Category — Sanctity of Human Life

Last week, legislation that would’ve banned sex-selection abortion failed to pass in the House of Representatives. Whether the bill itself was well-constructed is another matter. Of course, I contend that all human life is sacred and that abortion is nothing less than the willful murder of a baby. Now the American people are wrestling with sex-selection abortion, which is already widely practiced in China and India. Isn’t sex-selection abortion (i.e., abortion based on the gender of a child) the most extreme form of gender discrimination imaginable? And since sex-selection abortion historically favors killing baby girls, how is this practice not the most heinous crime against women? What do you think?

The Gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ has always been a message of life, not only in the joyful anticipation of eternal life, but in the fullness of life that we experience in Christ right now. Jesus explained, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV) And later in John’s Gospel Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26 NIV)

We must remember that death (both physical and eternal) entered the world as a result of sin (Romans 5:12). Satan, the deceiver, confused and misled Adam and Eve. Jesus describes the character of the evil one in John 8:44, “The devil…was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” And the apostle Paul explains that apart from Christ, people are in the clutches of the evil one, that Satan is doing his work in them and that they have been “trapped” by him, “who has taken them captive to do his will.” (Ephesians 2:1-2 and 2 Timothy 2:26) [Read more →]

Those of us who follow Jesus Christ claim that we maintain the sanctity of human life. When it comes to the issue of abortion, we recognize it for what it is: the taking of a human life; killing; murder. We have strong moral and ethical convictions and we back them up with Scripture and our consciences that are being formed by the Holy Spirit to reflect the character of God. We know the arguments and can articulate them well. For us, the issue of abortion has already been dealt with and defeated—intellectually—but to what effect?

For those of us who fall into the above category and who believe we understand the heart of God on the issue of abortion, what impact has our position made on our culture? Have our personal or collective beliefs, convictions and rhetoric made any dent in curbing the number of abortions conducted every year? Since the Rowe vs. Wade decision in 1973, we—as a nation—have the blood of over 54,000,000 babies on our hands. When is enough, enough? When will we realize that our personal and even collective position on abortion, in and of itself, makes no strategic difference? We must speak up. [Read more →]