Why Talk About Abortion?

One of the worst fears for many people is visiting the doctor and hearing the diagnosis “cancer.” In a state of anxiety, you may have played the scenario repeatedly in your mind, but have you ever imagined what it would be like to be the doctor? You must share some news with a person that is going to devastate them. How could you do something like that?  

I believe you would only share news like that if you believed two things. First, you’d have to really believe that cancer is a real threat. It’s not a made-up disease. It’s not a figment of someone’s imagination. It’s real and it’s deadly. Second, you’d have to believe the most loving thing to do is to tell the truth, even if it hurts.  

Every January as a church we set aside two weeks to talk about the twin evils of abortion and racism. In our blog this week we’re talking about abortion. We realize this is a painful topic. For some of you reading it may be a very personal topic. Wouldn’t it be better to talk about something else? Why risk alienating, shaming, or angering people? Just like the doctor in our imaginary scenario, we talk about this difficult topic for two reasons:  

1. We really believe abortion is murder. We really believe that human life begins at conception. We really believe, in the words of Dr. Seuss, “a person’s a person no matter how small.” You may not believe that. That’s okay. We love you, and I hope that you’ll at least read what I have to say. Even if you finish reading and none of your beliefs have changed, we’ll still love you. My prayer is that if you stick around for the articles on the blog this week you’ll read (perhaps for the first time) a clear, rational, loving defense of the pro-life position.  

2. We really believe the most loving thing to do is to tell the truth, even if it hurts. As a culture we’re increasingly sheltering one another from hearing viewpoints we disagree with. We have safe spaces and echo chambers that effectively insulate us from ever listening to a perspective that differs from our own. This isn’t helpful or good for us as human beings. Now it’s one thing to intentionally offend or hurt one another with our words. That’s not what we’re talking about, and I hope you’ll find on our blog this week that I’ll write carefully and clearly to avoid unintentionally harming you. But to tell the truth gently and carefully is good for society. And it’s good for you, even if you disagree with it. Even if it hurts you.

So please stay tuned this week as we discuss what we believe about abortion. You just might find your mind and heart changed by what you read.