In response to my blog post Is It Judgmental and Unloving to Believe That Abortion Is Child-Killing?, a reader shared this touching true story, which we’re sharing with her permission:
When we were missionaries in Eastern Europe, a sister who attended our church asked my husband to take her to the hospital so she could get an abortion...her situation was desperate...she lived in a slum, and had three kids all under five and a husband that did not work and drank heavily.
My husband explained he could not do it as it would be condoning murder and assured her we would be with her and give her the help and supplies she needed to have the baby...but she was desperate so [she] couldn’t comprehend any other solution to her plight and became very angry with us. A few days later we [met with] her and the Lord had done a marvelous work in her heart so that she had decided to keep the baby.
We were true to our word, and through the help of other brothers and sisters back home everything was provided for the baby...today he is a young man in his 20s.
Thank God my husband stood firm. —P.A.B
I love the grace and truth that was modeled in the response to this woman, and the actions that followed their promise of help. “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18, NLT).
Of course, speaking the truth in love, standing for life, and encouraging others to do the right thing doesn’t always mean they’ll do it, or that they will like you. But even then, real love doesn’t quit or give up; it will offer help and point to Jesus Christ as the only true source of hope, healing, and forgiveness.
Years ago, when she was in high school, one of my daughters had a friend who found herself pregnant and was determined to get an abortion. My daughter, along with an older friend, showed up outside the clinic at the time of the appointment and pleaded with her friend and her friend’s mom to save the life of her baby. She offered help and support, including free babysitting. Sadly, the friend went through with the abortion. Though what my daughter did was obviously difficult, later she heard from someone else that her friend actually respected her for doing it, and most importantly, I believe God was honored by her actions and words. “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11).
If you’d like to be involved with helping women facing unplanned pregnancies in your area, I encourage you to contact your local pregnancy resource center (find one in your area). Also, check out Embrace Grace, a group that exists to “equip churches on how to love and support the single and pregnant young women in their communities.” They partner with pregnancy resource centers to refer women to local churches where they can join a support group and receive help and love.
May we back up our pro-life convictions with courage, grace-filled words, and loving actions!
Download the PDF of Randy’s new book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims—What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us?
In this thoroughly researched and easy-to-read book, author Randy Alcorn examines fifteen major claims of the pro-choice position and shares fact-based, rational responses. If you have mixed feelings about abortion, as many people do, this book can be part of your quest for truth. If you’re pro-choice or pro-life, it can help you think through your position.
If we have any hope of understanding and engaging with each other, let’s move our dialogue beyond bumper stickers, memes, and tweets. Randy encourages readers to listen carefully to arguments on both sides of the abortion debate, and to look at the evidence and weigh it on its own merit.
The print book is available from our ministry for a low cost.
Photo by Xavier Mouton Photographie on Unsplash
