I want to say just a bit more on the topic of abortion. I think we need to understand that the Supreme Court ruling known as Roe vs. Wade was a symptom of a problem, not the problem itself. Like I said yesterday, even if Roe vs. Wade were overturned abortion wouldn’t go away. In strict terms, it wouldn’t even become illegal, except in the states that chose to make it so. Before 1973, abortion was already legal under some circumstances (following the model proposed by the American Law Institute) in thirteen states.

But even at that, let’s talk about legislation in general. Laws allowing abortion are a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. We need to think about the factors in our society that have led to widespread public support for legalized abortion. Modifying laws while that sentiment still exists won’t accomplish much.

Jay Abels commented yesterday:

Almost 10 years ago, an article in Página 12 shocked me. In 2003 the number of abortions in Argentina was estimated to approximate the number in the USA. Their population was only about one tenth of our population, but abortion was so rampant, that they had almost as many abortions as we did. The biggest difference was that every one of the abortions in Argentina was illegal. There had not been one single legal abortion. The other big difference was between the death rates of the mothers. Abortion continues to be the leading cause of death for pregnant women in Latin America, where it has been illegal in every country. We knew 2 young women who died, one from a poorly done abortion by a neighbor lady, and the other from cancer when she did not get an abortion and the hormones stimulated the tumor’s growth.
Counting something that it illegal isn’t easy. We can get numbers on the amounts of tobacco sold that are much more accurate than on the amounts of marijuana. The same is true for abortion in Latin America. With the variety of estimated numbers and rates there, every one far exceeds the rate here where it is legal. Last year Uruguay legalized first trimester abortion with a number of restrictions. They are the first L.A. country to legalize it. It will be interesting to see what their numbers do.
I am certainly not in favor of increasing abortion rates; I have never heard any one say that they are. There are a variety of ideas on how to bring the rates down. Making it illegal does not appear to do anything but raise the rate both on abortions and on the death of the mothers. Maybe we should get on a different bandwagon.

Abortion numbers rose greatly over the last few years. Even in places where abortion was illegal. Here are some thoughts on some cultural influences besides the legal ones:

• The use of penicillin to treat venereal disease eliminated one of the great inhibitors of promiscuity
• The widespread availability of effective contraception took away the fear of pregnancy
• The social pressure to “do the right thing” disappeared; couples no longer felt they had to marry when the girl got pregnant. Now women were often left to face the financial and physical burdens alone.
• Medical procedures regarding abortion were studied more openly. New techniques were developed. (I purposely avoid all adjectives like “effective” or “better”; they make me shudder)
• Debates over abortion laws have created a sense of “this is my right”
• Social stigmas concerning abortion have all but disappeared

Can you think of others?

Joel pleaded yesterday that different methods of opposing abortion be respected. I’ll echo that plea. Those that want to join the public fight over “Roe vs. Wade” need to recognize that they’re choosing one of many methods. And it’s one of the least effective (if you haven’t, I’d encourage you to look at James Davison Hunter’s material on To Change The World, either on this site or at the author’s site). As Jay said, it’s time that the church as a whole chose a different bandwagon. Let’s address the illness, not just the symptoms.

In today’s “Links To Go,” there are a couple of articles that beat me to the punch a bit on the subject of how Christians should speak up for life. Rex Butts has recently written a couple of posts on the subject: 40 Years of Roe v. Wade… Lord Come! and Ending Abortion. And Chris Altrock had a good article last week: Real solution to abortion.

I’d like us to think about a hypothetical. What if Roe vs. Wade were overturned? What if the Supreme Court announced this afternoon that states could prohibit abortion?

Obviously that would move the political fight to the state level. And, given the current political climate in the U.S., I think many states would make abortion legal.

What if the Supreme Court made abortion illegal? Would that end abortions? You know and I know that it wouldn’t. I do find it interesting to hear the gun control vs. abortion debates (amazing how often those two get paired); the same people who say that outlawing guns wouldn’t stop gun violence seem to think that outlawing abortion would end abortions. It’s not true.

Worldwide, abortion rates are highest in countries where abortion isn’t legal. And our own history tells us that abortions were going on before Roe vs. Wade, even in States where it was illegal. Many of us probably know of Christians who had abortions, even though they thought they were damning themselves by doing so. Outlawing abortion would probably decrease the number of abortions in this country, but it would by no means eliminate them.

When I mentioned before the sorts of things that Christians should be doing about abortion, I was told that churches were already doing those things “in spades.” Maybe. But I can’t help but wonder how many lives could have been saved if we’d taken the same money and the same effort we’ve spent trying to change laws and used those things trying to minister to young couples, unwed mothers and unwanted children.

Throughout the history of our country, we’ve wrestled with the concept of which lives have value and which don’t. Society has been wrong, time and again. Some Christians have bucked the trend, some haven’t. Some Christians spoke up for the rights of native Americans; many didn’t. Some spoke out against slavery; some didn’t. Some supported the civil rights movement; some opposed it vehemently. Some support the killing of America’s enemies in other countries; some speak out against it.

Now, as society has decided that these lives aren’t worth saving, we need to back up and begin speaking for all lives. If we try to pick and choose, society can ignore us easily. We speak up for the unborn. We speak up for foreigners. We speak up for those who die around the world from hunger, thirst and disease. We speak up for life. We become truly pro-life and not just pro-life on one topic.