Cradle to Grave
Who isn’t “pro-life?”
That’s the problem with labels. They are deceiving. If you say you aren’t “pro-life” you sound like a monster. Which is why the opposition doesn’t call itself “anti-life.” They call themselves “pro-choice” because who isn’t pro-choice? Especially in America. What kind of monster lives in America, the bastion of freedom and democracy and doesn’t believe in choice? We get so caught up in labels that we often don’t step back to look at what they mean. And sometimes we get so focused on just one thing we ignore everything else. Like being “pro-life.” What does that mean for us as a Christian? Is being pro-life just about abortion? Or from a Christian perspective, does it encompass so much more?
First, let’s get rid of the myth people WANT abortions.
While we might debate whether people should be able to get one or under what circumstances, nobody WANTS an abortion. People aren’t going around, being promiscuous, and saying, “Oh, if I get pregnant, I’ll just get an abortion.” Nobody is saying that. It is a tough decision every woman must wrestle with when they get one and they certainly don’t need the church to alienate them or stand in judgment over them. Most women who get an abortion never had one before (57%), and the number of abortions per year today is lower than it was in the early 70’s right after Roe v. Wade made it legal and a far cry lower than at its height in 1990.[1] This isn’t an epidemic getting out of control. It really is an issue of morality, and we never do well legislating morality.
But as a Christian, being pro-life should be more than your stance on abortion.
It should encompass everything from the cradle to the grave. Here’s how one critic of the pro-life movement who is a pastor put it:
(He said if someone were truly pro-life) “You would want to do more than prevent abortions.
You’d want to prevent hunger and poverty. You’d want to prevent illiteracy and child mortality and forced prostitution. You’d want to prevent racism and bigotry and homophobia. You’d want kids in the “bad neighborhood” to have great schools and teachers just like your kids have there in the “good neighborhood.” You’d want to support single parents and the terminally ill and the mentally ill by helping them carry their oversized burden.
You’d want religious freedom even for people who aren’t Christian. You’d want LGBTQ people to live and work and worship and love as they desire. You’d want people of color not to have to fear law enforcement and not to be disproportionately incarcerated. You’d want fewer guns in the hands of kids and criminals and those with mental illness. You’d want to prevent violence and workplace termination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. You’d want a living wage for all people who work hard, and healthcare for their children that won’t have to replace their daily meals.
I am a person of Life. That is what my faith calls me to be.”[2]
Life encompasses so much more than the nine months we are in the womb.
And we don’t do a good job of even protecting that. Did you know our country has one of the highest mortality rates among like nations for pregnant mothers?[3] Out of 10 similar countries, we are ranked 10th and overall ranked 55th. If “life” is so important to us, why aren’t we better at it? We also have by far the highest number of gun deaths than any other economically advanced country. We are second overall in total number of gun deaths at 37,040 behind only Brazil.[4] In the show, The West Wing, Toby Ziegler says, “I do know that if you combine the populations of Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and Australia, you’ve got a population roughly the size of the United States. We had 32,000-gun deaths last year and they had 112. Do you think it’s because Americans are more homicidal by nature? Or do you think it’s because those guys have gun control laws?” Today those numbers are much higher for those countries – a total of 4,072 but the United States still has a gun death total more than 8 times all those countries combined. If we truly want to be pro-life, we must realize its more than just reproductive birth rights. It’s a cradle to grave problem and one we need to pay attention to. At least Jesus thinks so.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Whatever you did for the least of these.
Jesus cared about EVERYBODY! He cared about people who were homeless; people who were impoverished; people who were in prison; Jesus cared about the sick and those who were food insecure. And Jesus was critical of those who looked down on others, who treated others without regard for human dignity. He overturned the tables in the temple because of the money lenders and merchants trying to make a profit from God in a Holy space. He often criticized the elders and religious leaders for their lack of compassion and rigid ways of thinking. And he warns us, right there in this passage, that if we behave in the same way, we can expect no different. “…[W]hatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” We need to treat people as God created them. As Children of God. And we need to do more for people. We need to help and love our neighbor. Not stand in judgment of them.
We are all pro-life.
Whether we agree on the legality of abortion is not central to who we are as Christians. We can debate from here to live long day about when life begins and whether legislation works. And you can be a person who hopes for a world without abortion AND STILL be pro-choice. But if we are serious about our faith, we have to do more to love and care for everybody from beginning to end – from the cradle to the grave. We need to work on eliminating poverty, homelessness, and hunger. We need to do a better job of supporting and caring for people in times of trouble like divorce, depression, and illness. And we have to love those who are far from Christ and who may never come to Christ. Our job is to be the farmer who sows the seeds, to do the good work, and let God worry about the seed taking root. If we are to take seriously Christ’s call on our hearts to make disciples in his name, we have to do it from a place of love and not a place of fear or judgment or division. Guard your heart from the things of this world and instead model the love of Christ for all to see. Be an advocate for Life! All life.
[1] According to research done by the Pew Research Group and the Guttmacher Institute. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/25/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-us/
[2] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/white-conservative-christian-friends-i-wish-you-really-were-pro-life_b_12475464
[3] https://www.vox.com/2020/1/30/21113782/pregnancy-deaths-us-maternal-mortality-rate
[4] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gun-deaths-by-country ; https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/theres-a-new-global-ranking-of-gun-deaths-heres-where-the-u-s-stands
Craig's Corner 