I haven’t written now for over a month as my husband and I have been traveling, visiting family as well as for work purposes. Writing is something I am passionate about and when I write, it is usually something that means a lot to me. This week was the Forty-Seventh anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to allow abortions. In this last year the state of New York declared that an abortion of a baby up to the birth is now allowed. This decision just really concerns me and I ask myself and think about many of the consequences of this decision. This decision causes me to ask a question that starts with the words “what If?”.
Negative OR Positive?
This question, “what if?”, comes with positive and negative connotations. We can think about certain situations on one hand and think that their circumstances are negative. We can also though look at our life and see positively about what happens.
Considered Negative– Defining a Baby
Society today tells women many things about what a baby is, often to justify the decision of having an abortion. Commonly, people de-humanize the baby by telling her that her baby is just “a fetus” or tissue that is inside, that the baby does not have a beating heart and it does not really exist as a true, living human being.
The Choice To Make
The abortion industry tells women that it is only her choice, no one else’s choice and that this is an option, their option to decide on. They say that it is about a woman’s body and a woman’s healthcare and that it has nothing to do with the life that is growing inside of her. The truth is that choice is only a factor because the law says it is, but the real issue isn’t really a legal one or an issue of choice. It’s really about the moral issue of the value of life. Born or unborn, it’s still a human being, created in the image of God.
Women are choosing to take someone else’s life and actually stealing away the choice of another human being to live as God intended. The baby doesn’t have any say or any choice in this matter of what happens to him or her. Fathers and other family members are also affected by this choice such as siblings who don’t get to have a relationship with a brother or sister. The father does not have any opportunity to enjoy their daughter or son if the mother takes the matter into her own hands.
What If They Could Be A …?
Another thought I consider is, what are women giving up, not giving other people the opportunity to experience? What are they giving up and not allowing a child to grow up and have the opportunity to give the world? Could this child grow up and be a great doctor who discovers the cure to a terrible disease or maybe solve problems that no one else did? What about a scientist, or a lawyer? Could they be an amazing neighbor, a friend, a great person in their community? So many “what if’s”! Have they thought of this before making a drastic, permanent decision to end a life?
What Defines My Success?
How do we define success? An actress recently was thrilled that she was so successful because she chose to give up her baby by having an abortion. (Michelle Williams). I have heard other women express that they were thankful that they did not choose to have their baby and they gave up this opportunity by aborting their baby. Is this truly success? If they really did not feel that they could raise a child in the situation that they were in at the time that they were pregnant, could they not give up their baby for adoption and bring joy to another family?
“You gave life to me
A brand new world to see
Like playing baseball in the yard with dad at night
Mom reading Goodnight Moon
And praying in my room
So if you worry if your choice was right
You gave me up but you gave everything to me
Everything to me by Mark Schultz
Today, there are many single women or young mothers who return to school and/or have very successful careers while having a family. It is difficult for some, but still very possible. They are very thankful for the children that they have now. Their children are a joy to them and have given them a great perspective on life. Is getting what I want the most important thing to consider?
What If We Have No Values?
What If we choose not to value babies as people? Where does it end? Who or what else is next? Many people see what they believe are unethical leaders in our country. They are not doing right for the state, local government and country they represent. Statistics already show that more than sixty million babies have been aborted. When does the death stop in the name of convenience? This number is more than the amount of people who died in the Holocaust and wars. Yet, It is now legal to kill a breathing child who has been delivered and no longer in the womb!
What If The Hurt is So Great?
What if another woman struggles with depression, anxiety and often suicide because of a decision she once made and now regrets? Planned Parenthood has painted a picture and told women the lie that says that they won’t feel or experience pain or regret from the decision they make. They train their volunteers, employees to tell women who come for abortions, that they will be ok once its all over, yet they are not. Many women suffer for years. Thankfully some though now know the forgiveness, love and grace that God offers when they have counseling through organizations started to help women who go through regretting their decision and make different decisions for the future.
What If for Doctors?
Another negative “what if?” pertains to doctors and those in the medical field. When doctors participate in abortion, they do not get to see lives cured and saved. Their lives are gone, they are no longer. No successes, no joy, no love, just the end of life! They realize that they can count the number of lives they did not save.
What If I believe Truth or a Lie?
What if they believe lies or the truth and what is capturing peoples attention today? Are we accepting life, or not? Do we look into what we are told, what we and thus our government is supporting, or not? This year, for the 2020 election, Planned Parenthood is paying 48 million dollars in tax payer money. Who do we support? What will we support? Do we believe what Planned Parenthood or other organizations/people supporting abortion state is true, or do believe facts, statistics and testimonies of people who have experienced the difficult and bad consequences of abortion?
Positive “What If’s”
Now, let”s take time to consider the positive “what if’s?.
What If I Do Receive Help?
Many women and families are concerned about help they would or would not receive. There are many organizations available and ready to help mothers feed, clothe and raise their children. Many crisis pregnancy centers help with this as well as many churches, ministries, individual families and some government organizations provide help.
What If My Baby Is Great Someday?
Who will my baby be someday? What if I get to raise, nurture and impact a life? Today when I arrived home from church, the TV was on and reporting how a very famous LA Lakers Basketball player (Kobe Bryant) and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash. It doesn’t make sense and is a shock, but people who knew him were inspired and changed or because of him. What if there was no Kobe Bryant? What if there were no mentors and hero’s such as Kobe to influence lives? If his mother did not choose life, he would not have existed at all. What if we have moral and ethical leaders in our country? What if people show me love despite what my past looks like? Because of great people who’s mother gave them life, they can influence me to grow and understand God’s love, grace and forgiveness.
What If We Choose Right?
What would happen if people did understand what is happening in our world today, with hate, violence, killing. Would we gain a better understanding of the value of life if we choose to do things God’s way, not just for our own peace and satisfaction?
What If There Was Less Pain?
What if women believed and learned through others’ experience or their own personal experience, that they would not suffer physically and emotionally if they chose life instead of an abortion? Or maybe we could help them understand what abortion does to them, to their baby, to the father, to the family and to friends? Would this make any difference in lives saved today and hurt going on around us?
What if doctors today saw the many lives spared that they delivered? Are these lives wonderful, successful adults, going good things now? If they are saving babies, they are making this possible!
A Real Life Example
I listened last week to a woman, a retired OB-GYN named Kathi Aultman. So many things she said on Focus On The Family, stood out to me. Not only had she had an abortion herself, in her past, she spoke of how she performed many abortions as well. She said that she realized as she walked through Neonatal departments in a hospital that some of these babies were the same age as some of the babies she was aborting. The only difference for some is that the babies who were wanted, vs the babies that were not wanted, were defined as “babies”.
Is this really how we determine truth though? Is a baby only called a “baby” when it is wanted? Does someone or something only truly exist when we want it to exist? Our existence doesn’t depend on whether it is wanted. Life is simply life, regardless if it is wanted or not. Life should be spared regardless of whether he or she was planned. It is a beating heart, a life, not a tissue that can be ripped up and thrown out if situations are inconvenient in a mothers life.
What About Other Options?
If a mother and father and family really cannot raise a child, there are many families so willing to love and raise the child. There are also some families concerned about babies born with disabilities and Down Syndrome. They are unsure how they could care for babies born with these conditions or whether anyone is willing to adopt babies born with conditions such as these. I learned that there are people specifically wanting to adopt babies with disabilities such as these. National Down Syndrome Adoption Network, America World Adoption Down Sydrome Adoption, Adopt America Network, The Adoption Exchange, Rainbow Kids Adoption and Child Welfare Advocacy (abclawcenters.com)
Dr. Kathi Aultman realized that she had not allowed some life to enter this world, but by changing to a pro-life stand after having her own child, she allowed many an opportunity to live now.
There is hope for life and hope in life. No one is beyond help. Circumstances can be difficult for some, but it is no reason to take someone’s life. God is the one who created life. Psalm 139 explains how God formed each part of every human being’s body and He knew us before anyone knew that we exist. Let us consider how we can make the right decision for each life.
Resources
Some resources that are available and helpful are:
Crisis Pregnancy Centers all around the United States. In many of these are Ultrasound machines available for women to see the life inside them and then make the best choice for their baby. You can now donate $60 to Focus on the Family to provide an ultrasound for one woman considering an abortion.
ProLove Ministries provides practical ways for women to get help and support is at proloveministries.org
For more information and help, Focus on The Family phone number is 1-800-A Family(800-232-6459). They have a special page dedicated to pro-life resources here
Alive 2020 is an event happening in 5 cities throughout the USA this year. In Southern California, Dallas,Chicago, Atlanta and South Florida
The annual March for Life takes place yearly in Washington D.C.
The Midwest March for Life takes place Saturday, February 1st, in Jefferson City, MO. http://www.midwestmarchforlife
Watch the movie Unplanned
We can never equalize all situations, there are cases when there’s no choice because of mother’s condition, illness or family situation, or poverty, or mental dysfunction. I think having a choice is very important.
I am way up there now, but I still remember how many women got damaged for life, got infections, died when doing illegal abortions. That was up to I believe 1990 in Latvia which was before a part of Soviet Union. Women simply bled out sometimes.
In an efficient family, it’s all different and with a strong independent woman of proper age it’s also different. But I believe we can never make one size fits all in matters like that.
It’s also so that having a choice doesn’t obligate one to go for such terrible acts. You don’t have to do that if you believe otherwise.
It is very popular nowadays that everybody wants to teach everybody else and convince them about what’s right and what’s not. Well, older people will tell that there’s not only one way of doing things. It will always depend on particulars.
Difficult subject. Nobody can ever explore all related matters since they are as complex and as multifaceted as the entire number of women living on Earth.
Hey,
Paperback edition of my debut poetry collection is going to be published soon.
As posts get lost in stampede on wordpress, I am preparing my email list to inform my readers about important updated related to my book(s).
I don’t plan to do hard-core email marketing and spam your mailbox and will only be emailing you about availability and promotions that would be 3 to 4 times a year, max. Promise!
Would you like me to add your e-mail address please?
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful! Thank you so much! I gave up Medical School for my unexpected child. She is my heart and soul! I was only 16 when I had her, and my parents wanted me to have an abortion. I told them that I would get my GED, then go to College to take care of my baby. I followed through. As soon as my folks saw my daughter, they were instantly in love. That little girl is now 25 years old, unmarried, and is going to Cornell University. She didn’t go down the path I went down. She learned from my mistakes along the way. These aren’t just clusters of cells, as you know. They are living human beings. Bless your heart! Nice to meet you. Love, Jessica
Abortion at full term? That in my book, is murder. I am beyond words…..
That’s absolutely right, it truly is murder! What else is very disturbing and murder as well is killing older, disabled or ill people. Michael Bloomberg made a statement that it is acceptable to do this also! Such a shame
😯😪
Voices. Compassion.
A thorough examination of the “what-ifs”, R. Well done!
Thank you!
Wow! Great insight into such a traumatic issue. Love the resources for assistance for those in need. Great job!
Im glad you like it! I like helping people and I’m passionate about ‘tis! Thank you!
I think it’s amazing that science and technology have proven that these precious unborn babies are indeed human beings with heart beats and all, yet society justifies taking their lives in the name of the mother’s right to choose. For me this is a moral issue and I can’t help thinking that those who participate in it on any level are either ignoring or truly unaware of the value of life including their own. And that is so sad to me.
It is very sad! Thank you for taking a moral stand! I love seeing people like you fighting for the unborn!
Thank you for writing this. Abortion was never a “real” issue for me until I gave birth to our daughter months early, at the beginning of my third trimester, and struggled to deal with medical issues that (thanks to God) are totally cured and in the past. Seeing what a complete person she was even at that early stage, and how she recognized and loved her parents, I was just thoroughly taken aback by the fact that in some places in our country she could have been legally aborted and many women in my position would have chosen to do so. I very much feel like abortion is our generation’s holocaust, and that future generations will regard this practice as the evil that it is. I feel so terrible for women who are going through tough times and people are telling them that abortion is no big deal, they’ll never think about it or regret it, or even that it is something they will be proud of. I’ve tried to share my testimony with others as much as possible since then. (I wrote about our birth story here – Having a preemie will make you re-think the abortion “debate” https://daysofsunshine.blog/2019/09/06/having-a-preemie-will-make-you-re-think-the-abortion-debate/)
You have such an amazing story!!!! Thank you very much for being willing to share! Can I use it at some point in the future? I will let you know before I do though. Many more people need to hear true stories like these. You definitely have a complete understanding of how valuable and important life is. Thank you again, I love it!
Absolutely! That’s why I wrote it, so women can hear that commitment and faith can get them through anything, and in the long run they are not better off trying to subordinate God’s plans to their own.
Yes, give the Lord all of our life, even the unplanned, unexpected and let Him work out the details! Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you