Sunday, September 18, 2011
Questioning the Pro 'choice' messages in 'pro-life' pregnancy centers
1. Abortion offered as an OPTION
Most women are instinctively reluctant to have an abortion because they know in their heart of hearts that killing the unborn child in their womb must be wrong. A prime task of pro-choice counseling, therefore, is to conceal the moral objections to abortion. And they do so by referring to abortion as an 'option' ...for once abortion is turned into an 'option' it is no longer seen as wrongdoing...So 'options' counseling is not about morality, but about choice. By presenting abortion as an 'option'...counseling gives a woman liberty to choose to abort the unborn child. By labeling abortion an 'option' the moral question is pushed out of sight. The issue has been de-moralized, & 'options' counseling makes it appear that the 'option' of abortion & the 'option' of continuing with the pregnancy are moral equivalents... 'Options' counseling legitimizes the choice of abortion.
Yet in the Christian view abortion can never be legitimized because it is against God's Law. A Christian cannot present what is wrong in God's eyes as an 'option', for to do so is encouraging a woman to sin against God. ...[To make abortion appear as a legitimate choice] is surely to suppress the truth, invent something evil, & to approve of those who ignore God's righteous law (Romans 1:18,32) Assessed biblically, options counseling is foolishness, for God cannot be mocked. We reap what we sow.
2. Non-Directive advice
Non-directive counseling is inconsistent with the Christian faith. The Bible is the most directive book in the world. The whole purpose of Christ's ministry is to direct people to God's truth. He is so directive that He declares Himself to be the only way to God. He directs us to seek first the kingdom of Heaven; He directs us to enter by the narrow gate that leads to life, & He warns that the broad gate leads to destruction. And the Bible is the most judgmental Book in the world. God commands all people everywhere to repent, for He has set a day when He will judge the world (Acts 17:30-31). The Bible declares that all men will stand before the judgment throne of God when His righteous judgment will be revealed. "To those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-indignation & wrath". (Romans 2:8). And Jesus is judgmental. He says that those who cause others to sin face a judgment worse than a millstone around the neck & being cast into the sea. He condemns those who on the outside appear to be righteous but on the inside are full of hypocrisy.
The Christian who is faithful to God's Word cannot ignore the directive, judgmental message of the Bible. The Christian who is serving Jesus cannot give non-directive, non-judgmental, non-biblical advice regarding abortion. Jesus said: "For whoever is ashamed of Me & My Words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory..." (Luke 9:26) We have a God-given responsibility to warn the individual & society that the Bible teaches that abortion is wrong. God hates hands that shed innocent blood, & Christians have a duty to declare this truth. We cannot give non-directive advice while the innocents are being led to slaughter. We must warn of the serious consequences of ignoring God's Law, & we will be held to account if we fail (Ezekiel 3:17-18). Those Christians who would be faithful to God's Word have a duty to warn against the evil of abortion.
3. Morality based on feelings
Pro-choice counseling believes that a woman's feelings are the best guide to her decision...The guiding principle is how she 'feels' about having an abortion. The most important thing is that she feels comfortable with her 'decision' - that she feels able to live with her decision...
The Christian position is to explain that moral decisions should be based on God's Word. The psalmist declared, 'Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet & a light to my path ... The entirety of Your Word is truth, & everyone one of Your righteous judgments endures forever' (Psalm 119:104-105,160)
4. Informed Choice
Pro-choice counseling promotes the idea that the best way for a woman to decide between the 'options' set before her is for her to make an 'informed choice'. There is no objective moral standard to guide her decision-making, she is invited to make an entirely personal decision on the basis of how she sees things... She is provided with lots of morally neutral information so that she can weigh pros & cons & calculate ...which option delivers the greatest benefits. ...She makes a pragmatic 'informed' choice which is the right one for her.
The Christian position is that man's life should be directed by God's Word. The Bible warns of the folly of thinking that we can go our own way. ...Moral decisions are to be made on the basis of God's Law as contained in His Word...The problem with 'informed' choice is that it is an amoral choice - that is, a choice that flies in the face of God's moral Law. It promotes the idea that we can direct our own steps, make our own choices without reference to God's Word. It misleads a vulnerable woman into believing that she is free to choose to abort her unborn child without facing the inevitable consequences of breaking God's moral Law. Excerpted from
What is Going on in Christian Crisis Pregnancy Counselling?
by E S Williams
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