May

Pro Life vs Pro Choice – Can You Be Both?

In 1994 I was in my last semester at Philadelphia Biblical University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. During finals, my Hamartiology (the doctrine of sin) professor threw us a curve ball. We had to choose two of three situations and write an essay on each of them for our final exam. Of course, we had to defend our position with scripture. One of the questions I chose was: You have a friend who is thinking about having an abortion. Do you support her or condemn her and why. I chose this question because I thought it would be easy. It turned out to be the most difficult paper I ever wrote and defended.

My simple definitions of these terms are: Pro-life refers to opposition to abortion. Pro-choice says a woman has the right to choose whether or not to continue or terminate a pregnancy.

As simple as these terms sound, they are actually very complex belief systems that have been used to differentiate believers from non-believers. I believe both of these terms are too limited. Each term assumes that the other is definitive. Here is where I stand on these choices. Though I don’t believe in abortion, I don’t call myself Pro Life because I don’t approve of the way they operate. In my opinion, they seem to be very un-Christian in the way they treat and condemn people who choose abortion.

Now, I also believe that a woman has the right to choose. If God allows us to make the most important choice there is, why can’t we allow each other to make choices.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30: 18-20)

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

For the record, I am not saying that people who choose to have an abortion are going to hell. My point is that God, himself allows us to choose whether or not to serve him. For most people, abortion is a very difficult decision that comes along with a lot of pain and conflicting emotions. Is it a sin to have an abortion? Yes. I believe that life begins a conception. When we terminate a life, we deny God the opportunity to have relationship with that person.

But it is also a sin to fornicate, commit adultery, lie, steal, etc. These are things that we do every day but the same people who will send you to hell for an abortion overlook these seemingly minor sins. To my knowledge, God has not given us a rating system for sin. He may have one but He did not give us the right to judge one sin over the other.

The bottom line is: If God can forgive us for our sins, why can’t we forgive each other?