Abortion.

Today, I made a donation to an organization in my area that provides help for single pregnant women. I had a car that I wanted to donate to a worthwhile organization, and after careful consideration, I decided I would donate to a crisis pregnancy center. I live in the south, everyone here is “pro life”, yet the scarcity of such crisis pregnancy centers that provide a safe place and resources for a young single woman are oddly rare. I have been troubled by this all day.

Abortion is a very polarizing issue with both sides having very passionate arguments about their feelings on the issue. You know, God-less liberals want abortions for everyone and God-fearing conservatives value human life above everything. These are the only stances on abortion by the way, and you better pick one. As a Christian, I have always wondered why I didn’t fit neatly in the Christian column on the abortion issue. It seems easy enough; if you are a Christian you must be pro-life. I have always felt like I was more pro-choice, much to the shock and disappointment of some of my closest Christian friends. I definitely understand that abortion is murder and would prefer for women not to have abortions, but as a Christian I just never saw how this was a legal issue. Abortion is legal now, but guess what? You can choose not to have an abortion. I’m not trying to be hilarious or anything, but what if abortion were to become illegal?

Now what Christians? As Christians, what are WE the body of Christ prepared to do to help all women CHOOSE LIFE? What are we doing now to help women make the courageous choice to CHOOSE LIFE, in the face of insurmountable odds, and less than perfect living situations? Choosing life is easy if you are a woman who is married to a loving husband, who gets pregnant and immediately has throngs of family and friends who can’t wait to shower you with baby gifts and their approval. What about the married couple who has several kids already and do not have the resources to care for another child? What about the teenager whose parents are pressuring her to have an abortion, so a child doesn’t ruin her young life. What about the unmarried woman in her twenties or thirties, who knows if she chooses to have her baby the father will want nothing to do with the child? What about the woman in an abusive marriage, who does not want to bring another child into the chaotic situation she and her other children are living in? It is not always so easy to CHOOSE LIFE.

I always think it’s interesting that the majority Christians are so pro-life, but can never articulate to me what they are specifically are doing to help women CHOOSE LIFE when the choice is not easy, not pleasant, and not desirable. As I type this I am asking myself, what more should I be doing to help women CHOOSE LIFE? Where is the compassion and the love that we as Christians are supposed to have toward everyone. Instead, there is judgment, about lifestyles and choices that a pregnant woman has made.

Obviously there is no easy answer for this topic but I feel that a REAL dialogue needs to start among Christians that moves beyond, "I am pro-life". Somewhere between “abortions for all” and “abortions for none” is where we as Christians need to focus our energy, love and attention.