Right to Lifers are marching in Washington. They march because they are on a mission. The mission is to save babies, to save innocents, to save lives, to save baby Americans. Women and Men are marching to create awareness and to stir others to action, to stand, rather than be silent, because all lives matter, native American lives matter, black lives matter, white lives matter, unprotected vulnerable lives matter, babies with disabilities matter. They march because all babies deserve a chance at life and all should be insured the right to be born.

We as a nation are protecting a practice that flies in the face of who we are as human beings. The “right” to abort another human being defies our very right to exist. There is a reason we pledge these words …with liberty and justice for all. Let’s do right by all our children, even the unborn members of our civil society.

-This is an opinion piece-

 I’m so sorry.

Dedicated to all those who forfeited their lives because we failed them.

We cannot fail another generation.

What they didn’t tell you before the abortion

Logic, when streamlined according to what is in your own “best” interest, can be a deception. What they didn’t tell you before the abortion was the truth. They withheld important information about the procedure. They used faulty logic to distort truth. You didn’t get to see your baby’s image on the screen. You didn’t see the fingers, toes and beating heart, the baby sucking his thumb. One baby lives…if the mother says so, and another baby didn’t stand a chance…when they’re a throw-away baby.

Which kind of baby would you want to be?

We have a great ability to distort truth, to justify actions and to white-wash consequences–especially those that gratify self-interest or protect the status quo. We also bury those facts we wish to hide and that no one knows about.  Shame, guilt, fear of condemnation, disapproval, intimidation, fear and a host of other reasons cause us to remain silent on subjects that matter. That is when the louder voice overpowers the weaker voice.

I have been silent too long.

Here’s how the scenario often plays out. An unwanted pregnancy at a wrong time with the wrong person can lead to a wrong choice being made.

To terminate an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy is the choice that some “logically” say is a right choice because of the “wrong” situation. They say, “What about the woman’s future?” They want the pregnant girl, teen, young woman or mother with children to believe that to do otherwise “in their situation” is not in the game plan and would be a wrong choice for them.

Does the unborn baby girl think so?

What about her future? It’s looking bleak.

Do these women have any choice?

Only one person, ultimately, has a choice in this scenario.

The woman with child, the “mother” of the baby, will determine whether or not this child goes to term. The woman carrying the baby in her womb is vulnerable to public opinion (does the public value all life?). She is vulnerable to the opinions of others in her world even if they don’t know because she keeps her news to herself. She is subject to the social mores of social society. She listens to the voice that is speaking loudest, what is being said in the public square, by her teachers and on social mediums. Her man may not “want” this baby. After all, he doesn’t think he needs to shoulder the extra responsibility of supporting a child, or even the constant tie to the baby’s mother. She may feel she has no choice, or she is pressured to get rid of “it.” Maybe she never planned to raise a child. Abortion, for this way of thinking, is the easiest answer to the problem.

But someone will pay.

A baby, a grandchild, a brother, a sister, a niece, a nephew will pay with their life for that woman’s “choice.”

Some choices are best not considered. Innocent lives will never be given the gift of seeing the blue sky. They will never know the warmth of a loving embrace. They will never feel the warmth of the sun on a summer’s day and the delight of watching bubbles float in the air. They never had a chance. Some could care less, and pro-choice advocates are saying that that’s okay.

But it’s not okay.

When did we as a nation quit caring about “some” lives? When did we hide behind terms like Women’s Reproductive Health? Was it when they told us to quit caring about the unborn fetus…in certain situations? That we get to make that choice? The bully in the abortion industry forgot that you have a conscience that will live with you the rest of your life. They didn’t tell you that you are killing your baby. They didn’t tell you that you’re killing your daughter (where are HER rights?). Where are his rights? They didn’t tell you that the abortion is painful for the baby inside of you. They didn’t tell you that when you allow one child to be aborted, you’re likely to have another abortion later on.

It was a cover-up. That baby wanted to live. But someone else didn’t want it to live. The baby was powerless. Some post abortive women are traumatized at the time or relive the trauma when their conscience allows itself to awaken to the fact. It is not just a procedure. Deep inside they know the truth, no matter what the other voices are saying.

They didn’t tell you that part of yourself dies after an abortion.

They lied to YOU.

How do I know?

I have not had an abortion. However, over the years several women have told me about their abortions and a few men have told me about their wife, sister, or girlfriend’s abortion(s). My heart is grieved when I listen to women share the reasons they aborted the flesh of their own flesh. It is always a hush-hush conversation, never to be repeated.

I see the tears in their eyes.

With painful emotion, they disclose their past choice(s) to me. I feel the deep sadness they have felt, which has haunted them for five, fifteen, or thirty years. I hear the lies they believed or told themselves about why they thought it was okay at the time or seemed justified in some way. Others don’t go there. They never wanted the abortion. They caved. Someone put pressure on them or they felt they would lose their partner or reputation or parents’ support. Their eyes tell me a story. I see raw pain. I see regret. I see a broken heart. I see sorrow and suffering. Sometimes I see denial, or I see deadness. I listened to the man who told me about his girlfriend’s abortion and how he begged her to let him raise the child. Despite his pleas, she terminated the pregnancy. The pain is still there some forty years later. Sorrow and regret lived with him all these years hence.

Self-protection, image, or pressure from another person of importance, from their significant other, family of origin or church family, influenced them, or influenced you. A decision was made to abort the baby before it saw the light of day.

A lie was believed. The lie says that the end justifies the means.

This “choice” was believed and accepted as the only and best way out. Sadly, in their inner soul, they either justified the action or they bore the heavy stain upon their heart. Yet I can say, God was there at the time of the loss of life. He felt the pain from this act of perdition with His precious, holy, bleeding heart. Your suffering little one was healed, made whole, and welcomed into His arms on the day the baby bore your shame and hid your guilt.

Shame on the law of the land that did not protect you from the pressure to abort and your baby from harm. The court of laws have protected the mother’s choice but abandoned, condemned, the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society.

Stories that should have been shared are missing. Intimidation? Newsworthy articles about pro-life, walks-for-life, are never covered. Ignored? Grisly atrocities including late-term aborted babies, murdered, stacked in a back room, and found at an abortion doctor’s clinic, barely makes a blip on the screen and is limited to local coverage. Buried? Puppy mills get more coverage than that. Baby parts harvested and sold, down-played by a nationally funded agency, gets minimal outrage and then goes blank. Messy? Other human rights violations get covered, why not this? “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil?” As I said earlier, we as a nation are protecting a practice that flies in the face of who we are as human beings.

We should be outraged.

But no, the culture of death lives on. And the culture of life is down-trodden, silenced or muted, and ignored.  Bad things happen to people who speak out about this injustice. They are shunned, intimidated, receive retribution (as may I). This callousness toward a sector of human life has bred generations of people who have believed a lie, a lie that devalues the sanctity of human life. As a society, we have chosen to embrace an activity that pierces our collective soul and damages us as a nation. There are two major players here. An educational system, for one, and a social system that have promoted a dual message concerning life. It contains gradient views, a hierarchical view concerning human worth and value. Darwin would have been pleased. The survival of the fittest. There is a bigger picture here than may be realized by our society at large.

It grieves my heart.

There is hope.

I would not have you feel that there is no hope because of the guilt from the past.

There is always hope.

Christ bore your pain and He bore your sorrow. He was there when it happened and was grieving for both you and your sweet little one. Christ loved you with a love that forgives, cleanses and heals. God loves you. Come to Him. He will forgive you. Let Him heal you.

This is not only about terrible sins that are easily recognized. It also about self-righteous pride and arrogance, which are matters of great sin and wrong-headed behaviors. These must be acknowledged and grieved through a sorrowing process.

God must be asked to reveal what are our own areas of guilt. Then we can deal and heal.

Make the right choice.

Let’s spread the word. Every baby has a right to live, even the unwanted ones. There are many people who would love to raise your child if you can’t or don’t have the ability to do so. There are those who will love your child.

Be brave. Be courageous. Be loving. Choose to save a life. Choose to help save other lives. Choose life. It’s the right thing to do.

Your baby thanks you. Other babies thank you.

God bless you.

No regrets.

Dedicated to all those who forfeited their lives because we failed them.

I first penned this post in 2014. I updated and expanded it for 2017 by including recent information and stronger statements. People are haters these days. I expect some will hate me and this article. I have to admit to being intimidated by the loudest voices out there. They condemn people, like me, who do not share their contemporary views. They say we don’t care about the mother, or we don’t care about the child once it is born. That may be true in some instances, but not so in the majority. There are agencies and church people and loving people who are helping mothers who face obstacles like unplanned pregnancies. There is much more to be done, though.

I suggest, to the post abortive woman, counseling at a care center that specializes in helping traumatized women. Many of these counselors share the same wounds as you and are active in helping others find their own freedom. Some of the counselors are post-abortive, as well. My local community has a great resource center, skilled in helping women overcome the pain from their past. They offer classes, where community fosters trust and support. I know some of the counselors. They are warm-hearted and understanding. You need not fear sharing your story with them. Christian-based counselors will have encouraging insights and they will love you. They understand the pain.

Last, but not least, I suggest you contact the greatest Counselor of them all, the Lord Jesus. Like He did with the woman at the well, He accepts and transmits value to all people. Christ heals hearts, and He longs to heal your heart. No one could love you more than He does. Accept His healing grace. When you look at a crucifix you see Jesus with His arms wide open. They’re open for all of us. By His stripes and wounds, you are being healed. Come to Jesus. He awaits you. He will love you and wipe away your tears.