Counterpoint: A Christian Cannot Vote Pro-Choice
Posted in Once I Was a Kansas Girl and tagged with Abortion, Point/Counterpoint, Politics on October 28, 2008This is the second post of the series. The first post can be found here:
Point: A practicing Christian can, and sometimes should, vote for a pro-choice candidate.
Tomorrow I’ll wrap up this series with a conclusion, giving you my take on the issue. Thanks for your grace; this may very well be the hardest posts I’ve ever written.
Counterpoint: A practicing Christian cannot vote for a pro-choice candidate.
It has been assumed by many that if one is pro-life he must vote for one party over the other. However, choosing to be pro-life is not the same as choosing to be a Republican. A Christian may choose to not vote for a pro-life candidate because of other issues, but the point at hand is that they cannot rightfully choose to vote for a pro-choice candidate (regardless of the candidate’s political party).
Assumed in our discussion here is that abortion is wrong according to the standards laid out in the Bible. Briefly, abortion is murder because it is killing and unjustly taking another life. The baby growing inside of the woman is not an extension of the woman, but another growing, human, living being created in the image of God with its own DNA and more importantly, soul. Just like other types of murder, abortion can and should be legislated by the state.
Most certainly we are all held accountable for our decisions by a holy, sovereign God, but that does not mean that there should not be some judgment and punishment here on earth. As a society we have rules, some of them are of a moral nature (ex: one cannot lie in the courtroom or about someone in the press, nor can one steal or defraud – the 9th and 8th commandments, respectively). Laws against murder are moral in nature, yet no one is crying out that it should not be punished. Human beings inherently know that life is sacred and it cannot and should not be taken from one individual by another. Proposed or existing laws cannot be deemed unworthy simply because they have a moral component.
The argument that one can be personally against abortion but yet pro-choice (or voting pro-choice) is a weak one. Either abortion is wrong, or it is not.* Right and wrong are moral absolutes (though this is debated in postmodern culture, remember here that we are talking about a Christian who has already agreed to the moral standards set forth by his God in the Bible). If one would not choose to have an abortion because they believe it to be wrong, they should not willingly allow (and complicitly approve) another to do the same.
Another factor to consider is that the victim of an abortion, the baby, has no voice of his own. Abortion is a type of oppression as the the more powerful gets her way simply because she is stronger and more able to assert her will over the dependent child within her that looks to her for all his nutrition and protection. Not sticking up for the voiceless victim is either an issue of ignorance, inability, laziness, or selfishness.
A Christian’s responsibility in voting does not end by simply determining which (if either) candidate is pro-life. This is not the only issue that matters. Many other issues should be considered when determining whether to vote for a candidate or not. However, the candidate’s pro-choice stance on abortion should be a dealbreaker for a Christian because supporting/allowing abortion is agreeing to the taking of innocent human lives created by and in the likeness of God.
*There can be a reasonable exception in cases such as ectopic pregnancy which, if allowed to continue, would kill both mother and child.
The concluding post in this series can be found here.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Another great post. You are a very thoughtful woman. Do we go further and decide ALL murder is wrong? Capital punishment? Adults killing others for punishment? War? Killing for peace? Ultimately, God gave us all free will. When we choose to follow Him, we base OUR choices from how we believe. Can we hold others to our standards? Do we choose our representatives on single issues or comprehensively closest to our beliefs?
October 28th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I try to stick to a candidate that sticks close to my values and beliefs. Not saying either of these candidates do that but that’s what I generally look for! Another great post!
October 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Wow – I really appreciate your presenting both side of this very thorny and complex issue. Great posts.
And I’m glad I was able to give you two snickers at work. I’m chalking that up as a success!
Have a great day…
:^) Anna
October 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
This is a very tricky and emotional subject. Like I said yesterday, I think it is important to weigh all of the issues before selecting a candidate. I’m interested to see where you fall in this.
October 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
great job tackling this Ronners!
October 28th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
This was a tough one! I’m just of the opinion that abortion will always be available for those “worst case” scenarios, and that anymore being “pro-choice” means aborting at just about any point and with as little thought and time put into as they can possibly manage.
You’re a brave girl :)! Wish I could speak my mind so clearly! I back down too easily, I think.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I could not agree with you more. It is a black and white issue. YOu are either for it or against it. and as far as jennifers comment goes….as a society….we will always do what is best for a patient! mother or baby……that does not mean if they feel they can’t handle it mentally that they get to abort the child. There are millions of loving couples who would like the chance to adopt….and love a baby.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I totally agree with this side. I think it’s a black and white issue as well. One commenter brought up the point about capital puishment, war, etc. God has given different responsibilities to goverments/states and to individuals. He definitely called for capital punishment in certain cases and this is something that is to be done by the government. I think He condones self defense, but I cannot think of the Bible passage right now. God also condoned war. It’s hard to comprehend but He actually wanted the Israelites to completely destroy the other societies living within the Promised Land. Therefore, one cannot confuse government vs. individual responsibilities when it comes to capital punishment, war, etc.
As individuals we are not allowed to willfully take another person’s life, whether that person is already living outside the womb or still inside. We should also be adamant about how our elected officials believe on this topic.
October 28th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I commend you for your courage to provide arguments for both sides of a subject that evokes such strong emotions. I think I can tell which perspective is closest to your heart in the writing (even if I wasn’t familiar with your profile) – but that makes your ability to create a strong argument for the opposing side even more impressive. I look forward to your follow up on this.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Good job presenting both sides of the issue.
October 29th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Great posts. You touched on a subject that is on a lot of our minds this election. A subject that most of us wouldn’t be brave enough to write about! Kudos to you!!
October 31st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Another great post.
Something that I’ve always considered:
Murder: taking of an innocent life.
Criminals who receive the death penalty are not being murdered.
Just my two cents.
Although in way of wars, by my own definition, assuming that ‘we’ are right and ‘they’ are wrong, us killing them – not murder. Them killing us – murder.
Man, what a slippery slope!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:04 am
Your quote “Not sticking up for the voiceless victim is either an issue of ignorance, inability, laziness, or selfishness.” Is so well written! Thank you for this, I know I am late but the pro-life issue is near and dear to me for many reasons and I have posted and will continue to post about it. I can’t wait to read your final post on this.