Abortion is a front-line item – There is no greater societal issue for the practicing Christian than that of abortion. It alone has the ability to define our nation. It demands the question... who are you as a people and what do you stand for? It is the matter on the hot stove of American politics that is closest to God's heart, which should make it the matter closest to ours. If this is true, which I'm confident it is, then this revelation must translate to the polling booth. It's a matter of life and death, justice and injustice, NOT merely a political talking point.
As someone who has been trained in Public Relations (I have a degree in PR/Advertising) I can say that when I see 'sleight of hand,' play-on words tricks in the PR industry, I notice it. The Pro-Choice PR scheme is a text book case study for a campaign bent on twisting words, manipulating facts, and deceiving masses. Please don't fall for it.
Pro-Choice? – There are two levels to the pro-choice discourse and the corresponding public relations campaign. There are those who are pro-choice because they simply don't value human life (I believe this is the extreme minority) and then there are those who have been deceived into compromising. The PR stunt is this: use language that dehumanizes the baby and glorifies the rights of the mother. It’s often referred to as ‘Reproductive Rights.’ Notice that the life of the baby is not mentioned in this tagline. It’s because it can’t be, or else abortion advocates will lose support. Rather, the focus is on the “rights” of the mother. Rights are inherently important to Americans, but even especially important to a culture absorbed with self. This is the formula for steering a major piece of the American public into supporting an act as brutal and ghastly as abortion.
As far as the current state of abortion in America, there is good news and there is bad news. Let's start with the bad and end with the good.
Bad News
-Abortion, since the decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973, has claimed the lives of about 61 million babies, or roughly 19% of our current American population, or the entire population of Italy.
-There has been a movement to actually make abortion less restrictive, including abortion up to the point of " viability," or the state in which an infant can survive outside of the womb, and even up to the very moment of birth, most recently. Virginia's Governor, Ralph Northam, has even expressed his support for "aborting" children after the moment of birth.
-Although great strides have been taken to limit funding and support to abortion providers, they are still federally and privately funded, and they still carry a powerful lobby in Washington.
Good News
-There is actually a path to the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Amazingly, with 187 federal judge appointees, including two supreme court picks, the current administration has put judges in place that would consider life in the womb as a constitutional right. Legal precedent is not on the side of outlawing abortion, since Roe v. Wade was confirmed by the Supreme Court, but the law and constitution of course are.
-Young people, Millennials and Gen Z namely, are trending toward pro-life stances. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that Americans in the 18-29 age bracket are the most likely of any American group to oppose abortion.
-The abortion rate (# of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44) has ticked down over the last 30 years, gradually receding from about 27 in 1989 to 13.5 in 2017. This is great news! However, a factor that must be considered in light of this news is that there are many fewer women aged 15-44 in the U.S. due to abortions in years prior.
-Several states have made aggressive moves to further restrict abortions. These states, which aim to limit abortion at a range of points during pregnancy have had some success, although several pieces of legislation have been blocked by federal judges.
-We have an unashamedly pro-life president who does not seem intimidated by the abortion industry. President Trump was the first ever president to speak at the annual March for Life, a speech in which he made clear that he and his administration intend to continue fighting unrestricted abortion.
Other interesting facts/stats
-Planned Parenthood, America's leader in babies aborted (34%, about 321,000 in 2016), has pledged $45 Million dollars to elect democrats in battleground states in the year 2020.
-20 states (including New York) have legalized abortion through the stage of viability (or the state in which an infant can live outside of the womb) and one state, Virginia, whose senate and house of representatives are both controlled by democrats, have made it legal to abort a baby up to the moment of full-term birth.
-In 2016, New York state as a whole (not just NYC) aborted more than 37% of its conceived children. That ratio, if measured in NYC alone, is presumed to be markedly higher.
Let's Vote on the Issues
Beyond the media coverage, campaign ads, PR schemes, and trivial critiques from pundits, the issues stand, or at least they should stand, as the basis for which we choose candidates. It’s very important to take the time to determine where candidates stand on particular issues and to vote accordingly. A mistake many make at the polling booth is allowing their vote to be determined by secondary or even quite unimportant things like 1. how well the candidate speaks in public, 2. how the candidate looks, or 3. how they "seem" in particular areas. I recall one such instance when a person close to me voted for a particular person because "they heard that that person was against human trafficking." A. I've never heard of a single candidate that has been FOR human trafficking, and B. "hearing" things about a candidate is a distant second to actually knowing for yourself and being informed. Voting is important - let's treat it that way in 2020.
February 16th
At both services on Sunday the 16th we have a very unique opportunity to hear an amazing testimony on abortion from our very own Maria Marker. In addition to this, Pastor Adam is going to preach on this topic at both of our morning services, following Maria's testimony.
If you've not already, you can also watch Chelsea's testimony concerning abortion in video form. This video was produced as a part of the Do it Again Project two years ago.
- J.F. D'Orsie - Communications Director - PCC