This is the last post I’ll do on abortion. The previous post was personal; this one is historical. I felt both were vital.
One of my passions is seeking God in history. It’s amazing how many times you find Him, and not just in “big” Christian moments, like the Great Schism or the Reformation.
It’s sometimes harder seeking God in current events. We just don’t know how things will play out. It’s even harder during tumultuous times, when we feel we’re on the precipice of history and we just don’t know how things will shake out.
Right now, there is so much change and upheaval. Which means our actions now are vital. Not only will history remember our actions in this moment, but our spiritual legacies are tied to it, too.
And it’s important to remember that a historical victory is not necessarily a spiritual one.
Time will tell which “victory” Roe will be like. There are two other instances that come to mind, two potential outcomes from the past we can look at to determine what our actions now might do.
And I can tell you this: you don’t really want it to be like either.
Abolition
Abolitionists need no explanation. They fought tirelessly to end slavery, and they were successful! We don’t need to seek God very hard in this matter. It is obviously His will that people are not beaten, raped, and abused. Is it any coincidence that the Civil War only changed course after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation? I think not. I think God gave a clear victory because His image bearers were being brutalized, and someone was finally going to free them.
But then…
The abolitionists stopped fighting right when they were needed most. After the war, they moved on. They didn’t ensure former slaves’ rights. They didn’t provide them with skills and tools to succeed as freemen and women. And they didn’t fight for African Americans’ safety. It took 100 years for African Americans to gain the basic rights of safety, equality, and justice. And it’s a fight we’re still fighting.
Will it take 100 more years for mothers to get the support and help they vitally need? Are pro-lifers going to do a victory dance and then leave mothers with insurmountable burdens? I hope not. I hope pro-lifers will prove to be different than abolitionists.
Prohibition
But there’s another example of which way this could go – one in which it’s very hard to see God.
Prohibition was started by Christians who saw drunkenness as a huge problem and wanted to end it. To be fair, drunkenness is a problem. But it was a symptom of a larger problem: terrible working conditions and abject poverty. They treated the symptom, not the cause.
Their movement is a ridiculous blip in our history. A laughable footnote where speak-easies are romanticized, and gangsters get rich.
Do you know who did succeed in this area? The people who fought for better wages and working conditions. The people who brought health care to the forefront of the conversation with Alcoholics Anonymous. These people fought for quality of life, and they created change.
Overturning Roe v. Wade is fighting a symptom of a larger problem: lack of support for mothers. Our maternal mortality rates show this lack. Our maternity leave shows this lack.
Pray to God that this is not our legacy. Yes, drunkenness is a choice, but if it’s the only option that offers an escape, then of course it will be taken. The same can be said of abortion.
What The Prohibitionists and Abolitionists Missed
As Christians, it’s not just about our historical legacy; it’s also about our spiritual legacy. The thing is, both prohibitionists and abolitionists fought for what they viewed as godly. Pro-lifers do, too.
Who is to say that prohibitionists don’t get credit for trying to make the world godlier? Let’s assume they did it out of a pure conviction to stop sin. That’s noble! It should be lauded!
But how much more is the legacy of the abolitionists, who were convinced that God was appalled at his image bearers’ going through the evils of slavery? That is noble. It should be lauded.
Both have ties to the abortion argument for Christians. Who is to say the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade isn’t noble? Who is to say it doesn’t support a spiritual legacy?
And yet…how much more is the legacy of those who sought to treat the root of the problem: hearts.
Neither the abolitionists nor the prohibitionists went after hearts.
If the abolitionists had gone after hearts, they would have tried to reach their Southern brothers, imploring them to see their former slaves as equals. They would have served the African American Community, fighting to ensure that abuses did not continue. Instead, the upper classes were allowed to keep the lower classes in bondage. It took the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to move hearts – which consequently moved legislation.
If the prohibitionists had gone after hearts, they would have seen how the greed and avarice of the bosses was a bigger evil than all the drunkenness in the world. They would have done what the Labor Movement did, which was fight for good wages, better working conditions, and reasonable hours. But again, the upper classes were keeping the lower classes in bondage. It was only when people began looking into the conditions of the poor that hearts were changed – which consequently changed legislation.
The Difference Between Abolition and Prohibition
We don’t talk about the abolitionists’ failure. They are heroes. And to be fair, they should be.
Do you know why the abolition movement was seen as a success? Because they cared about the people, and they showed it. Yes, they failed to follow through on some important points, and that had far-reaching consequences. But they got the compassion right. The prohibitionists on the other hand, completely missed it.
The ancient Christians captured the world with their compassion toward exposed infants. And yet modern Christians are known for slinging slurs and trying to control women’s bodies. If we were truly Christ-like, this would not be the case. If we were truly Christ-like, people would see that we care about them, and hearts would change.
I’m convinced that if Christians had been actually acting like Christ since Roe v. Wade, abortion would have gone down on its own. If we’d been acting out of compassion to reach hearts, abortion rates would have declined. To be fair, some have. But those were small charities, never a movement.
There needs to be a movement. Fight for the emotional, physical, and psychological health of mothers. When the world sees us doing this, their hearts will be changed. Why? Because they will see we actually care.
A Call to Action
Only time will tell how Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will be seen. But regardless, Christians need to get to the root of the problem: hearts. How can we better minister to mothers? How can we make sure ALL their needs are met. There are a variety of ways this can happen, and we need to work with politicians, medical professionals, and charities to achieve this.
All of us, pro-lifers and pro-choicers alike, need to be pro-mother. It is absolutely vital that we change the conversation in this way. Only then can there be a true choice for life.
