Then What?

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Abortion.

I live in a state (and probably country) where how you feel about this issue determines whose house you're invited to.

I am pro-life. 

BUT-- before you go adding me to or crossing me off your guest list--let me explain what I mean by that.

I am in favor of life--my life, your life, the lives of people in all manner of places, situations, demographics, and, yes, the lives of the unborn. 

But it's not as simple as all that. 

As Christians, it is our job to speak up for the unspoken for. But if we become singularly obsessed with defending the rights of the unborn, putting all our energy and resources into fighting abortion (and into the campaigns of candidates who promise to do so), we are drastically missing the point.

The question I want to ask today is THEN WHAT?

Say you outlaw abortion--or on a smaller scale, convince someone not to have one--then what?

What happens to the child who isn't raised in a loving, capable family?

Or the parents struggling to put food on the table for children they don't want or don't know how to care for?

There are wonderful pregnancy support centers (though surely not enough) that encourage women to choose life, providing counseling, healthcare, and more. But what happens after the baby is born?

Are we really pro-life. . . or are we just pro-birth?

If we are truly pro-life, we must care about the Then What. We must care for the mommas whose organs are squished for nine months as their skin stretches out over the unplanned miracle inside them. We need to walk them through post-partem depression and raging hormones and the challenges of breastfeeding.  We need to help the mommas who decide to keep their babies navigate childcare, selfcare, job-training, housing, and managing finances. We need to help because, whatever the circumstances leading to pregnancy, having a baby is more than just one choice, and the same goes for raising one. 

How can we dare to impose our morality on others if we are not going to come alongside them as they deal with the very real implications of that?

Pregnancy and parenthood are HARD. That is true for me, and I was EXCITED to be pregnant every single time. I have an incredible partner who provides emotional and financial support, and I have Jesus. Can you imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't?

If we want fewer abortions, we need to make it easier for those involved to choose life, regardless of what the law says. 

For the babies whose biological parents cannot or will not raise them, we need to help facilitate adoptions, advocate for foster children, and support foster parents. We need to counsel and guide those aging out of foster care, being tossed into adulthood without a lifeboat.

In short, when those fetuses we cared about so much become children, teens, and young adults, WE NEED TO KEEP CARING. 

What if instead of picketing at Planned Parenthood, we built relationships there and advocated for referrals to pregnancy support centers?

What if we, who vote with our dollar, took our funds away from the politicization of being "pro-life" and applied them instead to the personal needs of those who are in such despair that they are considering terminating an unborn life? What if our dollars went not to the campaigns of pro-life candidates, but to the upbringing and edification of those whose lives are spared? 

What if we cared less about conforming others to our ideologies and simply cared more for others?

What if we were to stand in the gap not just for the unborn but for the living?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? James 2:15-16

And if we care for the unborn baby but not for the one that is born. . . what good is that?


If you know of any organizations dedicated to the Then What, please share in the comments!

Note: This post assumes a pro-life, Christian audience and is not intended to be an all-out treatise on the multi-faceted and deeply emotional issue of abortion, but rather just some food for thought. 



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