“Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5)
Over the past couple of days, protesters have taken to the streets of Poland to protest what many have described as a near total ban on abortion by the Polish government. The appointment of conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett into the US Supreme Court has also sparked debates about abortion rights.
Roe v Wade
In 1973, the US Supreme Court legalized abortion by a vote of seven to two. The court’s judgement ruled that a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy came under the freedom of personal choice in family matters as protected by the 14th Amendment of the US constitution. This monumental ruling is often referred to as Roe v Wade. With the appointment of conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett into the US Supreme Court and President Trump’s stance on abortion, Roe v Wade may be addressed by the US Supreme court once again.
Pro-life vs Pro-choice
Pro-life simply means supporting the right to life of the unborn. Pro-choice means supporting the right of a woman to have abortion. Since Roe v Wade was passed in 1973, over sixty million babies have been aborted in the United States alone. A common argument among those who claim to be pro-choice is that a woman has a moral right to decide what to do with her body. Some even go as far as claiming that a fetus is not yet human until after delivery from the womb. There are stages in human development and it is common knowledge that the fetus is one of the stages of human development. To dehumanize the fetus is not only a cowardly act but it should be tagged a criminal act. Every life, whether born or unborn is precious in the eyes of God and should be protected by the law of the land. Someone once said that abortion has never been about choice but that it’s about escaping the consequences of your choices by taking all choices away from another human being. The laws of the land should protect the most vulnerable and the most vulnerable humans at this point in history are the unborn.
WWE superstar, Titus O’Neil was the product of an abuse. His mother gave birth to him when she was just eleven, having ignored several appeals by her family members to abort her baby. Raising him as a single mum was tough but at the end, he became a fantastic young man that people look up to in his community. I believe deciding against an abortion at age ten must have been a very hard decision for her but she chose to keep a life against her comforts. Those who say a woman has a right to decide what to do with her body are right but should that right lead to the murder of a defenseless child?
The fight for life
“Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting the person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness.” Avelda King.
The great tragedy of the 17th and 18th century was the dehumanization of the black race. The great tragedy of the 20th and 21st century has been the dehumanization of the unborn. Both evils were fueled by selfishness.
“Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Among many societies today, the sacredness of life has been lost. People can murder in the name of religion, war, politics or for comfort. We must reclaim the sacredness of life. All lives must matter to us including that of the unborn. We must fight for a better future for the young ones, we must teach them that life is sacred and must be valued, we must care for the least vulnerable in society, even those that are yet to see the rising sun. We must believe that amidst the great darkness in this world, there is still so much good and everyone deserves to have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Rume Kpadamrophe is a graduate student at the University of South Carolina. Before leaving Nigeria, he mentored several youths in prophetic, intercession, and evangelism. He is a revivalist, a writer, a researcher, and an enthusiastic lover of revival history. He desires to see revival ignited and sustained in the nations of the earth. He currently serves as the president of The Carolina Church, a campus ministry at the University of South Carolina.Rume’s email is rumekpadamrophe@yahoo.com.