The Issue of Abortion is Right in the Middle of the Christmas Story

I am not a Roman Catholic.  I both grew up and to this day remain a Protestant, but in recent years I have grown to respect the Roman Catholic Church both for its present-day stances on social issues and its inspiring past.  As Protestants we must always remember that Rome carried the torch of the Christian faith (with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church) for 1500 years.  We would not be here if not for them.  Many of the great men and women of God in the history of the Church came from this period and we are greatly impoverished by ignoring their memory.

But in addition to the vast collection of testimonies from believers who have gone before us the Catholic Church has made a mark on my heart for their courageous stand against abortion.  They have in many ways led the charge on this issue and its one for which we share a great debt.

I’ve often wondered why it is that Catholics seem to be more courageous on social issues than Protestants and what I’ve come to is that they are used to being “old news”.  Their shock at a cultural rejection of their values happened in the 1500s.  If you read the history, it seems that they were shell-shocked back then much like the evangelical church in the West is today.  But they did regroup and push back against many of the Protestant advances.

As a Protestant I find myself strangely encouraged by this, not that I think the Catholics were or are doctrinally correct but rather because it shows that its possible for an entrenched, established, conservative group to initially lose followers but to then gain them back in successive generations.  My prayer is that the same commitment and resolve that came upon Roman Catholics like Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits would come upon us in America and that God would birth movements like this throughout the earth.

Ultimately – I might add – my encouragement comes from my trust in the Plan of God.  He will get His Way one way or another, whether that’s through the sociological dynamics that brought about the Jesuits or by some other means.

But ever since the Catholic pushback of the 16^th century it seems as if Rome is comfortable with being unpopular and is therefore able to openly speak on causes that it feels passionate about.  Thus, it’s very common for one to see signage on the property of Catholic churches that signals their support for the Pro-Life cause.

Jesus was Conceived before He was Born

And it makes sense if you think about it.  Roman Catholics hold a special devotion to Mary the mother of Jesus.  A veneration, that while I disagree with on some aspects (for example I don’t believe in the perpetual virginity of Marty, nor do I believe that Mary’s mother was a virgin, nor do I believe that we should ask Mary – or any saint in Heaven – to pray for us), in other aspects I deeply appreciate the honor given to the woman within who’s womb God chose to entrust the development of His Only Begotten Son.

Let that part sink in a bit.  Mary didn’t just have a fully formed baby appear in her womb right before she gave birth, but rather was conceived when she was “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit and then carried Christ’s developing human body for 9 months in her womb.

A profound prophetic experience happened in the middle of this in Luke 1:39-56 where the pregnant Mary goes to visit her also pregnant cousin Elizabeth.  Mary of course being pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist.  The Bible says that “the baby” leaped inside Elizabeth’s womb and then a Spirit-filled Elizabeth called Mary “the mother of my Lord.”  This is important because we see that here – right in the very center of the Christmas story – is an affirmation that Life starts at conception.  If, as pro-choicers say, that the only thing happening inside a woman’s body is the growth of a soul-less sack of meat and bones, then Elizabeth wouldn’t have dared to call this nonhuman growth-ball her “Lord”. 

What Does Science Say?

But obviously something more profound was going inside of Mary than just putting on weight.  A new Person was developing inside of her.  And not just any person but the very Son of God Himself.  This is a powerful testament to the miracle that is happening inside the womb of a pregnant lady, but it isn’t just Scripture that bears witness to the fact that life begins at conception, science does so as well.

Ever since Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA helix we have come to understand that every human being has a unique genetic code. This code is located in every cell that he/she has and is completely specific to who he/she is.  This is important to the issue of abortion because it shows that the mother and the “fetus” have distinct genetic codes.  This furnishes proof that the baby growing inside the mother is actually not the mother’s body but is rather a distinct body that is being supported and assisted by the mother.  If the “fetus” was actually a part of the mother’s body, then “it” would have the same DNA.  Since “it” does not, we are able to veritably say that science shows us that human life begins at conception.

In addition to this technology has given us a better look into what is happening during a woman’s pregnancy.  With ultrasounds we are able to not only see the baby but are able to see the baby’s gender and can even see the baby playfully move around.  After looking at something like this I don’t think it takes a ton of common sense to realize that we are in fact looking at a living human being.

What Actually Happens During an Abortion

And it is this reality that makes abortion morally wrong.  Abortion is the willful ending of another human’s life.  Who are we to decide if another person gets to live or die?  But what happens inside these hospital rooms is so much more than that.  What makes abortion such an abominable, God-awful evil is the fact that it is torture. 

Let me explain.

Abortions – particularly from the second trimester and on - happen to baby’s that:

1) Are conscious of what is happening to them

2) Feel pain

3) Feel fear

Writing this is not pleasant but I must write this because it is the truth and so many refuse to acknowledge what goes on in these sanitized secret rooms.  But the doctor will first amputate the baby’s arms and legs one by one while the child is still alive.  I was recently in a lawn mower accident and have felt pain like this and all I can say is that I hope that no one ever experiences anything like what I went through.  That little children have to endure this is something so hard for me to think about that I do my best to avoid it, but we must face the cruel truth of this.

After the child’s limbs are amputated, the doctor will usually then drive a scalpel through the baby’s skull to end the baby’s life. I say usually because in some states – for example California – they will actually harvest the baby’s organs first (again while he is still alive) before they kill him.

I know this is unpleasant to imagine but we must know the reality of what this is.  A little child, who has not done a single wrong in his or her life, is being subjected to something that we wouldn’t even put mass murderers through.  And in this moment when his arms have first been amputated, he cries out for help.  A feeling arises in his heart as he coils looking for something or someone to save him but there is no one there.  Only cold steel, pain and loneliness.

What is that moment like? Have we ever known a moment like that? Up to this point everything was fine.  He was warm and safe, doing the trivial and sweet things that we imagine little children do.  And then in an instant, cold steel.  Sheer terror.  No one to help him.  He tries to hide from this device.  Is there a place to hide?  Is there anywhere he can go to be safe?  No no no. Somebody, anybody please help me.

Limb by limb is torn off the body of this poor soul as his agony drags him deeper into a hopelessness and despair that we wouldn't wish on even our foulest of enemies. 

And then the scalpel pierces his skull, and he dies.

Following this his body is plucked out by tweezers after which the doctor has one decision to make.  Do I flush this “soul-less sack of meat and tissue” down the toilet or put "it" in a jar?

That’s the cold hard reality of what abortion is. 

Friends this would be wrong if it only happened once, but it has happened in our country over 60 million times.  Is there anybody out there who actually cares?  Is there anybody out there who has a heart?

Thankfully there is Someone.  He receives these precious little children into His bosom and comforts them the moment they pass.  They will find an eternity of joy and bliss in the bosom of the Father who cares for them even when their earthly parents did not (Psalm 27:10).

He knows what they went through because He went through it Himself on the Cross.  And He – like them – was once a helpless child in a womb.  But don’t be fooled, He does not play around when He talks about what happens to people who hurt children.  Read Matthew 18:6 to see how He feels about people who hurt His little ones.  And don’t think for a minute that God doesn’t care about this.  He does.  Let us get His heart on this and not be afraid to take God-honoring, non-violent measures to persuade others to vote against this even though it is not popular in our day to do so. May we not lay this cause down just because Hollywood and Corporate America don’t like it and may God end abortion in America.