What Pro-life Movement Have You Joined?

In my seven years as Executive Director of the PRC, I’ve had ample opportunity to interact with various members of the media. One thing always puzzles me though: no matter how much I emphasize our pro-life position, we are always characterized as being “anti-abortion” or “abortion foes.”

What’s the difference, you say? Well, there’s a lot.

Certainly abortion is horrible; it is an abhorrent practice that should not exist in a civilized society. But, not all those who agree on that point would agree on how to express this. Within the pro-life camp there is a continuum ranging from radical activism on one end to passivity on the other. How someone expresses their convictions about abortion determines where they land on this spectrum.

My perspective is that the most effective method in the work of saving babies and ministering to their mothers, both physically and spiritually is found only in a balanced, personalized and Kingdom-focused approach.

The most valuable approach to fight abortion is on our knees, as well as through relational, Christ-like love and counsel. In fact, the best work gets done one-on-one and face-to-face.

As we listen to our clients, their stories reveal the impossible circumstances that surround their decision-making. It has been our experience that women don’t wake the morning of their abortion appointment thinking, “Oh, great! The day I get to have my abortion has finally come!”

On the contrary we find that women agonize over it—a lot.

Those who favor abortion speak about “freedom of choice.” Ironically, when we speak to women who have had an abortion, they don’t mention that they felt much freedom, or that they had much choice.

So, in literal terms, groups like the PRC are the ones truly giving women the information they need to make an informed choice. This is because we work to remove the material, social, and spiritual barriers standing between the woman and a life-affirming choice. When she can see around those barriers, most of the time she’ll choose life.

As we love and care for the mother, we are able to save the unborn child. This approach is personal, spirit-led, and extremely hard work.

But, that’s being pro-life. I think it’s harder than being anti-abortion. Way harder.

The anti-abortion side of the camp tends to be more public, demonstrative and flamboyant. For instance, recently I learned that a group like this was headed to Grand Rapids to deliver their message. Unfortunately, they don’t live in Grand Rapids and they don’t really intend on having an actual conversation with anyone, except maybe the media.

Their approach, in contrast to the PRC’s, is to post pictures of aborted fetuses on the sides of large cargo trucks and drive through the city and wait for the reaction.

The PRC’s mission statement is to “live the truth that people matter to God.” This includes the baby, certainly; but it also includes the mother who’s had an abortion. In fact, we go way beyond that because we believe Jesus would. We pray for and love the staff who aid in performing abortion, and also the doctor who performs them.

We know his name. Do the people in the trucks?

Most of the time, we can’t influence people for the Kingdom of Christ if we don’t first build trusting relationships with them and earn the right to speak truth into their lives.

God is and has always been for people; and always sinful people. In the Apostle Paul’s words, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) I want to be part of the pro-life movement that embodies Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

With Jesus as the example, it’s easy to know what being pro-life looks like. On the other hand, Living It—well, that’s the hard part.

Driving a truck through town with no accountability is easy. Getting involved in the messy, dirty lives of people wracked by sin and its effects is extremely hard.

But that’s the pro-life movement I want to be a part of.

How ‘bout you?