit – TRUST GOD! TRUST HIS LAWS!
2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
If you haven’t already…. Ask God how He feels about abortion. It’s time for this nation to repent and end the legality of this vile practice.
And it’s always about the women who are left in a situation to decide for uncountable number of reasons re: what to do. Men are so equally responsible for the situation but rarely mentioned. Without men being involved there would be no unwanted pregnancies. Why are they never brought into the story?! So frustrating but it does support the treatment of women in this country….especially recently when dealing with this issue!
God bless you Mary, for speaking truth. Any Politian who is for abortion is against God. I must vote with God for the sanctity of life. This last election was an eye opener. We had two candidates for President; Donald Trump who was Pro-life and Hillary Clinton who believed in partial birth abortion. For a Christian nothing else should matter. If you believe this subject does not matter to God, you are not hearing him clearly through his word.
God doesn’t want his people to rely or be dependent on government. God gave us free will, so we would choose to rely on him. Our founding fathers were Godly men, who created this republic on Judea- Christian beliefs. They did not believe in a strong central government. The writer of this article believes that government should take care of everybody (socialism). Once the government controls every aspect of your life, the government will become your God. We are slowly allowing this to happen in our country.
All of the 7 reasons given why this person, who claims to be a Christian, votes a certain way can be disputed.
1) The federal Government should not be involved with education. It should be given back to our local communities where it can be effective. Allow churches and God back into our schools and it will prosper. Many Christians would love to volunteer their time to help God’s children.
2) It is not our Government’s responsibility to care for the less fortunate around the world. It is the responsibility of you and I through our churches and as individuals to care for these people. Governments give money to governments, only to further corrupt these governments, never benefiting the people who need the help.
3) It is not the government’s job to control the population through birth control. As Christians we must emphasize abstinence rather than encourage promiscuity.
4) The writer’s presumption is that the strong USA military has caused the deaths of many innocent people. What is not considered are the millions and millions of people who have been saved by our great military, or the millions who are alive because of world dictators who have been kept in check, or that the USA decisions made to go to war were sanctioned by God.
5) What is more important to God? Is it to stop the killing of innocent babies or is it to stop the likelihood of war? What has had more impact on our society? There were 626,245 Americans killed in all of the USA conflicts ever fought, other than on our soil. There have been 69,000,000 babies aborted since Roe vs Wade. 100 times more babies have been killed due to inconvenience. I would say that is the real war.
6) This vision is not the Godly vision. God believes in people helping people, not people dependent on government. Government should never become our God. God gives us the right to choose between good and evil. Do you really think that guns are the root cause of violence? It is man who decides to kill, not the gun. There is more pollution created by natural disasters like forest fires, volcano eruptions, etc. Yes, we can be better stewards of our planet, but if you believe our scientists, the earth has been through an ice age where the earth warmed. What caused the earth to warm? It wasn’t man, or the industrial revolution, fossil fuels, etc.? Maybe this issue is just man trying to control man.
7) I would rather follow a Politian who tells me he is pro-life and let God deal with him for lying, then to follow a Politian who says he/she is pro-abortion and go against God’s laws to experience his wrath.
The United States was established as a republic with three main responsibilities. To provide for our National Security, protect our Individual Liberty, and provide Justice (Order) through laws. In our US constitution, in the bill of Rights, we are protected. Our creator has given us our rights and freedoms. I believe the writer of this article believes in socialism. God believes in individualism not socialism. All of the socialist governments of the world eventually removed God as their center as a way to control the masses. Historically these governments have failed, and gone into economic ruins.
The author is changing the meaning of ‘pro-life’ to include things like banning the death penalty and war. The commandment given by God on Mount Sinai says, thou shalt not kill the innocent! if you kill someone when trying to defend yourself then it is not murder. There is a such a thing as a just war and anyone killed would also not be committing murder. It is uncharitable and unChristian not to defend your own family, friends or country from anyone who attacks with deadly force. This is justice and charity. What you advocate is horrible indifferent, selfish hatred of your fellow man! Jesus said to love God above all and your neighbor, the unborn child, as yourself! How is voting for Democrats who advocate for even gruesome late-term abortions, loving unborn children as yourself? Have you watched the movie, Gosnell, America’s Greatest Serial Killer? By the way, pregnancy is a natural event and not a disease. In marriage, it is a wonderful blessing. Outside of marriage, chastity is the solution. When people fall, than help must be offered for those in need of homes or material support, but from individual congregations, not the government. Chastity will prevent most all of the untimely and inconvenient pregnancies. There is no 100% birth control! All types of birth control cannot prevent pregnancy all the time. Abortion is not birth control, it is murder. I attended the burial of 14 aborted babies. They finally received recognition that was denied them in this life of their inherent human dignity. Maybe you could find a glimmer of Christian charity left in your hardened heart to vote for Republicans who will protect and work to hinder their murders?
It’s funny how the very last line in this article states, “in the life-giving spirit of that greatest commandment. Love.” Maybe someone needs to read 1 Cor 13 to see what real live is. Go through each statement and ask yourself if it applies to this topic. If it’s life-giving don’t you have to be alive to receive it. If it’s life-giving, isn’t that the opposite of life-taking. Isn’t the Christian faith and the Bible all about glorifying God? How does taking an innocent life, glorifying to God? We glorify God by being obedient to His Word. We do that by imitating Jesus. Didn’t God say He hates hands that shed innocent blood? Are unborn babies innocent? How can you justify an act that God hates, and say it’s okay? The bottom line to all of this is the depravity of man’s heart. It’s in all of us, including myself. But to go against something God has said is wrong, and try to justify your stance on it, is flat out rebellion against God. It violates His character. No matter what any one says, if every single person on earth had to witness an abortion, how the life is taken from the developing child (by the way fetus is Latin for baby), no one would argue that abortion is wrong. The truth of this matter is people don’t want to be told what to do; who they can have sex with, when, how, where, etc… anti-abortion is not telling people what they can or can do, it’s telling them that if they are irresponsible in their behavior, continuing that irresponsibility by ending the life of a created being is even more irresponsible. If you love God, as many profess, then your heart will express the same things His does. If it doesn’t, then what you say you are, and what you really are, are two different things. There are so many more points I could make, but I’ll leave it at this. If you truly want to know God, you’ll pursue Him with all of your heart. When you do, your eyes will be opened to the truth. Life matters; it’s not our role to play God, when it comes to life. He gave it, and He will take it. If you think you can play God, you’d better re-exam your own heart. When I ask people what is the opposite of love, they usually answer HATE. That’s incorrect. The opposite of love is SELFISHNESS. ABORTION is exactly that, selfish. If we live in a country where our constitution grants us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, who has the right to take that away from a human being? Answer: selfish people. It’s definitely not out of love. That is a lie people accept to make themselves feel better.
I read your article with interest. First, the fact that the roots of your faith go back only a half century compared to the early Christians in the first century of Christianity that may lend itself that somehow you’ve missed what the first Christians believed. A document regarding Christian teachings in the very first century of the Church contains this command: “Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not corrupt boys; do not have illicit sex; do not steal; do not practice magic; do not practice witchcraft; you shall not
murder a child, whether it be born or unborn.” Please note this last subject and how it related to a pagan culture that killed both the born and the unborn. From the very beginning of Christianity, Christians were warned against killing the unborn.
Reading your article, I wonder how you would have dealt with voting when it came to slavery of blacks? Would you have dismissed the focus on one issue relating to the enslavement and bondage of a whole race of people in our nation? Then how would you have dealt with the one issue of the genocide of Jews and others if you were living in Nazi Germany?
Is it not true that some singular issues are so serious and so huge that we cannot ignore or dismiss them? We are allowing the wholesale slaughter of millions of unborn babies–human beings whom God allowed to come into existence. Doesn’t that merit any God-fearing believer’s focus and priority? It is true that if there are conflicts on other serious issues, a believer and follower of Jesus Christ can abstain on voting. But we can’t abstain on being on the side of righteousness, holiness, compassion, or God’s will. We have to stand for truth regardless of the consequences.
Do not assume or presume that pro-life people care only about birth. Many, if not most, also care about life following birth through infancy, childhood and more. Why would you vote for someone who claims to be pro-choice. When it comes to the lives of others–children, youth, adults, the aged–would you be pro-choice allowing for their lives to be snuffed out? We are now at the point where euthanasia is being sought to be legalized against children and others.
When it comes to “safe abortions,” that’s an oxymoron. It’s not safe for the human being whose life will be snuffed out, and painfully so.
Yes, we do well to abstain for strong, demonizing rhetoric. But we cannot abstain from valuing and rescuing the lives of those who did not choose to be conceived, but who are complete human beings with the image of God stamped upon them. Scientists now recognize the unborn as human beings, but their personhood has been denied them. Isn’t that what happened to black slaves and European Jews? Weren’t they also denied their personhood? The blood is is on the hands of those who actually take the lives of others. Some of us will seek to practice truth, righteousness, and justice for all of God’s creation, including those depending on their mothers to nurture and nourish them.
Corrected copy of the above:
I read your article with interest. First, the fact that the roots of your faith go back only a half century compared to the early Christians in the first century of Christianity that may lend itself that somehow you’ve missed what the first Christians believed. A document regarding Christian teachings in the very first century of the Church contains this command: “Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not corrupt boys; do not have illicit sex; do not steal; do not practice magic; do not practice witchcraft; you shall not murder a child, whether it be born or unborn.” Please note this last subject and how it related to a pagan culture that killed both the born and the unborn. From the very beginning of Christianity, Christians were warned against killing the unborn.
Reading your article, I wonder how you would have dealt with voting when it came to slavery of blacks? Would you have dismissed the focus on one issue relating to the enslavement and bondage of a whole race of people in our nation? Then how would you have dealt with the one issue of the genocide of Jews and others if you were living in Nazi Germany?
Is it not true that some singular issues are so serious and so huge that we cannot ignore or dismiss them? We are allowing the wholesale slaughter of millions of unborn babies–human beings whom God allowed to come into existence. Doesn’t that merit any God-fearing believer’s focus and priority? It is true that if there are conflicts on other serious issues, a believer and follower of Jesus Christ can abstain on voting. But we can’t abstain on being on the side of righteousness, holiness, compassion, or God’s will. We have to stand for truth regardless of the consequences.
Do not assume or presume that pro-life people care only about birth. Many, if not most, also care about life following birth through infancy, childhood and more. Why would you vote for someone who claims to be pro-choice? When it comes to the lives of others–children, youth, adults, the aged–would you be pro-choice allowing for their lives to be snuffed out? We are now at the point where euthanasia is being sought to be legalized against children and others.
When it comes to “safe abortions,” that’s an oxymoron. It’s not safe for the human being whose life will be snuffed out, and painfully so.
Yes, we do well to abstain from strong, demonizing rhetoric. But we cannot abstain from valuing and rescuing the lives of those who did not choose to be conceived, but who are complete human beings with the image of God stamped upon them. Scientists now recognize the unborn as human beings, but their personhood has been denied them. Isn’t that what happened to black slaves and European Jews? Weren’t they also denied their personhood? The blood is on the hands of those who actually take the lives of others. Some of us will seek to practice truth, righteousness, and justice for all
You draw a false equivalency between abortion (the intentional killing of an innocent person), the death penalty (the intentional killing of one who has committed an evil act), war (corporate self-defense against an aggressor) and collateral casualties of war (the unintentional death of the innocent in wartime). They are not at all equivalent.