Do We Really Want To Stop Abortion?

A lot of readers may take offense at this question about their sincerity in wanting to stop the slaughter of innocent babies. How could this be? You vote for the candidates who promise to put an end to the grizzly practice. If you are like most, you even pray about it from time to time. If you are really unusual, you may have picketed a facility once or twice.

As Dr. Phil would ask, “How’s that working out for you?” The last I checked, young lives are still being destroyed, and members of the medical profession, those who have sworn to do no harm, are making a nice living doing it. Obviously this approach has not gotten the job done.

For those who have carried the battle to the enemy consistently over the years, congratulations, but as you are painfully aware, the job is not done. You’ve seen people get excited about the struggle and join in for a few days to a few weeks, but then they disappear like the morning mist… and the job is not done.

If we really want to get the job done, we may want to study the lessons from fifty years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led is followers against the evil of prejudice and hatred. His struggle took years, sent some to jail, cost some their lives – including the good pastor himself.

It was a protracted conflict that required sacrifices. It was not a weekend effort. It was not a cause that you could just write a check and feel you did your part. How were the opponents of equality for our black brothers defeated? How will those who believe it is a woman’s right to kill her offspring be sent packing to the land of political irrelevancy?

Those looking to break down racial barriers marched. They sat in at restaurants that refused to serve them. They were hauled off to jail and beaten by police and angry klansmen. They endured all sorts of pain and indignities… and they did this for years. They were dedicated to their cause and their actions proved it – to themselves, the country and to their God.

Occasionally we’ll hear about a pastor or priest being arrested outside an abortion mill, and that’s about it. So many profess in polls and occasionally in speech to be appalled by the practice of killing babies in their mother’s womb, but how much are we really disturbed by the practice. Is Dancing With The Stars or American Idol more important than saving a child’s life? Let’s not answer with words, they can be so deceiving, both to ourselves and to others. Let’s answer with action.

Dr. King’s niece, Alveda King, whose own father was killed for his work in the civil rights movement, is the national spokesperson for the Silent No More Awareness campaign. She has written:

Oh, God, what would Martin Luther King, Jr., who dreamed of having his children judged by the content of their characters do if he’d lived to see the contents of thousands of children’s skulls emptied into the bottomless caverns of the abortionists pits?

She understands it’s a new fight for a new day. She understands Matthew 25:40 that says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” And you can’t be much less important than to be a member of a class that people routinely throw away.

Many think that we are doing all we can to do stop this awful practice. There are laws that prevent us from doing more. There are laws about what can be done outside “clinics” and that keep us from coming inside. There are privacy laws, there are trespassing laws – but precious few laws that protect the unborn children. We follow them to be good citizens. It’s like sixties radical Abbie Hoffman said, “Respect for authority will be the downfall of democracy.”

Acts 4 tells the story of Peter and John being called before the Sanhedrin for healing a lame man and causing a stir in Jerusalem. After questioning the two, the baffled leaders discussed among themselves what would be the best way to put a stop to this teaching.

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. (v 18-22 NIV)

“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” Which is right for us, to let the children die, or do everything we can to stop it? A little further down the page we see how the apostles responded. They did not pray for protection from the evil Sanhedrin.

Verse 29 tells us they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” They asked for boldness to do the right thing. We need boldness to do the right thing.

Dr. King’s followers endured indignities, beatings and death. What have we endured? Not much in most cases. How many of us have been thrown out of clinics or arrested for trespassing. How many of us have spent even an hour outside an abortion mill, praying for those inside? How many of us have offered to help with in unexpected pregnancy by taking in a woman thrown out of her home? Have we done anything to encourage adoption of an unwanted child?

There is much that can be done. Prayer is important, but, with the economy taking center stage at the moment, many politicians are backing away from social issues – so the job is falling to us to put feet to our prayers. James 2 puts all this into perspective:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (v 14-18 NIV)

Or as the King James version we memorized as kids said, “faith without works is dead.”

Authored By Larry Miller Political Christian