Is The Church Really Pro-Life

Facebook rants. Graphs. Statistics. Billboards. People, especially Christians, talk about the high number of abortions being preformed each year, but what are we doing about it?  If you’re Pro-Life, what are you doing about it?  We have no business talking about the high numbers if we’re not willing to help reduce them.  Honestly, I’m sick of hearing judgmental, hard hearted people sitting on their duffs, doing nothing and acting godly and self-righteous.  It’s time we became Pro-Active in preventing abortions and not just Pro-Life.

I am Pro Life and I had an abortion as a teenager! I’ve decided that it’s time to let go of my own guilt and shame so I can help other women do the same.  In my case, the pregnancy wasn’t terminated because the baby wasn’t loved or wasn’t seen as a human, but because the benefits of denying the child’s existence far outweighed the shame of being judged by others, especially in the church. The thought of others talking about her because of her daughter’s condition was more than my mother could bare. (How ironic that it was then perfectly acceptable for me to get married in a white dress a few years later.)  I am not alone, my mother is not alone, there are many women living with the shame and guilt of having had an abortion to save themselves and their families from the cruel gossip and judgement of others.  I would say that, although inadvertently, the church, or rather the attitude of the people in the church, is responsible for a large number of abortions being performed.  While many things, such as pornography, abuse, adultery, alcohol and drug abuse, can be concealed, pregnancy can not.  Why I got pregnant as a teenager is a story for another day, but for today, I’ll just say that it wasn’t from a loving relationship.

For women who have had abortions, it's time for us, the church, to stop judging, and allow them the freedom to acknowledge their unborn child and give them the freedom and a safe place to grieve and to forgive themselves.  For women who become pregnant,  it’s time for us, the church, to love and accept them and their unborn child. An unplanned pregnancy shouldn’t be consider a problem, it should be considered, as every child is, a gift from God to be loved and accepted.