Are We Really Pro-Life?

Many Americans say they are pro-life.  But do we really act like it?  Do our actions and behaviors support what we verbally claim?

Some recent research suggests that younger generations of Americans are more pro-life than their parents.  Pro-life supporters have taken comfort that there might be a cultural shift underway that turns the tide in favor of Life. 

Maybe that is true.  But we still perform 1.3 million abortions each year in the U.S.

The national abortion rate has declined steadily since its height in the late 70’s and 80’s.

That’s true.  But we still perform 1.3 million abortions each year.

There are over 2,500 pregnancy resource centers across the U.S.  They outnumber the number of abortion facilities by over 25%.

But we still perform 1.3 million abortions each year.

We’ve had pro-life politicians in the highest offices.  We have numerous pro-life groups, lobbyists, activists, PACs, and advocacy firms.  We have marches, protests, sit-ins, negotiations, lectures, and rallies.

But we still perform 1.3 million abortions each year.

I genuinely believe the abortion rate has declined because of the efforts and energy of many of the people and groups I’ve listed.  And we should take heart that we’ve had some impact.

We still abort 1.3 million babies every year.

I recently read a quote that has haunted me every since.  Gregg Cunningham said, “Most people who say they oppose abortion do just enough to salve their conscience but not enough to stop the killing.”

I’ve been thinking about that statement for weeks. If we pause to let his remark sink in, we come to some startling and uncomfortable conclusions.

If the majority of the Church in America claims to be pro-life (and many other groups claim to be pro-life as well), how are we still aborting 1.3 million babies each year?

The answer is simple.  The Church at large is pro-life in name only.  And we don’t do enough to stop the killing.  We have the ABILITY to stop the killing.  We just don’t have the DESIRE.

I submit the following reasons why:

1. We think of abortion as a political or social “issue” – not as the taking of a human life.

I recently asked an insider friend of mine why pro-life groups say they have such a hard time raising money for their cause.

“The issue is fatigued,” he said.  “The culture no longer believes the war is winnable.”

The implication of his statement should shock us.  Because we believe Roe v. Wade may not be overturned or because we don’t think the government will ever protect the unborn, we become tired of the “issue” and move on to other things.

I can conceive of no “other thing” that has more value to a culture than its children.  Our children are not part of a political “issue.”  If we allow abortion to continue to be politicized, we lose our focus on the human beings involved.

2.  The American Church is impotent and silent.

I can’t tell you how many directors of pregnancy centers tell me they cannot get support from local churches.  I find this astounding and, frankly, unexplainable.  They report that most churches do not want to take a stand on Life issues.  The pastors don’t want the controversy or conflict in their congregations.

A church or parish that is unwilling to defend the most innocent among us is to be rejected and shamed.  If we say we hold to Judeo-Christian values found in the Bible, we are obligated to defend unborn life.  There is no middle ground.

3.  We are entertaining ourselves to death.

By now you know that I have the utmost respect and admiration for staff and volunteers at pregnancy centers.  As far as I’m concerned they are unsung heroes who, day in and day out, struggle with a sex-crazed culture in an attempt to restore sanity and a high value of life.  Tears of sorrow are daily events in these centers. Turnover is high and so is the stress.

And yet most of these centers, which do the work the rest of us can’t or won’t do, are generally underfunded, understaffed, and marginally supported in their communities.

And yet, as a culture, we follow Hollywood celebrities on Twitter like it matters. And we watch hours of TV, surf the Internet, and shop ourselves into oblivion.

If we really want to see where our priorities are, all we need to do is carefully review how we spend our money and how we spend our time.

And, as a culture, how we spend our money and time indicates that we are a self-centered, self-absorbed society that ignores the holocaust in our neighborhoods.

4.  We have become numb.

This is exactly what the pro-abortion movement wants.  They want us to ignore abortion. The unborn baby is unseen, the abortion procedures occur behind closed doors, and the women who have them certainly aren’t going to talk about it.

And so we act like it isn’t happening.  We act like every one of us doesn’t know someone who has had an abortion. We act like we don’t know an entire generation of Americans has been wiped out.  We act like we don’t realize minority communities are impacted worst of all.

There is an abortion in American every 25 seconds.  In the time it took you to read this email, 2 or 3 human beings were killed by abortion.  How do we react to that news?

A few closing suggestions:

1.  We must stop thinking of abortion as an issue.  It is not.  It is the taking of an unborn life, involving real people, real problems, and real heartache.  And it happens 1.3 million times every year.

2.  If you attend a church or parish that does not promote the sanctity of life and refuses to proclaim the truth about abortion, find a new church that does.

3.  Be urgent.  If America is truly going to with the War for Life, it must not be content with “declining abortion trends” or “reducing the number of abortion clinics.”  Ask someone with cancer if they are willing to wait for a few years to try and stop the disease.  We must regain a sense of urgency about abortion.  If the country really is “fatigued,” we must be awakened.

4.  Get involved.  Take a look at your checkbook.  Take a look at your calendar. Do our time and money follow our verbalized values?  Or is it just talk?  There’s a pregnancy center in your neighborhood that could use your help.

If you’ve read this blog, I suspect you are already taking a tangible stand for the unborn.  Thank you.  Pass this on to others who might need a little push in the right direction.