I ended up being the emcee for the annual Downriver dinner sponsored by Right to Life of Michigan this past week. I told the crowd how I was conceived out of wedlock by a 19-year-old woman & a 23-year-old man. Back then, such couples typically got married under those circumstances. But if I had been conceived a few years later after abortion was legalized, I might not be here. My mother left a few months later because she didn’t want to care for her newborn—so my father, a police officer, raised me until remarrying when I was 3.
About 1 year later, while in his patrol car, he was plowed into by a drag-racing teenager. He lay in a coma for 60 days with critical head & internal injuries. The doctors recommended terminating him because even if he did survive, he would be a “vegetable.” But my family said no. He recovered but with brain damage. He couldn’t walk at all or talk well. Confined to beds & a wheelchair, he was unable to feed, dress, or bathe himself. Without a great “quality of life,” he was completely dependent on caregivers, & would never function again as a real father or husband. I’m sure many would have recommended euthanasia or assisted suicide. It wasn’t available then, but strides are being made to legalize it now.
His 2nd wife left us 8 years later, so my grandmother moved in to take care of her disabled son & teenage grandson. He lived for 22 years after his accident, dying just two days after hanging on long enough to see his only newborn grandchild (my first son). Living with my dad’s disability & seeing the care given him all those years has shaped my life in countless ways. I know that the value of a human life isn’t about some “quality of life,” or some level of independence. From the womb to the tomb, no matter how frail, humans are worthy of life by virtue of being created in the image of God.
That’s why we seek not only legal protections for the most vulnerable—the unborn, elderly, terminally ill, & disabled—but the promotion of a culture of life. Instead of killing, we’d like to see more caring. For example, research shows that 60% of women who had an abortion would have preferred to give birth if they’d received more support—either emotional or financial. Crisis Pregnancy Centers do a good job of providing resources with limited funds. Our church is stepping up to make more donations to our local CPCs, & I’d encourage more churches to start such donations & adoption funds. The unfounded gripe of some is that Christians are only pro-life up until birth. But many Christians are behind efforts to provide post-birth help for mothers & their children. Yet, we could do better.
Perhaps the truer gripe is why isn’t this a priority for everyone?! Our nation funds Planned Parenthood which promotes & provides killing instead of caring for babies. America is also financing global wars. I’m not one for government subsidies, but if the State is going to keep wasting money on these horrific things, why not instead redirect those funds from death to life? How about finding ways to lower the cost of childcare options? Why not fund places that give support not just during pregnancy & birth, but also in the months following? This would send a message to women that abortion is not their only realistic option.
Or hey, how about lowering the cost of adoptions?! Why is adopting babies so expensive? It’s maddening! How about providing tax credits & grants to make adoption services at least low-cost if not free? A couple of years ago our church received a special offering to begin an adoption fund. We gifted a couple $10,000 to make their adoption possible. But they still had to hold a benefit & do fundraising for $20,000 to $30,000 more. Who can expect young couples to afford such prohibitive legal fees (the bulk of costs), home study & agency fees, background checks, medical evaluations, & counseling services?! Even couples who could afford it would be deterred by such outrageous amounts!
I was approached some time back by a local woman who’s been trying to create a Christ-centered adoption agency (Sarah Anne Adoptions). She’s got her work cut out for her. At this stage she’s most in need of social workers, lawyers & counselors who can provide help.
Not that many years ago, even those who were “pro-choice” were claiming their desire was to make abortions “safe, rare & legal.” But that has morphed into getting rid of all restrictions that could make that slogan a reality. In this new era of “shout-your-abortion-pride” extremism, many just want abortion to be legal & more accessible right up to the time of birth by getting rid of informed consent, waiting periods, medical standards, & parental consent. While abortion is never safe for the baby, the loosening of restrictions in places like Michigan has also made it less safe for women & girls. So while it is still legal here & elsewhere (for now), how about at least aiming for making it rare again?