Chewymom

I think my timing in posting this is impeccable. Today is mine and Chewydad’s 20th anniversary, and tomorrow we head out of town for a five-day trip! We have NEVER done anything like this, and I am SOOOO excited! If you think of it, pray for my in-laws who are going to be holding down the fort in our absence.

So, anyway…here’s my can of worms. The pro-life issue.

Since 1984, the first election when I could vote, I was pro-life. I voted for the Republican candidate because abortion was heinous, and I could not fathom voting for a candidate who did not understand that life begins at conception, and who was willing to stand up for those unborn babies.

My passion for life has not dwindled over the years. But my political views have. I am no longer a single-party or single-issue voter.

First of all, I have lost faith that the supposedly pro-life party is really doing anything to affect change. Have they overturned Roe v Wade? And do they really want to? The cynical me says no way. If they actually DID anything to turn back Roe v Wade, what issue would keep the pro-life crowd in their camp?

And here’s the thing. Part of my passion for unborn life stems from the fact that I have a son with Down syndrome. Nine out of ten prenatally diagnosed babies with Down syndrome are aborted. How I wish that weren’t the case!! Do you know how awesome it would be for my son to see that many more familiar faces in his life? My child stands out as being that much more different than the general population because such a high percentage are never even given the chance to live!

Let’s suppose for a moment that Republicans are able to change our abortion policies. You know there would be all kinds of clauses–except in the case of rape or incest; unless the life of the mother is in danger; unless the health of the mother (including mental health) is in danger. Folks, NO change is going to be made that requires anyone to bring an “abnormal” fetus into the world. It just isn’t going to happen unless America becomes a theocracy and goes back to Old Testament laws, which I don’t see happening any time soon.

So what does it mean to be pro-life? How can we see to it that abortion numbers drop? When there are adoption incentives in place, abortion might go down. When there are programs to help unwed mothers, abortion might go down. When there are programs that help those born with disabilities, and when there are good education laws in place for them, abortion might go down. When there is sex education, abortion might go down. Yeah, we might appear to condone promiscuity, but if we are really passionate about life, which is the lesser of the two evils? Frankly, I would rather have my child taught about birth control options than to have him slip up and cause a girl to become pregnant. My goal is to teach my children that I do not condone pre-maritial sex. That my goal and desire is that they would save themselves for their marriage partner. But if they choose to go against my counsel, I want them to be protected. Y’all, the older my children get, the more I realize that I can only teach them my values and views. I cannot force them to hold the same opinions. That is the beauty of them being people and not robots. It is the same freedom God gives them, frankly. God tells them what He wants for them, but then allows them to make the choice about their sexual activity. How can I do any differently?

So if my main goal is to lower the number of abortions, in terms of political elections, I need to look at what each party and candidate might do that will, in reality, bring down the number of abortions. What will be put in place, or enforced, that will motivate people to either prevent unwanted pregnancies, or that will encourage people to carry a baby to term? If a frightened woman knows that she and her child will make it, that they will be supported by their freinds, their community, and even their government, she might be more inclined to bring the baby into the world.

I have heard the arguments that this is not the job of the government, it is the job of churches. Well, folks, what exactly is your church doing to help? Besides preaching on the evils of abortion. How is your church supporting unwed mothers? How are they helping those with a disabled child? Do these types of “broken” families feel welcome in your church?

On a personal level, I am often unsure what I can do that will really help. So my tactic is this - I make myself available to mothers who receive a prenatal diagnosis that they do not want to hear. It is not grandiose, it is not an obvious or attention-grabbing way to be pro-life. And yet, it is using my life’s experience to one-by-one try to bring down the abortion rate. Maybe your personal calling is something different - adoption, foster care, counseling. But I would encourage anyone who uses the label “pro-life” to define himself to examine that and see what effect you are truly having that is pro-life. Because if all you do is go to the voting booth every few years and punch the Republican ticket, you are really not having a pro-life effect.

For me, the pro-life issue is personal. It comes down to what am I doing to make a difference. I will not be bought by a party line, and I refuse to be swayed by smooth-talkers who use the term “pro-life” while not supporting life outside the womb.

I encourage comments, but after tomorrow I will not be available to moderate new comments or to respond. Which may not be all bad.

So I’m closing this can of worms and ducking and running all the way out of town…..

If you want to read a really eloquent post by a Christian mother about her views on the pro-life/pro-choice issue, I would encourage you to check out Nicole’s blog.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 11:33 am and is filed under Biblical Thinking, Down syndrome, Dreaded Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.