Question:  With the 40th anniversary of the controversial Roe v Wade decision this month, do we know how many babies have been aborted?

Answer:   Sadly, at least 54,559,615 babies have been aborted since the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationally in this country. (See more on this figure in The Weekly Standard Blog for January 22, 2013, http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/40-years-later-54559615-abortions_697459.html).  As Christians, this horribly high number of abortions should continue to motivate us to fight for the pro-life cause.

Christians know that it is Almighty God who gives life.  We have read those powerful words of Psalm 139:13-14, “For You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works And that my soul knows very well.” (NKJV)  As Believers, we also know that the Bible says children are a blessing from God.  Psalm 127:3-5 says ,”Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is His reward.” (NKJV)  We are to protect and value life!

Unfortunately, it is politically incorrect to even talk about the baby when discussing abortion.  Pro-abortion advocates tend to keep the debate centered around the woman and her so-called “right to choose.”  They do not discuss the baby’s right to live.  They also tend to keep the debate focused around pregnancies resulting from rape, incest, or the need to abort to save the life of the mother.  Statistics show that all 3 of these causes together amount to less than 5% of the reasons for abortions.  Don’t hold your breath to think that the pro-choice crowd would even agree to outlaw all abortions except for these reasons.  Their goal is to keep all abortions without any restrictions.

That’s one reason the pro-choicers rally around their pride and joy, Planned Parenthood.  Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in this country.  They give referrals for things like mammograms and Pap tests, but their main business and big money-maker is abortions.  As taxpayers, you help to fund this organization.  Therefore, taxpayers aid in helping Planned Parenthood stay in business.  Many taxpayers would cringe at the knowledge that they are supporting an abortion organization started to promote “racial betterment,” or eugenics.  This is what Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger, thought abortion could do for the black community.  After 1964, more abortion clinics were located near African-American communities.  The result:   by 2011, the abortion rate for African -American women was higher than the rates for both Hispanic and white women according to the Guttmacher Institute.  See more on this at www.blackgenocide.org and at http://www.afajournal.org/2012/October/102012_default.asp.

Obviously, as Christians, we know that we are to pray for and help those who are in distress.  That’s why churches and Christians must reach out and help women who are experiencing unwanted pregnancies.  We want these women to choose life, even if they decide to put their babies up for adoption.  We want them to know that adoption is a loving option for those moms who do not choose to keep their babies because they were raped, don’t have enough money to take care of them, feel they are too young, etc.  Some of the best resources available to help women with unwanted pregnancies are the local crisis pregnancy centers.  They can often provide free ultrasounds, baby clothes, and information on other resources in the community that can help them.  For more information on such groups, visit www.care-net.org.

While no woman wants to be in a crisis pregnancy situation, women must be informed that what they are carrying is not some meaningless piece of tissue.  It is a new life.  Even if that new life was a result of something as horrible as rape, destroying the baby is not the morally correct thing to do.  That baby from an evil, rapist biological father can still become the loving child of wonderful adoptive parents and become a great citizen of this world.  For a complete guide to this topic and all issues pro-life, check out the National Right to Life website at www.nrlc.org.

Also, while it is very rare in this country to have a mother’s life literally threatened by giving birth, the Bible does speak of being able to practice self-defense to save your life.  Even then, many mothers would want the doctors to do everything possible to try to save both mother and child.  All this said, if a woman has had an abortion and regrets her decision, Christians know that these women can ask the Lord to forgive them of their sins, and He will.  They can be very effective spokespersons for the pro-life movement.  They can tell other women who find themselves with unwanted pregnancies not to listen to the deceptive voices of the pro-abortion movement.  They can tell them, instead, to listen to the little voice of the new life inside them that wants to choose life and is saying, “Please save me, Mommy!”

Make the right choice.  Choose life!

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family     http://www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries   http://www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network   http://www.cbn.org

World Magazine  www.worldmag.com