Monday, August 13, 2012

The Least Of These

            A man and a woman come together. Their bodies interact, and a sperm and egg cell are miraculously brought together. A new life is conceived. Already, the woman is a mother – although she remains unaware. Days pass, and the baby grows, safely tucked away in the womb. Within three weeks, a tiny heart has formed and pumps life through the small body of the fetus.
            Over the following weeks, the baby continues to grow. At eight weeks old, it has reached one inch in length. Tiny fingers and toes have already formed. The baby keeps growing, cozy and comfortable in the warm uterus, unaware of the decisions being made on its behalf.
            Several more weeks pass. The baby can see dim light through its closed eyes. Everything is still. The baby moves its arm, bumping something. The instrument touches the baby’s side. Alarm pulses through the fetus. It begins to kick its legs, struggling to get away. The forceps mercilessly chase the fetus. They open like hungry jaws and close in around the baby’s head. The body freezes, caught. The jaws clamp shut, crushing the baby’s skull. Ending that perfect life.

~~~

            Today, I've been thinking a lot about abortion. While writing the above paragraph, I literally had to stop and take a deep breath. I felt sick.
             It is no longer a question of whether or not the fetus is alive. That is known and accepted almost universally. The question is: what is the fetus?
            I know the answer: human. What else could two humans produce? The fetus can’t be anything but human. Yet rights are withheld from this little baby. Such as the right to life.
            People claim that the baby isn’t fully human because it is a fetus. What do they mean by fetus? A fetus is a baby; the word fetus is simply a term used to describe that time of the baby’s life, such as toddler and adolescent are used. So how is a baby not fully a person just because it is a fetus? Do people become more human the older they get?
            Another argument is that because the baby is dependent on its mother for life, it is not a true person. So now we base someone’s humanity on their degree of dependency? What about when the baby is six months old? One year? Three years? A toddler is still almost entirely dependent on its parents, yet we don’t argue about whether or not it’s all right to kill it.
            I think that probably the biggest problem with abortion is that people don’t think about the baby. All they think about is the woman, and her rights – what sounds appealing to them. They don’t know (or choose not to think about) what is happening to the baby.
            People, this is murder. Blatant, sick, deliberate murder, happening all around us. Thousands of babies are killed every single day, and we’re doing nothing to stop it.
            It’s another Reality we must accept. Abortion is real. The lives of these babies are real. The fight is real. We can’t stand on the sidelines and watch as children are ruthlessly slaughtered. To do so is wrong.
            I’m preaching to myself here. I have been merely standing by for to long, using lame excuses to soothe my conscience. I’ve wanted to fight, trust me, but never put enough energy into figuring out just how I could aid the Pro-Life cause.
            But we have to fight this. We must speak on behalf of the helpless. Wear Pro-Life gear. Go to rallies. Write articles. Give speeches. Help your local PRC. Something must be done. Even if you only save one life, you’ve done something tremendous. And God will be pleased.


           Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
~Proverbs 31:8-10

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