Though it may be unpleasant, it is necessary to view and address abortion as it truly is. Now let me be clear that I am not seeking to shame or belittle women who have had or are experiencing an abortion or unplanned pregnancy. We all make mistakes. Though abortion is a sin, to God, the mistakes that we make are all no different and are all bad to Him. But again, that does not mean that we can’t recognize abortion in such a way as I am about to describe.
Abortion is selfish. It is the ultimate rejection of personal responsibility. Again, I am not meaning to shame women by calling them selfish or irresponsible, but the action of abortion certainly is both of those things. Mother Teresa said that “it is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I think Mother Teresa demonstrated with such a statement that she too regarded abortion in this way.
I’m mostly directing this to advocates of abortion, who regard the procedure as some sacred rite. For the most part, at least with individuals I’ve come across, they like to be regarded as pro-choice. What they are in favor of, though, is a choice which not only ends the life of another human being, but is a prime example of saying that actions don’t have consequences, or if they do and they are unintended, then they can be settled with a quick and easy fix.
Well, actions do have consequences, especially and including when it comes to sex. We are taught in school that sex can and does make babies. It’s not some great mystery or random occurrence. This isn’t even so much a debate about comprehensive sexuality education; it’s biology. Also, babies aren’t always conceived when we want them to be. They’re even oftentimes conceived when we don’t want them to be. But this new life had no say in the matter, and intent doesn’t really mean much, so long as the sperm has fertilized the egg.
Abortion says that you don’t have to take responsibility for such actions. I’m sure abortion advocates will recognize that actions have consequences when it comes to other areas, so why not when it comes to sex then? To be blunt, an abortion happens because a mistake was made. It is never responsible to have an abortion. How can it ever be responsible to kill another human person? When a baby is conceived, a new human life is already present, and there can be no turning back. Responsibility to prevent unplanned pregnancy can come only beforehand, whether it be through contraception or abstinence, the latter being 100-percent effective.
If you feel you are responsible enough to have sex, you should also be responsible enough to know that there is the possibility you will get pregnant. And as long as you are fertile, there is always a chance, actually. That’s why consenting to sex really amounts to consenting to the possibility of pregnancy. It’s not some punishment from pro-lifers, but rather an acceptance of how our reproductive systems work, as well as understanding cause and effect.
Sometimes we do stupid things and we make mistakes – each and every one of us. But it is necessary to own up to them, especially if another life is at stake. There is a new person who, although not yet born or seen outside the womb, still depends on you!
A baby conceived at an inconvenient time may affect goals or plans, but that does not mean that your life has to end because you have a baby. Actually, someone else’s life will end with an abortion, and that is your baby’s. You may think you’ll be able to quickly move on, but oftentimes women do have physical and psychological effects from a procedure which they can never change their mind about, even if such effects don’t come until years later. Shouldn’t responsibility involve considering these factors too, then? Abortion advocates portray abortion as a difficult (but necessary) decision. So why is it, then, that they oppose informed consent laws?
If a woman is seeking an abortion because of an unplanned pregnancy which resulted in consensual sex, then by giving into the choice for an abortion, she is rejecting the responsibility that she has to her child, which she consented to and in part created. But the mother is not the only one who rejects responsibility through abortion. She did not make that baby all by herself, and it is the father’s duty to also take responsibility as well. If he is not willing to support the mother of his child, or worse, even pressures her to have the abortion, he is also acting on selfishness while rejecting his responsibilities. The same can also be said for friends and family members who do not take the opportunity to help, but rather harm with their pressure.
Randy Moody has discussed “personal responsibility” along what Planned Parenthood does. I wrote a piece back in November addressing a photo and quote of him going around tumblr. While Moody does not actually address abortion, he does equate “Republican principles of personal responsibility” with a woman “want[ing] to have a family only when she’s ready.” Also, considering he’s the National Co-Chair of Republicans for Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood does advocate for and perform abortions, I think it’s safe to say he too advocates for abortion. To Moody, acting on “Republican principles of personal responsibility” could include birth control (which Planned Parenthood isn’t the only provider of), but, judging by his affiliation with such an organization, abortion as well. As a pro-life Republican, I am disappointed in how Moody has grossly misrepresented “Republican principles of personal responsibility” to involve such a pro-abortion organization.
We’re often afraid of judging or offending people, but sometimes we have to, for the person’s own good and for the good of others. We can’t be like Saint Neutral; that doesn’t actually help anyone. Rather, it makes us more complicit. And as Jeannie DeAngelis reminds us with her piece of this name, “Wrong is wrong even if everybody’s wrong.”
I seek only to speak the truth – not to shame people, but to get them to wake up. There are of course different approaches to discussing the abortion issue, with different people. I would not tell a woman considering abortion that she is being irresponsible and selfish. The child has already been created, and no good will come out of such discussion points, which will likely come off as a lecture. We must reach them through love. And we must treat all people with compassion. But it cannot hurt to remind abortion advocates that what they are doing brings about no actual benefits for women and men when they promote a choice that is the ultimate act of selfishness and rejection of responsibility – all through the terrible death of an innocent child.
