The issue of abortion, which is the intentional killing of a child in their mother’s womb, has been such a huge topic in our world today for many decades. People have argued about the viability of a child; argued that the baby in the womb isn’t actually a baby until a certain amount of weeks; and now you hear people say things such as,”it’s a parasite,” or even “yes, I know I’m killing my baby and I’m okay with that,” and of course the famous phrase, “my body, my choice.”
Someone who is much older than me and who remembers when the Supreme Court decision in the United States established that abortion was protected under the Constitution, noted that a spirit of death and murder entered in, in the United States, after that decision was made. Not to say that death and murder were not already issues but she noticed a shift in culture when murdering children became a publicly accepted thing, in the name of “women’s health.”
So how can we foster a culture of life and value for unborn babies? Whether we realize the true depth of the impact or not, laws do indeed affect culture and what culture values, and in many places like the United States, our laws and individuals hellbent on advocating for abortion, have fostered a culture of death and just plain selfishness into our society. Therefore, we need laws and individuals that will foster and promote a culture of life.
Let’s look at why presidential elections are important when discussing the issue of abortion and fighting for the unborn, why Christians being aware of the candidate’s stances and policy proposals is important, the consequences of not taking it seriously, and ultimately what Christians are called to in regards to this issue.
1) Presidential Elections
Presidential elections are vital because they directly impact the issue of abortion in culture. When candidates are voted into office that are in support of murdering children, murder is celebrated, selfishness and delusions are celebrated and encouraged in culture and as a society we drift further and further away from valuing life in general, let alone life in the womb.
The influence of candidates in office can make it so easy for abortions to happen, and make women more comfortable and seemingly more at ease in their decision to kill their baby.
The decision to simply abort, as if it were some small thing, takes the place of actually finding out what’s needed to empower them to parent their child or educating them on the beauty of adoption, or abstinence, and how to be intentional in family planning. Pregnancy and parenthood are truly beautiful gifts from the Lord and should be celebrated and embraced. However, abortion most certainly does not help in fostering those gifts in the slightest.
The influence of good candidates that aim to support women and value life, starting in the womb, can help foster a culture of life; give education that’s needed and real support, whether supplies, financial assistance, adoption, helping families intentionally plan for children etc.
On both sides (with good and bad candidates), the influence comes from various sources: legislation, locally and federally; amending state or country constitutions; publicly or privately celebrating and supporting organizations; financing organizations that either give abortion access or support it; through speeches given and public declarations, etc.
From a little research I found that, “Presidents have played a significant role in shaping abortion policy through executive actions, judicial appointments, and policy decisions related to funding and international initiatives. For example, Donald Trump’s administration reinstated the “Global Gag Rule,” restricting US funding for organizations that provide abortion-related services internationally. Conversely, presidents who support abortion access have often taken actions to rescind the Global Gag Rule and protect access to reproductive healthcare.”
In the United States there have been years and years of shaping our culture’s acceptance and public celebration of abortion, and we can clearly see that who sits in office and what they value and believe directly will impact society. Therefore, our vote matters more than most people think, so always vote wisely and prayerfully.
2) Christians Must Research the Candidates
Christians being aware and researching candidates is so important so that we know their stances and policy proposals. I remember working at a polling place for an election and witnessing the people that haphazardly voted without doing any real research, which is so sad to see. I would hear comments such as, “I don’t even know what’s on the ballot,” or “ I don’t know who’s on the ballot,” and of course comments about not understanding what certain propositions even mean because they obviously didn’t even read it, let alone research the meaning beforehand. I think more often than not, many people simply vote only considering a few things and leave the rest blank for lack of understanding.
As it relates to the issue of abortion, as Christians, we need to first understand that abortion is indeed killing a child. (I encourage you to read my previous articles on this topic.)
No matter what the culture says and no matter the circumstances surrounding a child’s conception, abortion is still murder and will have lasting effects on a woman and even loved ones around her. And ultimately, murder is sin, so abortion is sin. It’s as simple as that.
Knowing the core beliefs, stances and policy proposals of candidates will help guide us in our voting. Not everyone, or most for that matter, will be 100% pro-life, unfortunately, but even having a candidate work to restrict abortion or put in place certain parameters still helps in the fight for life, versus having someone that supports abortion 100% for any reason, for anyone, in any situation no matter what. We must know and understand that a candidate supporting abortion means increased funding to the abortion industry, which goes as far as to harvest body parts from aborted babies, which is truly mind blowing and heart-wrenching.
A brief published by the Family Research Council asserts this, “Harvesting the body parts of aborted children for research subsidizes the abortion industry and incentivizes harmful practices such as late-term abortion, altering abortion methods, violating patient privacy, and even likely killing some children born alive in order to harvest their organs, as CMP (the Center for Medical Progress) videos uncovered.”
It further asserts that, “the profiting from human fetal tissue from induced abortions are illegal under federal law…Federal law under the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (42 USC 289g-2) prohibits the sale of human fetal tissue if the tissue is sold for “valuable consideration” and “affects interstate commerce,” that is, if the fetal tissue is sold for profit. The statute states that “[t]he term ‘valuable consideration’ does not include reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.” Any profit that is made after costs are subtracted from payment is in violation of this statute. The abortion industry has used and abused this “valuable consideration” loophole to traffic the body parts of aborted babies and to make a profit as described above.”
Candidates that advocate and fight for the life of the unborn can also cut off funding from the abortion industry and give towards actually helping families and meeting real needs in our culture.
3) Consequences of Our Negligence as Voters
The consequences of not taking this issue seriously, and not researching and digging into what candidates stand for and what their proposed policies will mean from a federal or local level, could literally mean death for thousands of children. More deception and lies are projected from the media, the government and culture as a whole causing people to believe that abortion is not the murder of a child, but a moral, good, and kind thing to do for the mother, disregarding her baby and the father.
If we’re not doing our due diligence and taking elections seriously so that we know and understand the candidates’ values, beliefs, stances and policies we will end up with candidates from the top all the way down that would further the agenda of death in culture. Starting with the genocide of innocent unborn children which for some permits other kinds of heinous crimes, which leads people to become desensitized and more embracing of various types of crimes and violence.
For any countries where abortion may not be legalized, there is hope to fight against the legalization of baby killing and keeping a level or overall sense of valuing life starting in the womb. The candidates who sit in office at any level of government really do make a big difference, especially over time. If wicked men are running things for any given amount of time any culture of life that did exist will quickly fade away, so we must take very seriously the right and privilege that we have to vote good men and women into office that commit to fight, defend and speak up for the voiceless and most innocent among us.
Joining Forces and the Ultimate Goal
At the end of the day, as much as elections are important and how/who we vote for truly is critical, one on one relationships and partnering with those who are boots on the ground in the fight for life is so incredibly vital in an effort to change hearts and minds. Sharing the good news of the gospel, personal relationships with pregnant women, serving in our communities, meeting practical needs, being the hands and feet of Jesus and pouring into those around us, and taking the time to have those conversations, share truth and challenge people’s mindsets coupled with prayer is what will change hearts and minds. Even more than having individuals in office that value and fight for life in the womb, we must stand for and speak truth in our various spheres of influence and allow God’s love to shine through us, because at the end of the day, we really can’t legislate morality. Making something law won’t automatically change the culture and make the masses start valuing life or begin despising the idea of killing children in the womb. Candidates standing for life won’t automatically change hearts and minds of the people at large. However, changing laws are certainly still important and greatly impacts culture and the mindset or perspective a society has on various topics and issues.
We are called to be salt and light in a dark, dying, corrupt world and give them Jesus, which would ultimately change hearts and minds on the issue and atrocity of abortion. Giving truth and living what we preach and believe is very impactful.
If we’re sharing the truth of the gospel, loving others as Christ has called us to and God is able to transform lives and bring men, women and children unto salvation it will surely trickle down into their decision making. From their decisions of what to do when experiencing an unwanted pregnancy to who they vote for in any election. It starts with knowing the truth, and we must share it and live it by the Spirit of God and with boldness. We serve and speak to those in our communities and whomsoever the Lord will bring in our lives and there can be powerful ripple effects that will continue on into other communities, until whole communities not only know and understand the evil of abortion but are fully embracing a culture of life and new life in Christ.
Let’s be a voice for the voiceless every day, and fight to cultivate a culture of life that will inspire others to also be a voice for the voiceless and stand up for the most vulnerable among us – the precious children God formed in the womb!
