Tomorrow, January 22, is the 42nd year since the Supreme Court opened the doors for unlimited access to abortion. In the succeeding years restrictions have been put in place in some states, but the fateful decision effectively rendered null and void laws that were on the books that treated abortion, in almost all cases, as a crime. Since that time over 56,000,000 abortions have been executed. It’s important to realize that surveys conducted by the Guttmacher Institute report that out of that number only 1% were in response to pregnancies caused by rape, and less than .5% in response to pregnancies caused by incest, and 7% of the respondents cited health reasons of either the mother or possible problem with the baby. The percentages for these particular reasons have remained consistent since 1987. If we assume that that is the case for the years 1972-1987, then we are left with a very heart-breaking number: 51,240,000 children died for reasons other than the oft cited “hard cases,” the ones given as a rationale for why abortion must remain available. 51,240,000 . . .
What should govern the Church's response to such a tragic reality? Historically, the Church looks to the Bible. There is no explicit biblical text that addresses the subject, but there are three (at least) strong pointers that help direct our response. First, we are told that life, each life, is created by God and given to human beings. Life, therefore, is not ours to destroy but rather, like stewards, to nurture. Second, untimely or unexpected pregnancies should be met with sacrifice and service not dismissed as an intrusion. This is not to be borne by the mother alone, however. The father, and community in which she and this new life lives, must be ready to come along side, Good Samaritan-like, to do their part. Third, given the fact that the Savior saw fit to begin his humanity saving mission as a fertilized egg in the womb of a woman, we cannot think of the developing child as anything less than human. As such, he or she deserves to be respected and protected with the same care as others who bear the "image of God."
Can we expect the world outside of the church to be governed by these biblical truths? 56,000,000 abortions says that we cannot. But within the Church, at least, we can be shaped by these realties to create a culture of life that witnesses to our neighbors and communicates that we stand ready to serve them when the presence of new life brings with it profound responsibilities.
