BUT WHAT ABOUT RAPE?
Many years ago when I was a high school student at Fox High School in Arnold, MO, a man by the name of Dan Quayle spoke to the student body. At that time Mr. Quayle was on the ticket as the hopeful Vice President to be, along side of George Bush Senior. After Mr. Quayle’s speech he entertained questions from the student body. One of those questions concerned his stance on abortion. His answer was cut and dry, something like: “I am against abortion, period.” To this the student responded, “What if your wife was raped and became pregnant?” His response: “Then we would have a baby.”
While such trauma as this would exceed the pain and suffering that many ever experience throughout the span of their life, taking the life of a baby is not the answer, and will likely add even greater trauma to the situation.
I do not know anyone who would minimize the difficulty involved in the situation of a woman becoming pregnant after being raped. Certainly she would be in need of great compassion and fervent prayer. The baby did not, however, do anything wrong. That precious baby can be raised to lead a very different lifestyle than his biological father. Again, though the situation would be nearly unfathomably difficult, what an extraordinary opportunity this might be to turn a great evil into something so beautiful. Paul said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). Perhaps we could liken it somewhat to what Jesus did for us on the cross!
A BETTER OPTION
In the end we know that there are situations where folks are truly not ready or capable of providing what a baby needs. Or, in the rare case of a rape situation (most statistics indicate that rape is the cause of less than 5% of the total number of abortions performed), an individual or couple may truly feel they cannot handle being the parents of this child. In such a situation there is still a legitimate option that can be a great blessing to someone else. A woman, or a couple, may decide that putting the baby up for adoption is best, not merely for them as parents, but especially for the baby. In this case there will be a family on the receiving end that is so thankful for the selfless decision that allowed this precious child to be born.
BUT THERE IS NO FATHER IN THE PICTURE
It is certainly tragic that in many instances there is no man in the picture who can be counted on for help with a newborn baby, monetarily and otherwise, but this does not change the morality of abortion. A woman giving birth may mean that she will be a single parent. I personally have a difficult time imagining how challenging this would be. I do know, from the example of many, that it can be done and God will bless the woman who seeks to do the right thing.
From a different perspective, let God’s people seek to make it easier for such ladies to make the right decision. Let us seek to be available for those who face very difficult challenges in life.
WHAT ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL?
It is way beyond the scope of this article to evaluate all of the forms of birth control that are available today. We should note, however, that there are forms of birth control that are designed to cause the aborting of a fertilized egg. Suffice it to say, Christians will want to carefully investigate the use of birth control in regards to this matter. Preventing life from occurring is one thing. Aborting life after it begins is something quite different.
CONCLUSION
Morally speaking, this is not a difficult issue to sort out. Emotionally, however, it can be very challenging. Having a baby is certainly life changing, but nothing can compare with the preciousness of that life that God has made possible. Choose, teach and support the value of life.
Daren Schroeder
