Thoughts on Abortion

The following blog post was written by Paul Manring.

I know 1 in 3 Americans have either had an abortion or were in some way responsible for one.  I know it is a heart-wrenching and traumatic decision that no one wants to go through.  It doesn’t only effect the fetus or embryo or zygote…it deeply effects those responsible for the procedure. 

 

However, even if you have been through that process, it doesn’t mean that God cannot forgive a repented person over it.  It doesn’t mean a morally right decision was made because it happened. It doesn’t mean a continued belief that abortion is not really killing a person…a person who is not quite as developed as those outside the womb.  It must be a difficult personal conversation justifying what happened when people go through that procedure. 

 

I can’t imagine the endless, shameful, conversation that goes through a person’s mind rationalizing that decision…but eventually it can get to that point where it is rationalized.  I doubt it can ever get to the point where the shame and guilt is ever removed without literally divine intervention where a belief that God has removed that guilt by the work He did on the cross.

 

But my point isn't really to sympathize with those who have gone through an abortion, although I do sympathize.  I also sympathize with those whose circumstances drove them to that decision. My point isn’t even about a God who is able to forgive that decision or to even bring religion into this context.  My point is, and hopefully will develop into, if a person really digs into the issue of abortion, it is remarkable to me that we are even having this debate.

 

I am delving into this issue through a book “the Case for Life” by Scott Klusendorf and it is a book about equipping Christians to Engage the Culture.  But forgetting the fact it is a Christian book, I am about half-way through it and have decided this is not really a religious issue by itself.  This is a social issue regardless of religious orientation.

 

I once believed pro-choicers and pro-lifers will never have the capacity to really debate this issue; pro-choicers use logical techniques in the debate (it’s my body and my right), pro-lifers use emotional techniques (a baby is being killed).  In much the same way, I realized this sort of debate was happening in the 1800’s when I visited a civil war museum in Atlanta, Georgia last spring; slaves are my property vs. slaves are equal people.  That irreconcilable debate split the nation as it does now with abortion; logic vs. emotion moved the nation into a civil war until the nation was literally “forced” to believe that slavery is wrong. 

 

Slowly, now, our nation is going in a direction that says, in some way, abortion is wrong. Over 50% of the nation agrees that abortion has some immoral implication to it.  But again, my point isn’t primarily that abortion is wrong. My point is that the ability for pro-lifers to debate logically is available…regardless of how emotional the debate may feel.  My point is that once a person compares similar, historical, societal events to the current event of abortion, it may surprise you too this debate is occurring.  My point is that one emotional barrier that could exist for a person who has been involved in an abortion, and there are 30% of us who have, may not have the ability to objectively evaluate the issue in order to close the cognitive dissonance between a decision and the reality of that decision.  My point also is to suggest there is a spiritual outlet to a loving God who can close the gap between a decision over abortion and the reality of it, thus enabling an objective look at the societal struggle with abortion.