photo: common
graphic: Martha G. Brady

This was back in the early 1970’s. I am reminding you of that because in the U.S. at that time, a lot was going on regarding the issue of abortion, but in Jamaica that was not the case. There were no laws about it. It wasn’t really being discussed. In the U.S. it was a huge issue of course. Among our broad group of friends there, someone was exposed to German Measles and was pregnant.

They were concerned about what the Biblical teaching was regarding this issue. Most of us had grown up in a time when it was illegal. We never thought much about it except that it was a horrible thought to all of us. We never thought of it as an option. But we never had a choice about it either. We hadn’t thought through a clear Biblical position on abortion. That is probably why Roe v. Wade came to be.

It was particularly ugly to us personally, since we had had a stillborn child. But were we just being sentimental or was a baby fully human? We had all read a lot about it and were in the middle of struggling over the issue. Most of us felt we wouldn’t have an abortion under any circumstances. But was it fair to insist that another person not have one? There was a lot being written about the issue in the U.S. in the church and we were reading it.

This couple was asking for input from some of the rest of us. What was Biblical? We told them what we knew and what we struggled with. We knew what we would do. But what they should do? We weren’t sure nor were they. They prayed as did many of us who knew about the situation.

They asked the advice of a number of people. We were all praying about the situation. We all prayed for them as well while they decided what to do. Then they made their decision.

Now I realize that I was influenced by relativism more than I thought

In the years since then, I have become more certain of what the Bible teaches on this issue. I wish I could have given more certain and confident Biblical help back then. But I see now that I was much more affected by relativism than I realized. Science has made it clearer since then as well. It is a baby not just a bunch of cells.

For me, legalizing abortion in the U.S. had one small benefit. No, it didn’t outweigh all the horrible side effects. But I was able to understand that the gut level feeling I had that it wasn’t the right thing to do, that it was doing away with a life…that gut level feeling was true!

The low value placed on life at either end of the spectrum has had a deep effect on our nation over the past 40 years

In the 40+ years since Roe vs. Wade became law, our nation has valued life much less…as a culture. It has shown on many levels and in many ways. I don’t think we will ever go back. We have the choice. Now we have to think about why we do what we do. Why do we have an abortion? Is it simply a choice for a woman to make regarding her body? Or is there more to it?

Are we choosing convenience over trusting GOD for our future? Are we choosing to trust Him for our child’s health? Can we trust Him for our future? These are weighty questions for sure. I don’t ask them lightly. But He hasn’t promised us perfect lives, perfect children, even perfect marriages! He has a different path for each of us to walk. He will provide a way for us to walk it in a way that brings glory to Him and provides for us as well.

Can we trust GOD to take care of us and our baby? It is a personal decision. But the results of that decision can be far reaching. Ultimately, a woman and her husband must make that decision as was the case here. If she is single, she must make it alone or with the help of family. But the decision about whether the fetus is a baby or not is not semantics, it is real! Much more is known now about babies and fetuses. We now know that fetuses are complete babies and not just a simple group of cells.

But forgiveness is always available…whether it is for people who give poor advice or people who actually have abortions

We also know that abortion is not the unpardonable sin! Just like all sin except the sin of unbelief, it is forgivable. The grace of GOD forgives each sin we commit if we repent. His grace is full and free! He isn’t about recriminations. He is about what is best for us. That is forgiveness.

Even when we are not wise in the way we advise a person, He forgives that too.

Challenge: Do you have anything in your past that Satan tends to throw in your face that you consider to be a failure? GOD forgives each of our failures and sins. He tosses them into the depths of the sea! Do you find that comforting?