By Gretchen Anderson
Abortion is irreparable. It is irreversible, and what is lost through the decision to abort is afterwards irretrievable. The person who would have been born into the world will never see the grass or feel the sun or hear the birds in the trees. They will never experience the pains and joys, the highs and lows, the mountains and valleys of life. The truth that most people don’t realize is that the damage abortion causes is so much worse than the reasons encouraging the decision.
Defined as the world likes to put it, abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. However, referring to it in terms such as these can distance the relatability, and our understanding, of the problem in question. Abortion, stated with more emotion, is the unfeeling killing of a preborn baby, the purposeful murder of a unique person who has not even had a chance to breathe, much less show the world what God made them for.
Abortion is a threat, simply stated, because it is murder. If people are willing to kill a baby and accept the fact that they have done so as normal, what crimes will they allow to be committed in the future? The unquestionable truth is that a person is a person, no matter how small. When abortion occurs, it ought to be considered the equivalent of murder. All human beings are created by God, and He has a plan for each of us. From the moment of our conception/creation, He has loved us. Abortion cuts short the beautiful person who could have been born.
Standing up for the truth is never met with encouragement or support from everyone. More often than not, unpleasant arguments are started. The reactions of people to our beliefs are enough to shame us into keeping quiet. But truly, it is a sin to keep quiet when God is calling us to speak.
How can we share our beliefs without causing hurt or anger? How can we be stewards of God’s love and truth? First and foremost, put prayer into all your actions. We are not strong enough to do good work on our own. We need God’s comforting presence by our side through the struggles of our life. When you approach a difficult conversation, always remember to pray to the Holy Spirit to guide your words.
Second, even if the person in question’s beliefs are confused, remember they are just as much a person as the preborn babies we are fighting to protect! Treat them with the respect they deserve as a child of God, and keep a level head. We must protect the helpless in any way we can. We can do so by our example, when we encourage those who are suffering. We can do so by our words, when we speak without fear. And we can do so by our thoughts, keeping them fixed on the light that can never be dimmed.
Protecting the vulnerable is hard. It is difficult and discouraging to speak for the weak when no one will listen. In a world that downplays integrity and moral strength, be the truth. A lighthouse’s job is to guide ships by the true beacon of its light. Keep straight to the path of truth, and be the light that no one can ignore.
Gretchen Anderson received an honorable mention in the high school category of the Culture of Life Studies Program’s 2024 Pro-Life Essay Contest.