And I realize that by saying that right there, I may have convinced a good number of my readers to ignore this post. That’s okay…I’m really wanting to speak with those who would agree with that statement.

Why? Because I have a problem with the House GOP (or anyone else) wanting to cut Planned Parenthood funding.

Say what?

Look, I don’t like Planned Parenthood any more than you do. When I see one, my first response is to pray for the young ladies seeking their services. I don’t want them using my money (or my very small share of the federal money) to encourage or perform abortions. That prohibition, I believe, should be spelled out in law.

However, that’s not all Planned Parenthood does.

Sadly, conservatives and Christians in recent times in America have by and large done a bad job of helping the poor. I’ll even admit that I’ve done a bad job of helping the poor. Still thinking through what that should look like in my life, but I know that I’m far from off the hook.

So, sadly, I can’t support the complete denial of federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Until someone else steps up and offers gynecological exams and pregnancy care to low-income women, it’d be better for them to receive these services from someone with an agenda radically different than mine than to not get them at all.

That’s my two cents…what’s yours?

A child ran by.

Nothing unusual in a place that offers numerous services to families.  All children make me smile (except, perhaps, when they’re disobeying me), but I had extra reason to smile when I saw this cute little girl.

Under her blonde pigtails I saw a face touched by Down Syndrome.

I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since I saw a small child with Down Syndrome.

Perhaps it’s just the children I’ve been around.  I see dozens of children a week between church and work.  But something makes me think that’s not just it.

According to a medical study mentioned in the Washington Post, there should have been a 34% in the number of children born with Down Syndrome from 1989 to 2005.   In actuality, there was a 15% decrease.

While I don’t wish more children to have Down’s Syndrome, I most certainly wish more children with Down Syndrome to have the chance to live.  Actually, I want ALL of them to have a chance to live.  Sadly, 92% of parents who find out they are expecting a child with Down Syndrome kill that child through abortion (according to the same study).

Statistics are just that–numbers.  But each child denied the chance to live (as if life and death should be in our hands) is one less child to bring a smile to our faces, to humble us, to give glory to our Creator.

I don’t necessarily think that pre-screening is a bad idea.  But if we’re going to use that screening to determine which child should live or die, it should be stopped.  What basis do we use to determine if a child should live or die?  Quality of life?  I think having a life is better than not having one.  Potential for early death?  There’s no earlier death than death in the womb.

What a price to pay for the sins of others.

Photo by Charlotte Morrall

Abortion Provider George Tiller is Shot Dead at Church

In order to realize why I think of it as a big deal, I’ll try to help you see it through my eyes.  It’s really an issue of worldview: because of the way I see the world, I can’t help but make a big deal out of abortion.

I believe that life begins at conception.  That’s when the man and the woman’s DNA are combined in such a way to create new DNA.  The embryo–even when he’s just one cell–does not have the same genetic material as his mother, so he can’t just be an extension of her.  Because that baby–no matter how small–is his own person, taking any actions to deliberately kill that person is MURDER, just like it would be murder to kill any other innocent human being.

If you found out that the government was allowing (and in some cases funding) people and organizations to murder innocent people, wouldn’t you be upset?  Wouldn’t you do all that is in your power to speak out for those individuals and help them?

That’s why abortion is such a big deal to me.  While I know many of my readers won’t agree with the foundational premise of my pro-life position, I hope you recognize the logic of my conclusion based on that premise.

So does this.

This does too, but really, it’s not surprising if you look around.

Yes, America needs revival, and may it start with me.

Now for your other comments. 

Pat said,
“Hi Ronnica,
I really wanted to thank you for the “SAD DAY” post, it made me do some research (still going through them).. I did not know that abortion was legal in the states, I come from Haiti(where I grew up) and there is it still illegal to this day (women still go and get it done under the table which is even more dangerous.. think wire hangers and such..) I still believe that every woman has the right to choose what is right for herself, but for me personnaly I always chose the life of my child, even when I was broke and had some friends and family pressuring me to give into A.. I can’t even say the word because my daughter is right here staring at me with those lovable eyes of hers (she is now 5 years old).”

The personal side of abortion is what gets me.  Over a million babies will be aborted this year, and they’re actual children not given the chance to live.

On post about my brother’s engagement, “Someone’s Engaged…”, Joy wrote:

“Wow. You know how to get a fast click of the mouse.”

Hehe.  Sorry…had to do it. ;)

Elizabeth said on my post, “I Trust You, Lord,”

“And how much BETTER the Lord’s “working out” of worries is than what we could ever do! I’ve found that what I would have done to solve the problem isn’t even close to as good as what God really did! Also good ‘ole reliable Philippians 4:6-7 works for me.”

So true…and those are great verses!  I also frequent Philippians 4:8 a lot, which Courtney mentioned.  God’s Word can be so comforting (and convicting)!

“I am so thankful to have found a kindred spirit in the blog world. It is so hard for us to imagine a conversation like this being so casual as it breaks our hearts to the core.  Thank you for sharing this with your readers. You have such a great heart for the unborn and I am appreciate you.”

Aww, thanks.

Joy had two comments that I really liked, but when pushed came to shove, lighthearted comments pale in site of our country’s serious tragedy.  She said about Thursday’s post on my story about the lady at Walmart buying pine shavings,

“That is a sad story. I had no idea. We’ve got to pray for women’s hearts to change. For our society to have higher morals and be truly educated about what an abortion is. The abortion industry thrives because they have customers and those customers are women.”

Brenda had to say on the same subject,

“I can feel your pain, Ronnica. How horrible, and to say it so flippantly right there in front of her daughter. I don’t think I could’ve held my composure. I probably would’ve started bawling. I’m emotional that way.”

On another topic, Karabeth commented about our rare snowfall:

“I just hope the drivers aren’t as crazy there in NC as they were when we lived in TN those 14 years. No one slowed down at all. And the salt truck was a flatbed truck that said “mosquito control” on the side of it. A man would stand on the back and shovel bits of salt and/or sand onto the roadway. Not much help!”

Oh, no, the drivers are crazy here in the snow, but our DOT was a little more prepared for the snow than that (primarily because 4 years ago drivers got stuck in traffic for hours during a bad ice storm).

Christy is in the same boat as me:

“I’m kinda at that point of the husband search too. I’ve hit thirty, no one in sight, and I’m kind of ok with that. I would LIKE a husband and kids, but I will be ok without one too. However if I do get married, I would probably have to learn to cook.”

Totally with you, sister.  Except I do know how to cook.  Ironing, however, I leave to professionals (or dryers).

Jessica:

“…just give us fair warning if husband-material tries to steal you away. (I’ll need time to grab my kleenex.)”

Don’t worry.  If I was nearing that point, I wouldn’t help but leak it on the blog.  I might not mention a dude if it was a date or two, but I’m all about being transparent so you’ll know if it was more than that.  However, you can be assured that there’s really nothing to be transparent about…

Not surprisingly, a cashier’s job is boring.  One of the ways I would entertain myself and engage my customer is ask about their strange combination of items and speculate how they might be used together.  It was all fun and games, until one day.

A lady and her preteen daughter were buying a few basic food items and a big bag of pine shavings, usually used for bedding for small animals.  I did my usual, “This is an interesting combination, what are you making for dinner?” or some such thing.  The customer’s answer was so straight-forward, so matter-of-fact, that I almost thought I had misheard her.

She said, “Oh, I work at an abortion clinic.  We find that the hamster bedding absorbs the best.”

Immediately the smile on my face fadded.  What I had thought was amusing conversation turned with that stomach-churning statement.  To her, it was a mere fact of life, but to me it was the remembrance of the murder of those innocent babies.  They have no funerals, no coffins, but instead get thrown into hamster bedding to be discarded as if they were trash.

I couldn’t even finish the conversation with the customer.  I finished ringing up her items, told her her total, and wished her a good day as she walked away.  I didn’t hate her for being a part of the abortion industry, but I no longer could have a normal conversation with this enormous burden placed before me so suddenly.

So today, I’ll mourn the estimated 50 million babies legally not given the dignity of being born.  Estimated, because they haven’t even been given the respect of being reported and counted.

Point: A practicing Christian can, and sometimes should, vote for a pro-choice candidate.

Counterpoint: A practicing Christian cannot vote for a pro-choice candidate.

Now that I’ve given what I hope to be a fair accounting of this issue, I’ll let you know that I’m firmly in the “counterpoint” camp: a practicing Christian should not vote for a pro-choice candidate. It’s not that I have everything figured out; I don’t. My position on this issue has changed greatly in the last 8 years or so (initially, I was pro-choice, then I was pro-life with no exceptions, while now I recognize an exception for eminent death of mother and child).

I know that this view alienates many of my readers. While I’m willing to listen to other views with the idea that I don’t have it all figured out, and I will not attempt to force you to agree with me, this is something that I feel strongly about. Once I’ve accepted abortion as murder, I don’t know how I can tolerate it nor vote for someone who will tolerate it. Even now the thought of the innocent dying unnecessarily, in many cases because of the simple matter of convenience, it brings queasiness to my stomach and a tear to my eye.

I’ve been accused (not specifically, but generally) of being a one-issue voter. I wrote about this back in February, but I’ll say it again: if this is what it means to be a one-issue voter than I’ll proudly bear the title.

That said, a candidate’s stance on abortion is absolutely not the only thing I care about. It is the first thing I look for, because once I’ve determined that a candidate is pro-choice, that ends the discussion. I will not vote for them. But after I have learned that a candidate is pro-life, I will continue to research and vet him, seeking to determine if he indeed is a candidate I can vote for, or if I should choose someone else or simply abstain from voting for that office (I must admit, I haven’t done this last one yet, but I imagine that the time will come when I will do that).

To answer the charge that Christians should follow the lead of their Savior and be concerned with the poor, I most heartily agree. But I don’t believe that the government is the means to do it. Rather, I’m much more concerned with the church reaching out and caring for the poor.

So yeah, I do tend to vote Republican. It’s not because I think that the Republican party is right (okay it is “right,” but now isn’t really the place for a pun, is it?). The amount that Republicans have increased the government spending and federal control sickens me.

I thank you for your respectful comments and hearing me out on this one. If you are a Christian considering voting for a pro-choice candidate, I urge you to think this issue through. I can’t change your mind, but I can pray that God will lead you to do so.

I’ll leave you with a couple of comments that I feel are particularly helpful:

Vicki wrote in response to the first post (in support of Christians voting pro-choice):

I’m not so sure I agree. You write: “they must realize that God judges morality, not the state.” I disagree with that because God judged Israel and Judah as a whole when their citizens began to fall away from Him. The whole nations were taken into captivity, even though certainly there were a few who still loved and obeyed God. I fully expect God to punish America (and perhaps He already has–I’m not speaking of specific instances here) for the way that we are abandoning Him and His morals.

You also wrote: “We shouldn’t expect or want a government body that regulates morality” I disagree with this as well. I want my government to regulate morality from a Judeo-Christian standpoint. I realize this is slowly slipping away in America, and in the rest of the world. But wouldn’t this be how God would want us to govern? No, we can’t force people to like the morality of the laws, but we do it for the sake of citizens and communities as a whole. If we were to reject government regulation of morality then we would reject punishment for murder or lesser crimes. After all, who is to say that what the criminal did wasn’t moral to them? This begins to slide down the slope of whatever is moral for you is fine and whatever is moral for me is fine. It’s secular humanism. A government will regulate morality…if they choose to allow abortion they are taking a loose stance on it. Just because they’re not taking a stance that abortion is wrong doesn’t mean they aren’t judging its morality. So since a goverment is always going to regulate morality, I want it done on God’s side.

I’m probably rambling a bit. What I’m afraid of is Christians not standing up for what God would see to be completely wrong. Are we rationalizing our vote because a pro-abortion candidate seems to have better ideas about other issues? How does a Christian reconcile that? What is more important: life? the housing crisis? health care?

Blog Stalker wrote in response to the second post (against Christians voting pro-choice):

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.

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.