Friday, January 08, 2010

Considering an abortion?

8 comments:

Question of Identity said...

This is very moving! and gives a very strong anti abortion message. I noticed also though that the accusation of 'child murderer' didn't help this lady at all and perhaps this is a lesson for Christians who rightfully oppose abortion, but should be careful not to sound like a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal. It is clear that this lady was suffering as she entered the clynic and perhaps a less judgemental approach might have saved the baby. After saying this it is easy to understand the anger of the protestor who sees the injustice of baby about to be murdered. I would be grateful to hear some opinions of how we may protest on such occasions and yet at the same time be light and salt.

Dorci said...

Most women seek abortion because they honestly see no other way. They see help coming from nowhere and they feel lost and scared, and as she said in the video, in a state of panic. I know I did.

Women need to know that there are people who love them and are willing and able to help them. That is where the body of Christ should come in. Not in a condemning way, but from the angle of love, as we always should.

I don't know the statistics, but I think a good guess would be to say that most women who have an abortion are not Christians, so they really are blinded by satan, as I was, to the evil that abortion is. The moment I was saved, my perspective on abortion changed. I knew then that it was wrong.

It's much easier to stand on a street corner waving a sign and shouting judgments than it is to actually become involved in these women's lives. Maybe we need to pray and ask the Lord to show us if there is any way that we can help someone who is contemplating abortion and if He would open those doors of communication. And maybe we then need to lovingly show her the love of Jesus and the way of salvation, and show that her that there are other choices that she can make. Thousands of couples wait year after year to adopt a baby.

I have a friend who used to volunteer at the Crisis Pregnancy Center and she would take calls once a week and counsel women who are looking for help.

As the woman in the video said, she would have responded to love rather than hate.

Dawg said...

Thank you for your comments Neil and Dorci.

I have been a fence rider concerning the protests made at the abortion clinics by well meaning Christians.

I think protesting there is very valid, but the approach may need to be amended.

I there a better way to protest in front of these clinics?

Dorci said...

I'm sure the protesting has worked to get the attention of some women walking into clinics before, but I really think the message needs to be love, not hatred, which will only alienate.

Even standing in silence and prayer can be more effective than judgmental shouting. And perhaps prayer leading up to and a prayer meeting just before protesting will certainly enlist the power of the Holy Spirit for effectiveness and binding of the enemy.

ExPatMatt said...

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said in these comments.

[weird, eh?]

If you really want to do something about abortions, head down to the nearest community centre in a downtrodden part of town - that's where you're statistically most likely to find a woman who may be contemplating abortion - and talk to the women there.

Or, start up your own outreach program at your church - listen to their concerns and fears and console/advise them as your faith/conscience dictates.

Promote education for teens who are about to become sexually active. Although, of course, abstinence is the best sure-fire way to avoid getting pregnant, it has been shown that abstinence-only education does not work to reduce teen-pregnancy.

From medicalnewstoday.com;

"96% of Texas school districts either teach an abstinence-only curriculum or avoid discussing sex altogether....one Texas teenager gets pregnant every 10 minutes, on average"

There's a whole bunch of things that can be done, but hollering 'murderer' at women as they enter a clinic is, in my opinion, akin to shouting 'f****t' at someone as they walk into a gay club - it does nothing for the cause and only makes people less likely to take you seriously, or even speak to you at all.

(not saying that any of you guys do this, of course)

Dorci,

"I don't know the statistics, but I think a good guess would be to say that most women who have an abortion are not Christians, so they really are blinded by satan, as I was, to the evil that abortion is."

I had a look on abortionno[dot]org, an organization seeking pro-life bio-ethical reform and they had these stats:

"Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.;
Catholic women account for 31.3%,
Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions.
18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical"."


So;
Protestant - 37.4%
Catholic - 31.3%
non-religious - 23.7%
Born Again/Evangelical - 18%
Jewish - 1.3%

and;

"An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion."

That's a startling statistic right there!


Regards,

Dorci said...

Thanks for the stats, Matt. Good suggestions, too.

Dawg said...

Thanks for the comments -

I agree with you Dorci, the message needs to be one of love and not the appearance of hate through name calling and shouting.

One to one conversation is probably never going to happen with a woman on her way into a clinic.

As Neil said earlier, "...it is easy to understand the anger of the protestor who sees the injustice of baby about to be murdered."

Emotions run very high on both sides of this terrible national tragedy and until there is a real change of heart towards abortion no one wins; especially of those who are yet to be born.

Dorci said...

A sad note in all of this, too, is that the young woman represented as "Roe" in Roe v Wade, which made it possible for millions of babies to be legally aborted, never actually had an abortion. The good news is that now she's a Christian and speaks out against it.