“I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:2

Is Abortion Really About Choice?

One of the rallying cries of the pro-abortion movement is that "it's a woman's choice, because it's a woman's body." But is this really a valid argument?

by Jon Gardner

"Choice" is an emotionally charged word. It calls upon our deep-seated desires for personal freedom, self-determination, and a general loathing of tyranny. Advocates of abortion have used this word effectively, and many are swayed by its powerful mental imagery. But is abortion really about choice?

The most obvious answer lies in the fact that pregnancy is not a disease that a woman contracts out of the blue, but is instead the result of a sexual act in which a woman and a man have chosen to participate. Nobody would deny that sex is the number one cause of pregnancy in the world. In addition, according to easily obtainable statistics, all of the common birth control methods "fail to prevent pregnancy" anywhere from 5 to 50 percent of the time, or more. It is hardly surprising that the only method of birth control with a perfect record is abstinence. With these facts in mind, when a man and woman choose to have sex, they must assume that pregnancy is a very real possibility. Calling a pregnancy "unexpected" is a meager attempt to justify taking the life of a child who was conceived in deliberate ignorance. As Mother Theresa said, "It is a poverty that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." The moral? If you are not willing to take on the responsibility of a child, then don't have sex.

What about rape and incest? Rape and incest account for less than 2% of sexual acts, and due to the emotional and physical trauma involved, very few pregnancies result. As terrible as they are, rape and incest are simply not statistically viable topics in the abortion debate, but are another tactic used by abortion advocates to stir up emotions. Even in such cases, the child had nothing to do with the crime, so killing the child is neither healthy nor just.

What about a woman's "right to her body?" While it is true that we in America enjoy a largely self-determinate lifestyle, it is not true that we have the right to do as we please with our bodies. It is illegal, for example, to use illegal drugs in one's body. It is illegal to use one's body to harm another person. Suicide is illegal in most states. We all must pull a seatbelt across our body in order to drive an automobile. Part of what makes America great is the fact that we, as a society, attempt to protect each other from obvious harm. Even President and Mrs. Clinton say that "it takes a community," which involves caring for each other in a loving, compassionate, firm way. Abortion obviously harms the unborn child, who is not part of the mother's body in the first place, and abortion harms the child's mother, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. What better reason to reject abortion as a "solution" to "unexpected" pregnancies in our community?

Abortion is not about choice. It is about killing children and injuring women. It is wrong and should not be tolerated in our society.

But isn't that legislating morality? In his book Standing Tall, Dr. Steve Farrar addresses this very issue:

The problem with that view is two-fold. First of all, every law ever written has "imposed morality." There are laws all over America, mandating that it is legal to drive only twenty miles per hour in school zones. Why is that the case? Because it would be immoral to allow someone to drive fifty-five miles per hour in a school zone! The chances are great that numerous children would be struck by fast moving cars. Thus, in order to keep that from happening, morality has been imposed on the populace. Every law legislates morality!

The question is this: whose morality is going to be the standard?

That is an excellent question. Shall we choose the morality behind the death of more than one-third of the generation of people conceived since 1972, or shall we choose the morality of our forefathers, who built the very foundation of this nation?

James Wilson, one of just six men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and was appointed to the Supreme Court by George Washington, said,"Christianity is a part of the common law of America."

John Adams, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of the first U.S. Presidents, said,"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."

James Madison, one of the chief architects of the Constitution, said,"We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government--far from it, but we have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

Obviously, our forefathers expected--or at least hoped--that Americans would always respect life, confine sexual relationships within the boundaries of marriage and its commitments, and care for one another out of obedience to God.

As a society, I'd say we're not doing very well. What do you say? Email me at jgardner (at) kairosnet.com.