Please understand I don’t enjoy talking or writing about abortion. However, unfortunately, too many Christians I know have made this issue the focal point of their political engagement or THE issue that will cause them to swing one way or the other for a political candidate or party…and that has consequences well beyond this single issue for ALL of life – from health care to education to immigration to the justice system. The irony is that it turns out banning abortions is actually tied to an INCREASE in abortions (I’ll unpack that later). I get it, abortion can be deeply emotional, as we’re talking about the very formation of life here, and many have deeply personal stories tied to the issue.
Because this is such a heated issue I first want to start with WHAT I AM NOT SAYING:
- I am not wanting, and certainly do not celebrate, the taking of ANY life at ANY stage of life from the womb to the tomb, for all are made and woven in the image of God.
- I am not a woman so I don’t know the unique burden of choice, circumstances, and most overwhelming responsibility and judgement by society for raising a child.
- Most importantly, I am not God so I don’t have the final say or judgement of who is a Christian and how they practice their faith. Each person will have to give an account for how they have lived to God.
Now, on to WHAT I AM SAYING*:
*These are my own personal views and not any official stance of any church or organization I am part of.
1. POLICY
I don’t know any bible believing Christian (yes, even on the liberal end) that thinks abortion is good. It turns out most people in general, who aren’t believers even, don’t WANT (as in strive for) abortions either.
So with this in mind what policies actually REDUCE abortions (I understand there is room for disagreement here but I would just like to provide perspective on the actual data available)? It turns out banning or restricting abortions has the unintended consequence of increasing the abortion rate. Why is that? For starters, just because something is made illegal doesn’t stop people from doing it, but rather drives it underground (see Prohibition) making it more difficult to regulate and even more dangerous for the mother. Abortion rates go up when abortion is banned because when abortion is banned it ALSO often takes away funding for invaluable services such as sex education, reproductive care, pre-natal services, women’s health, and most of all contraceptives and birth control (which repeatedly comes up with the strongest causational link of reducing abortions, in a 2012 study abortions were reduced by 62-78%! I understand that birth control is a whole other issue for some but we cannot ignore the relationship between birth control and its real time impact on abortion rates. I can even respect those who may be against certain forms of birth control and have the integrity to be a safety net should an unintended pregnancy happen. What is hard for me to reconcile with the spirit of Jesus is when the ones supporting the laws that put a burden on others “will not lift one finger to help them.” [Luke 11:46]. Is this how Jesus treats us?). So if a clinic performing abortions is closed, it also then closes access to everything else that would HELP prevent abortions from having to happen in the first place.
Unfortunately, because of the polarized two-party system in the US, abortion is bundled up with reproductive care so its often closer to an all (Democrat) or nothing (Republican) approach. Please understand there are things that I DO NOT agree with in the ALL option (For example abortions shouldn’t be so easy to get for teens without any parent/guardian knowledge. But please keep in mind that most abortions are done by religiously affiliated ADULTS who already have children and are overwhelmingly coming from poverty). We have not yet figured out a way to “a-la-carte” this issue and this is not by any means simple or ideal. I even understand the sentiment that some may not want to pay for the birth control of others but unplanned pregnancies actually end up being more expensive, estimated to cost the US $11 billion dollars per year. But if we want to really make those sort of changes the most effective way is addressing state and local budget items but this is not where people focus. Any sound policy doesn’t only punish on the back end (stick) but tries to address why things happen in the first place (carrot). If access, education, and health in general are cared for it creates the kind of environment for people to thrive instead of babies having to die. So if we’re gonna be pro-life we need to be pro-life for the WHOLE life.
2. GLOBAL IMPACT
The increased abortions rates connected to the banning of abortions (and the stripping of good reproductive care tied with it) does not only happen in the US but is also seen worldwide. This is not some fringe finding – simply google “Mexico City Policy effects” and there will be so many to choose from reputable sources. The U.S. has made aid decisions to other countries ignoring these effects, and it has had significant negative global impact.
3. HISTORY AND PARTY POLITICS
But to zoom out even further over time, abortion rates peaked around 1980** and than have steadily been declining since then – from 2013 even lower than at the point of the Roe Vs. Wade decision (the 1973 the Supreme Court ruled that states could not unduly restrict women from getting abortions). What is even more shocking is that REGARDLESS of the political party of the president and even the supreme court judges the rate of abortions have gone down overall (this is from a right leaning source too). And even if Roe Vs. Wade were overturned it would not change most of the abortion apparatus or make as great an impact on abortion rates. In fact, there seems to be evidence from breaking down CDC data to suggest that abortions have decreased 3-6 times faster under Democrats (likely for reasons stated above)! Again, I don’t agree with every approach and policy of the Democrats but to say the Republican Party is the sole party that represents Christians values on life is simply intellectually dishonest (if one looks into the formation of the “Religious Right” in politics it is a deeply troubling story based in racial segregation in which abortion was not always something that Christians rallied around but was used to amass political power). We as believers must not be loyal to any political party but speak truth to power.
IN SUMMARY
Again, I don’t think any Christian believes abortion is good. I’m not sure if it is THE issue to die on at the expense of all of God’s other commands. But, if the goal is to ACTUALLY reduce the number of abortions, the answer may not be in banning abortions (which is tied to increased abortion) but in policy aimed at addressing the underlying factors for unintended pregnancies and abortions. Another way I’ve heard it put is rather than focus on banning abortions another approach is to make abortions unnecessary. And if one insists that it’s not about the numbers but the principle than what principle are you really upholding if it’s not to decrease abortions? So in the case of abortion, at least, taking a left approach might be more helpful to make the right stance. I’m wondering to what extent, like the Pharisees with the sabbath, in our focus on keeping the letter of the law we have missed the spirit of the law to preserve life and need to hear Jesus’ exhortation for us to understand “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:1-13). Taking a stance is one thing, thoughtful policy is another.
Beloved, at the end of the day, I know we won’t agree on everything and you are certainly free to make your own choices, but I believe we share the conviction that we want less abortions (and some day none) and more flourishing of life. Otherwise, when we as believers say we are Pro-Life without actually being willing to do the work of reducing abortions for the Whole-Life this is more symbolic talk than actually helpful.
**A friend pointed out an error on my part where I had originally stated that the rates had declined after Roe v Wade, which is true in the long run but was not in the immediate term. The correction has been made.
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