Texas recently passed a bill that will require a woman to have a sonogram before she receives an abortion. At least 24 hours before the procedure, she'll be required to hear a description of the baby, making sure she "understands what an abortion is." Read more details here. (Before you read the rest of this post, please understand that I am pro-life. In every circumstance and for every woman. Conservative on this issue is an understatement for me.)
So here's my problem with this band-aid fix to a hemorrhaging wound: abortion is not a political issue. It's not a conservative issue. It's not an issue of human rights or the definition of life and when it begins. Abortion is not an issue because of the lack of adoption or because Christians need a cute bumper sticker.
Abortion is an issue of motherhood.
The Guttmacher Institute published a report in 2008 that has probably gone unnoticed by most conservatives. I say this because our methods would change if we (as in Christians and pro-lifers) read and understood this information. You can download that file here and read for yourself some of the statistics that confounded me:
61% of women who have an abortion already have children.
Something must have happened in the "collective mind of women" when Roe v. Wade passed in 1973. When women began believing they didn't have to be mothers, they naturally concluded they couldn't and shouldn't be mothers. The feminist movement, in its veiled attempts to gender-neutralize and falsely empower, has actually completely torn down our confidence in one of our greatest strengths: mothering. So began the downward spiral: a staircase leading us to doubt every woman's God-given ability to be a mom. (Of course, here I refer to the emotional and mental ability, not the physiological.)
If every woman was given the encouragement that being a mother is one of the greatest ways to spend her time, efforts, and talents, she would not be afraid to be a mom. If we would put our arms around the young girls contemplating an abortion and help them be good mothers, they wouldn't be afraid of the change a'coming.
If resources were put into helping moms be good moms and those resources were easily accessible, women would believe that being a mom is actually great. If we supported teenage moms and rewarded their strength and resolve, ignoring their age, they would be great (young) mothers. If we brought attention to the challenges that mothers with small children face, when an unexpected positive plus sign appears after a late cycle, and surround one another with love and truth, moms would more quickly dismiss the fear of having more children.
Like I shared in Abortion, Part 1, I've become quite passionate about helping moms who already have children overcome the temptation to have an abortion. I am passionate about helping moms believe they can be great mothers and being one among many who throw themselves at the mercy of God as He equips us.
Stop condemning.
Stop writing your local politicians.
Stop shouting your theology on when life begins.
And start loving women, mothers or not.
So here's the sign I would hold if I stood outside a Planned Parenthood clinic. Will you join me and hold this sign up for women around the world?
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