Where Are We Running?
According to its latest report, Planned Parenthood made 841 referrals for adoption in 2010. Contrast that with the fact that they performed over 329,000 abortions during the same period of time. It seems that the eighth-century prophet Isaiah’s words apply to our culture today: “Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways” (Isaiah 59:7, ESV, emphasis added).
It is worth noting that the true values of a society are revealed in how they treat the weak, the infirmed, the unborn, and the elderly. Apparently, we are far from where we need to be.
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Interesting post. Let me be clear that I’m anti-abortion. With that said, do you think we should demonize Planned Parenthood, or instead try to address the behaviors that lead people in crisis to Planned Parenthood? Your post suggests you believe that EVERYTHING they do isn’t all bad. In the same light, is ‘pro-choice’ as bad as ‘it’s okay for me to choose an abortion’? Wouldn’t it be better if the Christian/Evangelical/??? community focused more on the root of the weed rather than mowing over it, only for it to grow back, deeper rooted and more determined to stand out in the societal yard?
Good points. I think there are a couple of issues involved here. The first has to do with society change that is real and lasting. That has to absolutely begin in the hearts and minds of individuals. The second has to do with the agenda of an organization like Planned Parenthood, which statiscally is seemingly more more slanted towards abortion than other options. Ultimately, I think you have to try to address both of these issues.
I agree that the stats don’t lie, and seem to indicate a greater reliance on abortion than alternatives such as adoption, mentoring/counseling, etc. That’s where I feel the Christian community has missed a huge opportunity to be a part of the solution. I would suggest that Christians and Planned Parenthood/pro-choice proponents, if they sat down together, would realize they agree on several critical points:
* The death of a baby is a tragedy
* Something must be done to prevent children from being born into environments that mold them towards bad choices (crime, drug use, etc)
* Women (and men) need to have somewhere to turn and someone to talk to when an unwanted pregnancy occurs.
* Young people need to be educated regarding the choices they make with their bodies prior to making those choices.
* They wouldn’t have wanted THEIR parents to abort them.
As Christians, there’s a missed opportunity to avail ministries, ministers, counselors, volunteers, etc to organizations like Planned Parenthood. It’s not a rubber stamp of approval of abortion, it’s being inside organizations like Planned Parenthood in an ‘agree to disagree’ fashion that allows real change to take place. If we were firm on our belief that abortion is wrong, but open to work with people who don’t agree with us, the effects of that compared with the a-holes who try to block clinics, shame girls who are already feeling horrible about themselves, etc would be measurable. As of now, Christians as a whole polarize things and drive pro-choicers into their bunkers ready to dig in for war.
~WCE