This week we spoke a bit about abortion in class. It came up because we have two really lively spiritual songs that came from movies with two African American women leading the songs who are outspoken on abortion.
The ladies I am referring to are Whoopi Goldberg and Queen Latifah. They claim God did not give any direction on abortion in Scripture and that this is a woman’s right to choose.
As you can see by statistics above 28.6 women out of 1000 are receiving abortions. With this statistic it becomes a genocide of a race. There is a wonder why contraceptives or sterilization is not used for abstinence.
There is the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Deuteronomy 5:13). But is it killing before birth? Some say there is just a blob of flesh, no child, no soul. What does God say?
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:13-18
So here we see we are known in our mother’s womb even prior to forming. That we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
And finally,
“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
Something you may never have heard me speak of were the miscarriages I experienced. There were many, and each time I felt crushed, shocked, and in disbelief. I grieved the loss of each and wondered about God’s plan—how I would only get to briefly touch each soul for a short time in my womb, then send them off to heaven to be with the Lord.
I never considered an abortion.
I was advised by my obstetrician, Doctor Darlene, that I would likely not survive my last pregnancy, that abortion of my 3rd child would give me my best chance. I never considered this option. I told her if I could make it to 7 months (it was 4 months when she advised me of this), I thought I could give him life, which is the greatest gift. I prayed 3 hours each day and slept a lot. He was born on his due date, a fat, healthy 8 lb blue-eyed baby boy, my Peter, who is now married with 3 kids of his own. I weighed in at 104 lbs immediately after his birth, but I had been able to hold on and give life. I will save the rest of the story of survival for another time, but here I am 45 years later, going strong and strong in the Lord.
My friend for many years, Marlene, who was 20 years my senior, had 2 abortions, and her heart could never heal fully. She would pray for them, and she experienced a deep grief and unrelenting guilt over the choice to ‘kill’ her children. Now I would have the skill to help her and renew her relationship with God. Back then I could offer her my friendship and be a witness for her confessions. I think there is an inner guidance of right and wrong in each and every one of us, that God built us to love our offspring.
“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3
“When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” – Mark 10:14