Many actions have consequences. For some reason, though, there is a whole movement centered on the belief that our sexual activities don’t have to have consequences if we don’t want them to. There are even organizations that stand to profit off such a belief, as a part of “care,” as their tagline claims.
For a cost (and not just a financial one), you can get rid of that which would be a consequence if allowed to develop. Never mind that this consequence is a human being already. And you can do so relatively easily in the United States, especially compared to the rest of the world.
It’s a hardly a secret that sex can result in a pregnancy. Abstinence is the only method that is 100% effective to avoid pregnancy. If one is mature and responsible enough to be so intimate with another person, he or she should be mindful of consequences. It’s a wonder that not all persons realize that consent to sex is consent to the possibility of pregnancy.
Now, I have no interest in getting involved in the sex lives of two consenting adults who are of age and in the privacy of their own homes. That said, when an innocent and defenseless human being becomes involved without any say, those who have a voice must stand up for the voiceless.
On the surface, abortion is taking the easy way out. And initially, many women do feel relieved after their abortion. It can never be the responsible move, though, to end an innocent human life, especially when it is death by such torturous means. And for the Republican Party to encourage supporting Planned Parenthood in the name of personal responsibility is to mock and distort such an important tenant.
If one were to look below the surface, however, an abortion is hardly an easy way out. It has consequences of its own. An abortion may affect a woman’s life physically, sexually, emotionally. She may be driven to addictive behaviors or even suicide. Abortion also can have emotional effects on the father and siblings of an aborted child. So while a woman may not have to deal with having a child at an inopportune time, she may forever live with sadness and regret.
Such a reminder is not to wish any kind of ill will on post-abortive women or those who ever have considered an abortion. It’s the reason why crisis pregnancy centers still love and respect women who do go on to have an abortion, and why they offer information on post-abortion healing. It’s why Rachel’s Vineyard exists, and why Silent No More exists, which recently paired up with the Family Research Council. There are also secular post-abortion healing options.
And as Rick Santorum has said before:
The face of the pro-life movement [is] people out there every day embracing women, whether they decide to have an abortion or not. They love them. … It is the movement of love. That’s what this movement is about.
It is certainly worth it to call out the abortion movement for spewing lies about consequence-free sex, especially those who stand to profit. And we should call on people to take responsibility of their actions and raise their children or find someone else who will, though not without love and support, of course. But above all, we must remind those who know better that an abortion is not just an easy way out, and educate those who do not. And we must love people no matter what, for what better way to fight the evil of abortion than with truth and love?
