Those of us who are committed to the sanctity of life, including the life of those yet to be born, understand the horrific nature of abortion. There can be no doubt that it is the ending of a human life, which should be a truth that disturbs us to our very cores. This truth is something that even the pro-abortion advocates are beginning to admit, although it has not yet changed their perspectives. But the terrible nature of the act does not end with a life that was willfully ended before it could really even begin; it manifests itself in the guilt, shame, and depression that a woman experiences subsequent to the abortion. These emotions are compounded by the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases a conscious, willing choice was made to end the life of the baby growing in the womb, and that is a choice that cannot but to haunt the person who makes it.
Roe v. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court more than 40 years ago and, in the years that have followed, various strategies and methods have been employed in the attempt to persuade mothers not to abort their children. Sadly, some have chosen to pursue methods that are either ineffective (such as pregnancy centers that are not open except for a couple of hours per week or that downplays the Gospel) or downright antithetical to a Christian response (the murder of abortion providers). Sometimes the zeal that possesses some for the cause leads them to engage women who are approaching an abortion facility in a harsh and unloving manner. Thankfully, these are not the norm. Ministries such as Alternatives of Battle Creek (as well as Kalamazoo) exist to lovingly provide precisely what their name indicates – alternatives to the ending of a human life. What’s more, they are doing precisely what so many in the pro-abortion camp accuse us of neglecting: caring for the families as a whole both up to and after the birth of the child. I can still remember how we celebrated a few years ago both the opening of Alternatives and the closing of the Battle Creek Planned Parenthood.
Recently I was speaking with a good friend in the Flint area who serves with one of our church plants in that city. This church is involved in an outreach ministry in front of the local abortion mill (while the facility bills itself a “clinic,” I cannot bring myself to call it that since a clinic conveys the notion of medical help). They offer crisis counseling to the women who come to this place of death, recognizing that these women often go to such a place because they do not believe they have any other option. Over the past year, more than 30 women chose to keep their child! Praise God! But the good news doesn’t end there. By God’s great provision, they have received a building right across the street from the abortion mill. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters at ONELife Church as they minister to the women in their community.
While our hearts break for even one abortion, we can be thankful that the statistics regarding abortion are moving in the right direction. The number of abortions has been declining over the past several years. Planned Parenthood is closing facilities across the country. More and more light is being shed on the darkness that is the abortion industry. And more and more believers are becoming involved in reaching women who are contemplating abortion. May the day soon come when this horror disappears from our land. Just something to think about…
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