Abortion: Right or Wrong?

[His_child]

One in three women will have an abortion before her 45th birthday.
The overwhelming majority will have the abortion out of convenience.

In the summer 1991 I was 26 years old.
I was unmarried and pregnant.
I went to the largest abortion clinic in America.
I had not firmly decided on abortion. I honestly felt that abortion was a woman's choice. I had driven several friends to abortion appointments. I thought I was doing a good thing.

I was divorced.
I had three children.
I had no money.
I had a habit of naming my children before they were born. Without an ultrasound I always got the gender correct.
At the clinic I told them I wasn't sure what to do about "Andrew."
Who's Andrew was the response.
I told them Andrew was what I named the baby.
I was told that I should not name the baby because it could impair clear thinking about the decision I had to make.

I decided that I would talk to the baby's father, even though he had walked out on me.
The clinic advised against talking to him because it should be my decision. Afterall, it was my body.


Less than 72 hours later I walked back into the clinic.
I was drunk from the night before and could not even fake being sober.
I was led to a dark room with a small cot so I could sober up and sleep it off.
I lay there for an hour not being able to stop crying.
Since I did not fall asleep, it was assumed that I was sober enough for the "procedure" to begin.

The nurse came to get me and saw the tear stains.
She asked what was wrong.
I told her that I was having second thoughts.
She held me and hugged me in a motherly way. I thought she really cared about me.
She told me that the amount of drinking I had done the night before had already pretty much killed the fetus- or at least had done enough damage to keep it from having a normal life.

She then led me down the hall to the room where they would perform the abortion.
Due to the remainder of the alcohol in my system and the 3 vicodens I had been given, my body was numb.
I somehow got on the table.
I started to cry again.
The doctor was there by this time.
So was her assistant.
The motherly woman had left.
The assistant asked me what was wrong and I told her that I was hurting.
She looked at my chart and gave me another vicoden. I told her that I was not in physical pain, just my heart was breaking and I didn't think I should do this. She took the vicoden back and gave me a valium.

The doctor and the assitant left and the motherly woman came back in. They wanted to give me time to calm down. I told the woman that I had changed my mind. She informed me that I now had so much drugs in my system that I wasn't thinking clearly about myself or my other 3 children.

I listened to her.
The doctor and assitant came back in.
As they were performing the abortion, they told me how thankful I should be that women like me had fought for this right for so many years.
I sure was lucky to live in a country where I had a choice.
I sure was lucky to live in a time where I had a choice.

I closed my eyes and prayed if there was a God that He'd forgive me for what I was doing.

Last January Andrew would have turned 12 years old.

Recovery was a long painful period which included much drinking and a few attempts to end my life.

God is good and I found out that He is real. I also found out that He did forgive me. I now provide one-on-one counseling to women who are post-abortive. Their stories are filled with pain. Many of them don't realize that Jesus went to the cross for all sins, even the sin of abortion. Many of these women live a life where no one would ever guess they've had pain. They cover it well with "band-aides" because abortion is a choice that we should be thankful to have. Instead it brings much pain.  

Anyone who really loves women, would not support abortion in any way. It only brings pain and destruction to the unborn and their parents.

How blessed we are to have a Saviour who forgives sins and eases burdens!

[Reba]

God is good and I found out that He is real. I also found out that He did forgive me. I now provide one-on-one counseling to women who are post-abortive. Their stories are filled with pain. Many of them don't realize that Jesus went to the cross for all sins, even the sin of abortion. Many of these women live a life where no one would ever guess they've had pain. They cover it well with "band-aides" because abortion is a choice that we should be thankful to have. Instead it brings much pain.  

Anyone who really loves women, would not support abortion in any way. It only brings pain and destruction to the unborn and their parents.

Amen and Blessings to you 'Justme'

[nChrist]

AMEN JUSTME!

You have a very difficult and important job. I will pray that God gives you the guidance and strength to do it well.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Angel123]

Abortion, is wrong. No one is here by a accident. God
has a purpose for everyone,even a fetus.

[His_child]

I agree that abortion is wrong.
In my experience with post-abortive women and in my husband's experience in leading a jail Bible study, the thing that the lost need most from Christians is companionship.
 
We are to be Christ-like.
Christ did not mince words about what is right and wrong.
He also provided sinners with love and a way out of their sin.
 
I have 3 teens and an 11 year old.
I've taught them the dangers of fornication.
If one of them does commit fornication, I will be there to help them through the healing process, whether that process involves a broken heart, an STD or a pregnancy.

As Christians, we need to show the world who Christ is.
While He is just, He is also full of mercy and grace.
He shows us how much He cares and we need to show the world how much He cares for them too. For many of them, the only way they will know how much He cares is by our actions.

[ollie]

Wrong!

[Broken]

Am I the only one who finds the Christian inconsistency on the issue of abortion fascinating?

Anyone else think it is interesting indeed how the campaign for abortion to be banned in the 19th century was led by physicians with never a murmur from Christians?

Anyone else think it is interesting that the fundamentalist/evangelical/conservative side of Christianity, in the 1940s and 50s was busying itself defining when it was moral to have an abortion (physical, mental disability or damage to the mother being the moral means, according to them btw) rather than campaigning against it?

Anyone else think it is interesting that when they finally thought it might just be a sin, that from the 1960s to the 80s it was ranked on a level with gambling?

That the only time that abortion became this big issue for Christians and the Christian right, that the only time it became this self-evident evil sin, the worst there is, is when Christian politicians and pastors were jockeying for secular power?

[ollie]

Am I the only one who finds the Christian inconsistency on the issue of abortion fascinating?

Anyone else think it is interesting indeed how the campaign for abortion to be banned in the 19th century was led by physicians with never a murmur from Christians?

Anyone else think it is interesting that the fundamentalist/evangelical/conservative side of Christianity, in the 1940s and 50s was busying itself defining when it was moral to have an abortion (physical, mental disability or damage to the mother being the moral means, according to them btw) rather than campaigning against it?

Anyone else think it is interesting that when they finally thought it might just be a sin, that from the 1960s to the 80s it was ranked on a level with gambling?

That the only time that abortion became this big issue for Christians and the Christian right, that the only time it became this self-evident evil sin, the worst there is, is when Christian politicians and pastors were jockeying for secular power?

"Am I the only one who finds the Christian inconsistency on the issue of abortion fascinating?"

Killing another human in cold blood has never had any inconsistencies with Christians as to its definition of sexual  irresponsibility, its being sin, a civil crime, and murder.

[Broken]

Were these Christians three mice in a corner where no one ever knew of them?

[His_child]

Broken - this is news to me.
Can you provide some sort of link for your sources?
The only Christians I've ever known who support abortion are the ones who are about to fall off the left wing tip.

[Broken]

Can't provide a link but can provide references:

Ungodly Women: Gender and the First Wave of American Fundamentalism Betty DeBerg
Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood Kristin Luker
The Book of Jerry Falwell: Fundamentalist Language and Politics Susan Friend Harding

In 1968 a symposium run by Christianity Today concluded:

"The Christian physician will advise induced abortion only to safeguard greater values sanctioned by Scripture. These values should include individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility."
quoted in Birth Control and the Christian Spitzer & Saylor (1969)

see also Eternity magazine, Feb 1968 issue.

and I Love America, 1978, Jerry Falwell.

If you are very keen on a link, you could try this one but I have not read through it entirely

[His_child]

Can't provide a link but can provide references:

Ungodly Women: Gender and the First Wave of American Fundamentalism Betty DeBerg
Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood Kristin Luker
The Book of Jerry Falwell: Fundamentalist Language and Politics Susan Friend Harding

In 1968 a symposium run by Christianity Today concluded:

"The Christian physician will advise induced abortion only to safeguard greater values sanctioned by Scripture. These values should include individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility."
quoted in Birth Control and the Christian Spitzer & Saylor (1969)

see also Eternity magazine, Feb 1968 issue.

and I Love America, 1978, Jerry Falwell.

If you are very keen on a link, you could try this one but I have not read through it entirely

Following this part of your link I see a lot of references to the Catholic church. I have had many problems accepting much of the Catholic doctrine of today and days gone by.

When do you feel life begins?
How many women have you talked to who've been through abortions?

[Broken]

Following this part of your link I see a lot of references to the Catholic church. I have had many problems accepting much of the Catholic doctrine of today and days gone by.

I did forewarn you that I had not read that link entirely. The references I gave were more specific, I had to do a very quick search on the internet and that was the first remotely applicable thing I came up with. Naturally if you were writing an essay about Christian responses to abortion you would include Catholicism.

When do you feel life begins?

I have made other posts in this thread on this topic, which you may wish to check out. However I would say, at birth.

How many women have you talked to who've been through abortions?[/color]

Several. And I can't say I was urging them on to start flaying themselves with guilt for my pleasure.

[His_child]

When do you feel life begins?

I have made other posts in this thread on this topic, which you may wish to check out. However I would say, at birth.

When does the medical profession acknowledge that life begins?

How many women have you talked to who've been through abortions?[/color]

Several. And I can't say I was urging them on to start flaying themselves with guilt for my pleasure.

I don't seek them out or urge them. They seek me out because they need to talk to someone who understands. I think it is rather unkind to refer to working out grief as flaying themselves.
It is not for my pleasure. Many days I wish with all my heart that the Lord did had not placed me in this ministry. However, He did and He did it for a reason.
I am His servant and I will follow His leading, even when He is leading me places I'd rather not go.

[Broken]

When does the medical profession acknowledge that life begins?

Ask a doctor?

I don't seek them out or urge them. They seek me out because they need to talk to someone who understands. I think it is rather unkind to refer to working out grief as flaying themselves.

Then that is fine, if that is all it is. What I object to is the manipulation of people in order to fit a preconceived agenda - whether that is prolifers encouraging someone in to paroxysms of grief shouting out their mea culpas to reinforce this "message" to others or whether its extreme pro-choicers  forcing people to pretend they're having a ball even if they're not, I will always disagree with it. Its using people, and people are used to often in this particular ethical argument.