Woman to woman: Personally opposed, but…

by Marie Bowen

I am sometimes amazed at the responses I receive from complete strangers when they learn that I work for “Presbyterians Pro-Life.” Extremely private stories—pregnancy outside marriage, rape, incest, spousal abuse, infertility, adoption, and abortion—experienced by those with whom I am speaking or someone close to them are openly shared with me, a complete stranger. It is a wonderful privilege and an awesome responsibility.

Some individuals correctly assume that I am 100% pro-life and inform me of their own position. Those who disagree with me often will say something like, “I’m personally opposed to abortion. I would never have one (or I would not want my wife or daughter to have one), BUT I think a woman should be able to make her own choice.”...”To brutally take the life of her unborn child,” I want to add.

There is so much I want to say...where to start? So many questions I want to ask:

Have you considered God’s rights as creator, owner, author of life?

Have you weighed the teaching of scripture that it is wrong to kill, especially wrong when the victim is the most vulnerable and weak among us?

Have you contemplated the consequences for the woman’s soul and her eternal spirit?

What are the unintended consequences of ending a life planned and purposed by God to accomplish his will and work in the world?

Have you asked God how he regards your position on abortion?

I want to ask, “Why?” Why would you want a woman to have the choice to abort her child? Why should a woman be legally permitted to choose to have her child torn limb from limb inside her womb without the benefit of anesthesia? Why should she lie bleeding afterward in pain and tears knowing that she has just permitted her own child to be killed inside her own body—in the very place designed by God to protect and nurture the unborn child while it grows and develops. Why would you want a woman to have THAT choice? Shouldn’t we just yell, “Stop!”?

My 25 year old son is engaged to a lovely Christian young woman and he is attending seminary. He is poised to impact countless lives for eternity as a future pastor. When he was age 3, he escaped through the patio door of our apartment to the outside world without my knowledge. A neighbor alerted me to the fact that he was outside alone. When he saw me coming he ran straight toward a busy street. I did not offer him ANY choices. I ran. I screamed, “Sean, STOP!” WHY? Love. Love does not offer choices when a life is imperiled. Love screams, “STOP!” He listened. He did stop!

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