Sometimes the Left is so Right!

This week marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the godless 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision which by fiat legalized infanticide throughout the United States. Pro-life Christians (can there be any other kind?) have protested, picketed and petitioned ever since. But is our appeal for morality actually mired in self-refuting rationalization of "exception clauses"?

Austin Cline, an outspoken athiest who writes for About.com, charges the right-wing Christian commununity with the egregious sin of incongruity. Cline's article, "Pro-Life, Anti-Choice Inconsistencies: What Do Abortion Opponents Believe?", enumerates eight contradictions in the Right to Life platform. A couple of his points are problematic, athough thought provoking. As for the rest, the leftist Cline is irrefutably right!

In summary, the eight counts of contradiction are:

1. Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) use. Christians affirm that life begins at conception, but our silence on the use of IUDs contradicts our statement. These contraceptive devices block implantation of fertilized eggs--the very beginning of human life.
2. Emergency Contraception. Like IUDs, the "morning after pill" also blocks a fertilized egg from implanting in the mother's uterus. Cline fails to mention that regular contraceptive pills, which prevent pregnancy primarily by delaying ovulation, also make the uterus a hostile environment for a fertilized egg.
3. Funerals aren't held for aborted fetuses. Cline is correct. We really haven't mourned the passing of 53 million persons.
4. Treating abortion like murder. If an individual is labeled as a "mass murderer" after killing four or five individuals, then what do you call an abortion doctor who terminates literally thousands of innocent lives? Scripture calls for capital punishment even when only one life is taken (Ex. 21:12). The full penalty of law should be applied to abortionists as well. Please note: it is always the government's responsibility to exact retribution (Rom. 13:4).
5. Peaceful protests against abortion. This is the first of Cline's problematic statements. As noted above, it's the government's job to exact retribution upon those who do wrong. Our inconsistency as Christians is that we are too apathetic concerning this issue to take advantage of our privilege as citizens to peacefully overturn the government-by voting according to God's mandate (Deut. 1:13, 16:18). We do make up the majority in the U.S., don't we? We do elect our leaders by popular vote, don't we? Our voter ballot is the most militant protest we need.
6. Exceptions for rape and incest. Cline's right. We allow our emotion to obscure God's instruction. God clearly tells us that we are not to punish children for their father's sin (Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekial 18:20). Only a victim of sexual abuse can accurately express the pain of such an experience. Bearing a child concieved in that sinful assault publicizes the humiliation. Bearing shame caused by others, however, is a Christ-like virtue. Wrongfully accused and illegally convicted by men, the Son of God hung exposed and shamed on a cross--in order that He might bring life to man. How Christ-like would it be for a woman to turn a man's sin into a life-giving opportunity. In order for there to be a change in public opinion about this issue, we as Christians must surround abused victims with love and encouragement. All the shame must be placed on the perpetrators, not the victims. Secondly, we must recognize the intrinsic value of every human life. Pro-abortion forces know that cases of rape and incest ellicit deep emotional reaction. If they can decieve us into believing that a child conceived in such cases is not worthy of life, then they can, and will, progressively decieve us into thinking there are other cases in which a child ought not be born.
7. Exeptions for the health of the mother. Note the bait-and-switch from "life endangerment of the mother" to "health of the mother." This is another point where abortionist have successfully crafted rhetoric to appeal to pathos. Furthermore, having convinced us that there are cases in which a mother's health (not just life) is endangered, the abortionists then substitute in "mental health" as yet another justification for abortion.
8. Anti-choice activism and moral seriousness. Cline's last charge against "believers" is actually a repeat of point number 5. It deserves the same answer. It's government's job to tear down the abortion mills and prosecute the killers. It's our job, as citizens, to reform our godless government.