This past Sunday many focused on Sanctity of Life. We celebrated life, all of life for all peoples from birth to death and all the joys and struggles associated with that life.
We also remembered January 22, 1973, the day the Supreme Court made a legal decision infamously known as Roe v. Wade, a decision that made “abortion a fundamental right under the United States Constitution.” Since that day, 50-60 million infants in utero have been killed.
Today, in conjunction with Roe v. Wade, the March for Life was also celebrated. This event first occurred on January 22, 1974, the year after the SCOTUS decision on abortion. Thousands gather to make a statement for the sanctity of life.
Therefore, as we remembered Sanctity of Life, recognizing that undergirding this celebration is a decision for death, we grieved the death of these millions of babies, we repented of our lack of concern to end these deaths, and that we have not consistently been committed to the sanctity of life in all ways and at all stages, and we recommitted to the sanctity of life as a gift from God that we uphold and celebrate at every age and stage, with all of the joys and struggles associated with life in a fallen-yet-redeemed-but-not-yet-glorified world.
The common figures since Roe v. Wade became law in 1973 have been in excess of one million annually. In 2013 the numbers of abortions dropped below one million for the first time since 1974. The most recent figures released by the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported that in 2014 there were 926,000 abortions. This is good news, and we ought to give thanks to the Lord for the decreasing numbers. And yet, one abortion is too many. Thus, we are conflicted.
We thank the Lord for the lower numbers. And we also continue to grieve the numbers of abortion. This is reflective of life in the kingdom of God that is now and not-yet, the presence of the kingdom that is true and real, and also the future of the kingdom, that is a true and real for which we await, and with certainty.
Russell Moore captured these sentiments well. He writes,
I have mixed feelings about this day is that it reminds me we have to say things to one another that human beings shouldn’t have to say. Mothers shouldn’t kill their children. Fathers shouldn’t abandon their babies. No human life is worthless, regardless of skin color, age, disability, or economic status. The very fact that these things must be proclaimed is a reminder of the horrors of this present darkness. And I hate it.
But the reason why we need Sundays like this is because human dignity is a spiritual issue. It’s a spiritual issue because the gospel grounds human dignity in Jesus Christ himself. In Christ, God has forever joined deity with flesh. Jesus did not merely become human once; he is human to this day, and God’s purposes in Christ center on the humanity which bears the Creator’s divine image. To deny human dignity, then, is to deny Christ himself. . . . Moments like Sanctity of Life Sunday are reminders that the culture of death is still waging war.
Here are a number of articles I have read recently, which I commend to you.
Chelsea Patterson, Today Is My Birthday Because My Mom Chose Life: “My birthday is a bittersweet day. I was born out of wedlock to a poor teenager in Eastern Europe. The terrified young woman who gave me life is my hero. She made a courageous choice to be my mother, even if it meant she could only remain in the role for a few days. The only tie she will ever have to me is her blood and her genes. Another woman, equally heroic, stepped into my life. She willingly became my mother, and made me her permanent daughter. Both women loved me. Both made choices that will affect my life forever.”
Melissa Kruger, Abortion’s Guilt: “Tears filled her eyes as she told me her story: an older boyfriend, pressure to have sex, pregnant at fourteen, and an abortion to cover the shame. Even though she’d been raised in a Christian family, the weight of guilt that followed these early choices led to years of wandering. She questioned, “Is there grace enough for me? The tide of abortion’s guilt rises high, threating to engulf a woman’s entire life with shame, regret, and feelings of unworthiness. Statistics report that nearly three in ten women will have an abortion. These numbers speak to the reality that our churches are filled with women who have had abortions (and men who have encouraged abortions).”
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Meet the Pro-Life Group Cracking Planned Parenthood’s Favorite Market: “A business executive, a technology guru, and a CEO consultant all walked into the pro-life movement. Using skills they’d honed in the for-profit business world, they began to do something no one else was doing: reach and influence what the industry calls “abortion-determined” women, those who have already decided to end their pregnancies. Seven years later, they’re leaders of a pro-life nonprofit called Human Coalition.”
Christopher O. Tollefsen, Patrick Lee and Robert P. George, The Life of a New Human Being Begins at Conception: “there have been countless scientific monographs and scholarly articles—in embryology, developmental biology, and genetics—explicitly affirming that a human being at the earliest stage of development comes to be at fertilization.”
Alexander Tsiaras, Conception to birth – visualized: “Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond.”
Dr. Jeffrey Keenan (an interview): Where Can Discarded Embryos Go?: “Dr. Jeffrey Keenan is president and medical director of the National Embryo Donation Center, a Christian non-profit in Knoxville, Tennessee, dedicated to protecting the lives and dignity of human embryos by promoting, facilitating, and educating about embryo donation and embryo adoption.”
Thomas S. Kidd, The Historic Connection between Eugenics and Abortion: “The “eugenics” movement, which sought to protect and improve hereditary racial stock, was phenomenally popular in early 20th century America, and it has an important connection to today’s pro-abortion movement.”
Joe Carter, Planned Parenthood’s Most Misleading Statistic: “Almost a decade ago, Planned Parenthood began telling a monstrous lie, one so light and airy that it continues to fly around the globe: that abortions represent only three percent of the services they provide. Although the claim has been repeatedly debunked—even by some abortion supporters—the truth is still trying to catch up with.”Kevin DeYoung, 9 Myths about Abortion Rights and Roe v. Wade: “The moral and spiritual dimensions notwithstanding, there are a plenty of reasons to see Roe as a logical, legal, and political debacle. In his book Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade, Clarke Forsythe highlights a number of myths that led to the ruling in Roe—myths that, unfortunately, continue to be believed today.”