The Right Side of a Revolution

Am I not a man and a brother? –Abolition era medallion

A few years ago, my mom and I were discussing the John Adams miniseries that was on TV. She remarked that if she and my dad were alive at the time, they probably would have been against the revolution. (They aren’t very revolutionary.) It was an off-hand remark, but it stuck with me. Race was a defining domestic policy issue for over two centuries before the truth broke through. Today, the inherent dignity of human is widely assumed, and our history of slavery and racism is universally condemned. Where would I have stood on slavery? I resolved to be on the right side of any future revolutions.

I have become convinced that future generations will regard the era of abortion with the disdain and disappointment we currently view slavery and racism.

Life came to the forefront of domestic policy debates in the early 1980s and has since become the defining question of our time. Abortion is the main issue, but debates over euthanasia, stem cell research, and cloning involve the same central questions as debates over slavery: what is a person and what is a person worth?  The value we place on life has far-reaching implications. As is written in the Manhattan Declaration:

Around the globe, we are witnessing cases of genocide and “ethnic cleansing,” the failure to assist those who are suffering as innocent victims of war, the neglect and abuse of children, the exploitation of vulnerable laborers, the sexual trafficking of girls and young women, the abandonment of the aged, racial oppression and discrimination, the persecution of believers of all faiths, and the failure to take steps necessary to halt the spread of preventable diseases like AIDS. We see these travesties as flowing from the same loss of the sense of the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life that drives the abortion industry… And so ours is, as it must be, a truly consistent ethic of love and life for all humans in all circumstances.

Or, as Kansas Governor Sam Brownback often says, being “pro-life”  means concern for “whole-life.”

The initial batch of posting from my friends Amy, Paul, and Stephen were remarkably similar. Each affirmed their own pro-life commitments before moving the conversation away from the merits of pro-life arguments to the politics and rhetoric surrounding the abortion debate. This is where the respondents are most comfortable. Today, it seems to be where many Christians are most comfortable.

It’s not difficult to understand the reasons why. Abortion is unpleasant. It involves matters of a private nature, including our bodies and personal histories. It is difficult to have a discussion of abortion without hurt feelings, heated words, and damaged relationships. Given where the two political parties stand, it is easy to believe that the two-sides have calcified and nothing can be gained.

Can’t you imagine feeling the same if you were living in London in the mid-18^th century as William Wilberforce led his decades-long movement to end the slave trade?

What if you were a Virginian in the early 1800s? Would you have wished the abolitionists would temper their rhetoric? Would you have supported allowing the South to secede to maintain the peace?

What if you were a German pastor in the era of Bonhoeffer? How far would you go to avoid conflict?

These are the questions I ask myself when I think about abortion, when I’m in the uncomfortable position of defending my position. At the end of the day, I would rather be on the right side of history then on the good side of my neighbor.

If you agree, allow me to offer one practical suggestion. I share an office with Care Net, a national network of 1,100 crisis pregnancy centers. Recently, I learned that 90% of pregnant women who visit a crisis pregnancy center carry their child to term. Compare that statistic to the fact that over 90% of pregnant women who visit Planned Parenthood choose abortion.

Crisis pregnancy centers offer women in need a heaping dose of compassion and provision. They help take the fear out of an unanticipated pregnancy, allowing women to make an informed, clear-headed choice about what to do next. And, when given such a choice, the vast majority choose life.

Find a crisis pregnancy clinic near you. Donate your time, resources, and money to their work. Spread the word. Advocate the building of new clinics that can serve even more women.