CURRENT AFFAIRS

Abortion is Messy

See the companion piece
"Praying through the Outrage" by KJM

I forgot abortion is messy.

For the past year, I have been working as a contract writer for a pro-life pregnancy center. One of my assignments was to research the various abortion procedures and write articles about each one. I spent several days studying the various forms of abortion — the morning after pill, RU-486, and the various surgical procedures. I researched how each type of abortion works and exactly how the baby dies in each instance. In other words, I learned the cause of death in each type of abortion — crushed skull, starvation, etc. I also studied how the babies are disposed following the procedure.

There were a lot of days when my eyes filled with tears and I had to stop my research. Studying how babies are most effectively killed in utero or upon accidental live birth isn't exactly light reading. I would often step away from my writing, have a good cry, and take the dog for a walk. Many days, my dog Wagner served as my therapist. He's one of the best listeners around. Once Wagner and I returned home, I'd get back to it and dig in for more research. At the end of the workday, my husband would come home and by looking at my face, he could tell what I had been working on.

During the project, I quickly realized how little I knew about abortion and what occurs during the procedures. I had gotten so used to driving by the Planned Parenthood clinic that is near my office without any thought to what could be happening inside. Abortion had become "normal" in my life. It was legal, and although I didn't approve of it, it wasn't on my radar on a daily basis. I had forgotten reality — abortion is messy.

When the recent Planned Parenthood videos were released, many of you had the same shocked reaction that I did as I wrote those articles. The videos are an alarming reminder that abortion isn't a tidy medical procedure. Before the videos, most of us had never thought, "Hmm. I wonder what they do with the babies after the procedures." How are they disposed of? Do they throw them in the trash or where do they go? Are they all cremated?

When you saw the baby boy being dissected in a pie dish, how did you respond? Was it revolting? For me, it was a horrifying reminder that he is not just a "blob of tissue" like we've been told — that baby boy had discernable organs.

I hope the videos will have lasting impact on all people. Many pro-lifers have accepted abortion as a lost battle, something that can't be changed. But is it a lost cause? Several people have made the intriguing correlation between abortion and the passionate cause of William Wilberforce. In the late 1700s, Wilberforce took a bold stand against racism and slavery in England. Ending these two things seemed politically and culturally impossible; to many, slavery was a lost cause. Wilberforce didn't back down and he continued fighting. He fought slavery by bringing to light the atrocities that were occurring. He told the stories of slaves and appealed to people's sense of decency, justice, and fairness. Just three days before his death, he heard that that the Slavery Act of 1833 would pass in Parliament. I'm reminded of his famous statement, "You may choose to look away, but you can never say again that you did not know."

Will you look away from the Planned Parenthood videos or will you be forever changed? Will you sit back and say, "There's nothing we can do. We've lost that battle." Or will you choose to stand up? Start by educating yourself on abortion — the procedures, the risks, and the results. Let your eyes see what is occurring. Don't let yourself ignore the issue. Pray and ask God how He wants you to respond. He may want you to reach out to a certain women. Be her advocate and be her support. Walk with her through an unexpected pregnancy, go to her appointments with her, be her voice.

I don't know how God wants you to act. I do know that God doesn't want you to be seared to the plight of the unborn. This issue deserves your voice.

Videos
Planned Parenthood uses Late-Term Abortions to Harvest Fetal Organs
Senior Executive Haggles over Baby Parts Prices
Human Capital
"It's another boy!"
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast Director of Research

Image Credit: nicholas james; "7-4 9"; Creative Commons

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Published 8-3-15