Pro-choice

The political season has descended, like I believe it ever really goes away. I enjoy the civics lesson elections and the process provide for my high school students. Freedom of speech reigns during election years, and political correctness can fly right out the window.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but too often candidates seem to think it's ok to push across the line and apologize later.  This season is no different.

One hot issue that apparently separates Republicans from Democrats is abortion. Both sides feeling they serve as poster board for the opposing sides.  As a Christian, I totally get the impression I should be a card carrying Republican. I am not. I was raised by Republicans. I joke that my mom used to study the issues and the candidates by checking the boxes with the "R" endorsement or next to their names. Almost true. I grew up with quite a few different ideas. One such difference is on the abortion issue

Perhaps being in college in the 1970's contributed to my feminist leanings. Certainly I found myself surrounded by women stepping forward to be noticed.  I never believed in taking stands simply because I was a woman.  For example I didn't become a youth minister because I thought the position needed a woman. I took the position because I felt strongly God wanted me to do so. As a result of having a traditionally male position, I formed a lot of opinions during the time, but certainly not all of my opinions came out of feminism.

Many years after the fact I learned one of the college students under my care had had an abortion. I learned about it from the woman who had gone with her to have the procedure. Though the young girl had felt close to me, she was afraid to tell me she was pregnant. She was afraid I would think less of her. And I think, at that time in my life, I probably would not have handled it well. Instead, she went to another woman who spent time talking through all the options, but when it became clear that the girl was determined to end the pregnancy, the older woman had the grace to accompany her so she wouldn't be alone.

That's what life's lessons continue to teach me - grace. God constantly responds to me in grace, I should do no less to the people I find around me. When I get on my high horse about someone else's behavior, I am only pointing out my own sin. As I said before, I believe in God's eyes sin is sin. There are no big sins or little sins.  If abortion is a sin, it isn't any more heinous than my judging a struggling young person and leaving them to go through a terrible ordeal alone.

I believe  God is a God of choices. He allows us to make our own decisions. There are consequences to most decisions, good and bad, but my choices have no affect on God's unconditional love and grace. The story of Jesus on the cross shows us that God's forgiveness for all sin was made at that time. The only thing left is to accept or reject it.  We have the choice.  He doesn't force himself on us.

I think God is pro-choice.  I don't mean he celebrates abortion by any means.. But, he gives each of us the right to make the choices about our life.  He doesn't force anything on us, including himself. If I choose God's plan for my life there are certainly expectations  for a changed life, but even then, he allows me to make the choice.  I also have to accept the consequences.  The Bible is full of stories of God laying out his plan for people and then their taking a different route, making a different choice. And, in the end, if they choose to turn back to him, he is always there with open arms.

I had a pro-life phone call years ago asking me if I wasn't concerned about the millions of innocent children who had been killed by abortion through the years.  I said I wasn't. I think that stopped the caller cold, and I don't remember if they stayed on the line or not. But I don't worry about those babies. They are with God, never having to have suffered a day of this life,,

If I could have had a conversation with the caller I would have gone on to say that I am more concerned with the millions of young women who get pregnant. Why is America the first world country with the highest teen age pregnancy rate? The highest abortion rate? Something is terribly wrong, and it's not abortion. Abortion is the symptom. The wrong occurs months prior when the woman choses not to use birth control to protect herself and stop a pregnancy.  What would seem such a relatively simple choice, didn't happen.  (And I'm not speaking of pregnancy as the result of rape; that's another topic all together)

Politicians should be focused on our millions of young people, struggling to make the right choices. Fear, poverty, ignorance, willfulness, love all figure into their decisions.  Who talks with them? Who councils? Throwing health class at them and preaching abstinence has done no good at all. We need to rethink this issue and find away to throw our support at the women. Whose choosing them?