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If you’re like most of us, you’d rather not read another article about abortion this morning.
The
subject is divisive, the debate vitriolic. If you haven’t had an
abortion, if you don’t love someone who has, or if you’re not
considering an abortion personally, it can be tempting to ignore the
issue.
Then comes a movie that changes everything.
Startling abortion statistics
Unplanned
is being released today. My wife and I were invited to attend an
advance screening of the film a few weeks ago. It makes the issue of
abortion so real and relevant that everyone should see the film.
Here’s what I mean.
Here are my calculations:
- The Census Bureau reports that 77.4 percent of the American population is over the age of eighteen, which equates to 253,252,800 people.
- 50.8 percent of this population is female, which equates to 128,652,422 people.
- According to the Kaiser Foundation, 34 percent of this population is between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, which equates to 43,741,823 people.
- One-fourth of this population (the number who have had abortions, according to Planned Parenthood), is 10,935,455 women.
In
other words, only 8.5 percent of the American female adult population
and 4.3 percent of the entire American adult population has personally
experienced an abortion.
Even
if you dispute my calculations, you’d have to agree that the vast
majority of Americans who support abortion have never experienced one.
A scene you won’t forget
Unplanned
tells the story of a woman who became a Planned Parenthood clinic
director, then personally witnessed an abortion gone awry. (This scene
is apparently what caused the movie to be rated R, though I’ve seen far
more violence in PG-13 movies.) Her experience changed her life.
I am encouraging every person reading this article to see the movie because of this scene.
The
central character’s story is fascinating, as is the personal story of
the actress who plays her. The film’s production values are outstanding.
Unplanned competes as cinema with anything Hollywood will release this year.
But
the way it makes abortion real is what makes the movie so crucial for
our culture. And the Christians who minister to the central character
are a model for every one of us willing to engage with this issue.
Three priorities for life
You
and I will likely never argue an abortion case before the Supreme
Court. We may not have personal leverage with state legislators or have
the chance to influence a Planned Parenthood clinic director.
But here’s what we can do to save the babies and serve the mothers endangered by the tragedy of abortion.
One: Be persistent.
Evangelicals
have been fighting legalized abortion since 1973. While we have made
significant progress, it can be discouraging to wage a battle for
forty-six years.
As
Israel was about to cross the Jordan River and wage a generational
battle for their Promised Land, the Lord told their leader: “Be strong
and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” ( Joshua 1:9).
Read those words again: “Do not be dismayed.”
Every life saved and every mother served is an eternal soul worth it all and more.
Two: Be godly.
Scripture
shows us how to treat everyone we meet and especially those who
disagree with us: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” ( Colossians 3:12). We need to speak God’s words with godly character.
She was clear: Every employee is to “treat everyone with honor, dignity, and respect.” I am convinced that the culture of Chick-fil-A helps explain the restaurant’s astounding success (their
sales have now surpassed both Wendy’s and Burger King, despite being
open at least fifty-two fewer days a year). The Christian character of
the Cathy family sets the standard for everyone they employ and empowers
their godly response to their cultural critics.
The darker the room, the more attractive the light.
Three: Be prayerful.
Jesus taught us that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” ( Luke 18:1).
Max
Lucado: “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But
since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one
who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”
What to do now
Please see Unplanned and encourage others to do the same.
And
ask the Lord how he wants you to defend the unborn, help mothers
considering abortion, and minister to those who have made this tragic
choice.
As we stand for life, let’s be persistent, godly, and prayerful. Today.
NOTE: As Christians, we shouldn’t fear hard questions.
In fact, we are called to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for our hope ( 1 Peter 3:15).
As you watch, I pray it will help you defend the hope that lives within you.
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