Updated Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008

A severe mercy

By Milton A. Hollifield Jr.

BSC Executive Director-Treasurer

Thirty five years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States adjudicated a case which has become the focus of attention for all who care about the lives of unborn children. Roe v. Wade continues to be the law of the land. Lives the world never knew were legally silenced in the safety of their mother's womb by methods, which, in many ways, should be considered nothing short of murder.

The legal language surrounding the "right to choose" often seeks to dehumanize a child in the womb by rendering it something other than that which it truly is - a baby. To the dismay of many, the Bible calls the contents of a pregnant womb a baby - not a zygote, blastula, or fetus (see Luke 1:41; 2:16). This fact underscores the truth that the horrific aftermath of an abortion is often devastating and debilitating for parents. Severe consequences often affect their mind and heart years after the child is aborted.

And now, many parents are going public with their guilt. Surprisingly, fathers often state that they feel the impact of the abortion just as much as some mothers. In a Los Angeles Times piece (January 7, 2008), it was fathers who said that they often feel as if they had an abortion because of the guilt and grief now clinging to their hearts as they watch children play in a park or see their own children born at a later time in their lives.

The story chronicles the life of Chris Aubert, a lawyer in Houston, Texas, who agreed that two former girlfriends should undergo abortions over 20 years ago. Now he finds himself overcome with guilt as he watches the ultrasound of his first child as a husband. "From the depths of my belly," Aubert said, "I knew abortion was wrong."

Such words reveal the true depths of anguish associated with the horrific procedure. Our responsibility as followers of Christ is not to condemn those living with guilt and misery. We must offer to them a message of hope in finding forgiveness and deliverance from the darkness of sin.

Regardless of how terrible such a sin might be, the church of Jesus Christ holds forth the gospel to a world bound in guilt. Jesus was miraculously kept safe in the womb of his mother so that His life and death could fully atone for the sins of those were unable to free themselves from the sins of the past (see Matt. 2:16-23).

Following the recent anniversary of Roe v. Wade, let us resolve together to be agents of mercy to those who live with the guilt of abortion as we point them to the Savior who died that they might find redemption by His grace. Let us also continue to pray and work through legal procedures toward eliminating the atrocities of abortion from our culture. We must be a voice for those who cannot speak.

For thou hast formed my inward parts: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. - Psalm 139:13-14