"Pro-Life"?

Recently, I heard someone make the following statement:

"I'm pro-life personally, but I don't think it's right to force my belief onto others. I mean, we all have free will so we should be able to make our own decisions, right?"

This is essentially the same position that I've heard other people take by saying,

"I would never have an abortion myself, because I think it's wrong, but who am I to tell other people what they should do?"

Let's be honest here. If that is what you believe, you are either a coward or you are by definition pro-choice, NOT pro-life.

A coward: if you truly do believe that abortion is wrong, but are unwilling to stand up for that belief by stating that it's wrong for other people too, not just yourself.

Pro-choice: if you really think it's best that people make their own decision about what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, and you consider abortion a valid option to consider. If you believe abortion is a choice best left to the individual to decide, then you are pro-choice, plain and simple. Claiming to be pro-life with this opinion is a complete fallacy.

I understand that there is a place of wrestling in between these two points, where
you really don't quite know for sure where you stand on the issue. There may be a sense of dissonance between what resonates as true (life is precious) and your lack of ability to articulate why you believe that. That kind of wrestling is not what I'm calling cowardice or lying.

I'm just saying - be honest with yourself. If you think it would be wrong to kill a baby in your womb, then abortion is wrong for other people, too. If you like to call yourself pro-life, but say that people should be able to make their own decisions, then you are saying that people should make the choice.......which means you're making a pro-choice argument. If you are uncomfortable with claiming the pro-choice "label" for yourself - why? Since that is inherently what you say that you believe, why do you want to identify yourself otherwise? Is it possible that you really don't think that people should choose to have abortions, but you just don't feel like you can tell them that? If that's the case, you're back to cowardice.

I am Pro-Life. Abortion is wrong. And I am not afraid to say so.

On Adoption

Kelsey Bohlender of Stuff I Think 2 gave a powerful teaching about the spirit of adoption. Please click here to listen to the audio verson online. This message is timely, powerful, moving, and convicting. Here are some of the points that stuck with me:

Abortion advocates argue that if abortion was not a legal choice in America, then thousands of babies would be unwanted and go into abusive situations… What would happen if a million families in the church in this nation adopted one child? The accusation would be stopped. They could no longer say that children would be born into unwanted situations.

The adoption service the Bohlenders are working with said there are many, many babies available for adoption in the US right now. They said “If you have a home study done, I can place you within two weeks if you’re open to race.” Are we ready to welcome all babies who need a home – including those who don't look like our biological families, or the crack babies, or the ones with health problems?

The system is sick – it costs a lot of money to save a baby. But one has to wonder if God is allowing that because he’s asking us: Will you put your money where your prayers are? Are you willing to do something that costs something?

Adoption is an active, tangible means of spiritual warfare.

Kelsey and her husband Randy (of stuff I think) are currently pursuing adoption of a baby. They have stood in the place of contending through intercession for the ending of abortion in America for years, and now they are "putting their money where their prayers are". They are raising funds to pay for the (expensive) adoption process. Please consider joining me in supporting them through their adoption benefit dinner.