Abortion Wrongs: Part 4

• Abortion Wrongs: Part 1
• Abortion Wrongs: Part 2
• Abortion Wrongs: Part 3
• Abortion Wrongs: Part 4
• Abortion Wrongs: Part 5

by Allen Webster
From www.HousetoHouse.com

What about in cases of rape? (continued):

Adoption, rather than abortion, is the best option. God has promised to give strength to get through troubled times (1 Cor. 10:13; Phil. 4:13). We must let rape victims know that it is acceptable to feel that they cannot cope with rearing a child fathered by a rapist. The baby need not grow up feeling unwanted. Innumerable arms are outstretched, aching for a child to love. Adoption agencies across the nation have long lists of those waiting for babies.

Does anyone win after a rape? Once, after a program of answering questions about rape on a radio show, an author was called to the phone. He heard a woman’s voice say,

You were talking about me. You see, I am the product of rape. An intruder forced his way into my parents’ house, tied up my father and, with him watching, raped my mother. I was conceived that night. Everyone advised an abortion. The local doctors and hospital were willing. My father, however, said, “Even though not mine, that is a child and I will not allow it to be killed!” I don’t know how many times that, as I lay secure in the loving arms of my husband, I have thanked God for my wonderful Christian father.

And so, does anyone win? Yes, the baby does.

WHAT ABOUT INCEST? Incest is intercourse by a father with his daughter, uncle with niece, or other close relation. In the Old Testament it was defined as intercourse with mother, stepmother, half-sister, granddaughter, stepsister, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, stepdaughter, step-granddaughter, or mother-in-law. Under Jewish law it was a capital offense, punishable by burning.

When incest occurs, it is seldom reported and, when reported, is difficult to prove. It usually involves a sick man, a sick mother who knows it is happening (even if not consciously admitting it), and an exploited child.

Fortunately, pregnancy is not very common.[1] When pregnancy does occur, it is often an attempt to end the relationship/stop the incest, an attempt to unite mother and daughter, or a way to get out of the house. In a twisted sort of way, however, the father is often a “love object.” In one study, only 3 of 13 child-mothers had any negative feelings toward him.[2] Most incestuous pregnancies, if not pressured, will not get abortions. “As socially inappropriate as incest and incestuous pregnancies are, their harmful effects depend largely upon reaction of others.”[3]

Most pregnancies from incest have a very different dynamic than pregnancy from rape. These are usually counseled in a very different manner. Even strongly pro-abortion counselors, if they approach an incest case professionally, must be absolutely convinced before advising abortion. This is for two reasons. One, often the young mother sees it as an assault on her for she may well be pregnant with a “love object.” Two, it may completely fail to solve the original problem. It is unusual for wisdom to dictate anything but adoptive placement of the baby.

A HANDICAPPED CHILD. The basic issue is, “Is all human life sacred?” If the answer is yes, then no baby should be killed. If the answer is “no,” then the question is, “Who gets to decide which life is sacred (important), and which is not?” From a Christian perspective, it is not in man’s prerogative to take what rightly belongs to God. Joseph asked, “…am I in the place of God?” (Gen 50:19). The question is rhetorical—its implied answer is, “Of course not!” To terminate a single life is to set up man’s wisdom as superior to God’s wisdom. Paul reminded the Corinthians: “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor 1:25). The import: God on His worse day is better than man on his best day.

Many of these abortion decisions are made in second and third trimesters because this is when defects are usually discovered. These abortions are often “partial birth abortions,” which is the “blue flame” of the current red-hot debate. Dr. Bernard Nathanson[4] testified before Congress on reproductive technologies on February 9, 2000. Consider these excerpts from his speech:

Partial-birth abortion is not an abortion at all. Abortion is defined as the separation of a mother from the fetus before 20 weeks. Most of these so-called operations are performed at 28 to 30 weeks. I happen to know one of the doctors who performs these operations.... They are really infanticides. He has told me point-blank that 80 percent of the operations he does are done after 30 weeks when someone, the mother or the doctor, discovers things are not going right with the pregnancy. They do an ultrasound and find a congenitally defective baby...and therefore the mother elects to have the procedure done. What I’d advocate is what is done in England by law; that every pregnant woman have an ultrasound at 18 weeks. That may not cut the rate of abortion by much...but at least it would cut these so-called partial-birth abortions down, and it leaves the mother more breathing room, more time to make up her mind and it allows more time for us pro-life people to do the appropriate counseling to allow her to carry the pregnancy to term and then have the congenital defect repaired....

We are blessed to live in a time when half of such cases can be corrected. We need to continue to pray that doctors will find ways to cure other children who are born handicapped.

To say that it is moral to kill any baby in the womb is to open the door for more than most abortionists bargain for. Why not kill the defective child after birth? What level of perfection is required before a baby should be allowed to live? All of us have imperfections. Who has the power to decide? The doctor? Parents? A panel of “experts?” Why not wait and ask the child?!! Dr. C. Everett Koop, prior to becoming Surgeon General of the U.S., did just that. He spent his life as a pediatric surgeon repairing “nature’s mistakes.” For some children this meant 30 or more operations. At one reunion of the “kids” he repaired (with all the pain and therapy this implies), he asked if they had to start over, would they want the surgery again? These young people unanimously said “yes.”

(See the Previous Article in this series: Abortion Wrongs: Part 3)
(See the Next Article in this series: Abortion Wrongs: Part5)

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