To Kill Or Not To Kill? Let The States Decide?
For the longest time, I have heard opponents of abortion argue that the government should let the states decide whether abortion should be legal or not. This argument is advanced with the hopes that at least some of these states would criminalize abortion. I am an avid pro-lifer, but I must confess there has always been something about that argument that has nagged me, but I had never thought through the issue long enough to put words to my uneasy feelings. A few days ago, in the simplest terms, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, comparing abortion rights to slavery, addressed his particular concerns with this argument:
When I heard that, the light bulb went off for me. This was it! This is exactly why I have never been totally gung ho about this argument. Huckabee, in that brief sound bite, put words to my feelings, and he is exactly right.
Abortion is not a mere political issue. It is not on the same level as taxes or social security. It is more on the level of slavery. Abortion, like slavery, denies personhood to an entire class of people. It’s actually worse than slavery because the objective with abortion is the death of the other person, every time. While it is perfectly acceptable for the speed limit to be different from state to state, what kind of message is being given if you have infanticide being forbidden in one part of the country but being just fine in other states? Have we now reduced the issue to a matter of preference of the people from state to state? Have we reduced the issue to the same level as whether or not we should be permitted to drive 55mph or 65mph? Are we simply being pro-choice ourselves by letting the state make the choice?
On the one hand, a move to let the states decide could save more babies. In some states, most likely conservative southern states, abortion might be criminalized. For that I would be profoundly thankful because more lives could be saved. I would not fight such a shift.
On the other hand, I am concerned that a move to let the states decide may send the wrong message to America and reduce the significance of this issue. If abortion is such a deep moral issue, then we must not be satisfied with leaving this question up to the states. We cannot be satisfied with 50 different perspectives on the value of a pre-born baby. If we stop there, the pro-life cause has stopped short of what needs to be its ultimate goal, that every child be welcomed into life.
In the end what is needed is a heart change among the people of America. In the political sphere, the debate about abortion will never end. It will go on and on while more and more babies are executed. While the talking heads in Washington debate, we can make a change by taking our own beliefs and convictions into our own spheres of influence, sharing our hearts with gentleness and respect.
Ultimately, the answer to this issue is the gospel of Jesus Christ, not politics. The gospel is what truly changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. It is the power of the gospel that breaks down walls and brings reconciliation not only between God and man, but also between man and other people. We see in the Bible how the gospel breaks down barriers between Jews and Gentiles, and men and women. The abolitionist movement was informed by a Christian worldview, recognizing the value and dignity of all peoples because they are made in the image of God. I believe this same gospel can also break down the barrier between adults and infants. The message and transforming power of the gospel has always been the greatest hope for the oppressed, the disenfranchised, the weak, the underdogs, and the defenseless. Let us pray that more and more people in our nation will bend the knee to the God of Life. He is the answer to the abortion question.
It's the logic of the Civil War...If morality is the point here, and if it's right or wrong, not just a political question, then you can't have 50 different versions of what's right and what's wrong. For those of us for whom this is a moral question, you can't simply have 50 different versions of what's right
When I heard that, the light bulb went off for me. This was it! This is exactly why I have never been totally gung ho about this argument. Huckabee, in that brief sound bite, put words to my feelings, and he is exactly right.
Abortion is not a mere political issue. It is not on the same level as taxes or social security. It is more on the level of slavery. Abortion, like slavery, denies personhood to an entire class of people. It’s actually worse than slavery because the objective with abortion is the death of the other person, every time. While it is perfectly acceptable for the speed limit to be different from state to state, what kind of message is being given if you have infanticide being forbidden in one part of the country but being just fine in other states? Have we now reduced the issue to a matter of preference of the people from state to state? Have we reduced the issue to the same level as whether or not we should be permitted to drive 55mph or 65mph? Are we simply being pro-choice ourselves by letting the state make the choice?
On the one hand, a move to let the states decide could save more babies. In some states, most likely conservative southern states, abortion might be criminalized. For that I would be profoundly thankful because more lives could be saved. I would not fight such a shift.
On the other hand, I am concerned that a move to let the states decide may send the wrong message to America and reduce the significance of this issue. If abortion is such a deep moral issue, then we must not be satisfied with leaving this question up to the states. We cannot be satisfied with 50 different perspectives on the value of a pre-born baby. If we stop there, the pro-life cause has stopped short of what needs to be its ultimate goal, that every child be welcomed into life.
In the end what is needed is a heart change among the people of America. In the political sphere, the debate about abortion will never end. It will go on and on while more and more babies are executed. While the talking heads in Washington debate, we can make a change by taking our own beliefs and convictions into our own spheres of influence, sharing our hearts with gentleness and respect.
Ultimately, the answer to this issue is the gospel of Jesus Christ, not politics. The gospel is what truly changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. It is the power of the gospel that breaks down walls and brings reconciliation not only between God and man, but also between man and other people. We see in the Bible how the gospel breaks down barriers between Jews and Gentiles, and men and women. The abolitionist movement was informed by a Christian worldview, recognizing the value and dignity of all peoples because they are made in the image of God. I believe this same gospel can also break down the barrier between adults and infants. The message and transforming power of the gospel has always been the greatest hope for the oppressed, the disenfranchised, the weak, the underdogs, and the defenseless. Let us pray that more and more people in our nation will bend the knee to the God of Life. He is the answer to the abortion question.
Labels: abortion, culture, Demer Webb, ethics, morals, politics, worldviews
posted by demer at 11/22/2007 08:53:00 AM
1 comments
links to this post
|
