It sounds so caring to be “pro-choice.” It just sounds right to support a “women’s right to choose.” I mean, what woman wants a bunch of old, fat, white politicians telling her what to do with her body? And come on, the average person doesn’t want to be labeled “anti-choice.” And so, with very few facts, pro-abortion politicians and clinics disguise their abortion-for-profit agendas and pretend to care about women’s health. And too many of us are buying their arguments.
Pro-lifers hang on to their goals to pass bills and enact laws that make abortion illegal. And someday it may happen. But in the meantime, there is a simple argument that will accomplish the real goal of saving babies lives. The fact is that “pro-choice” has never been about offering an intelligent choice. Simply pointing that out — in discussions, political debates, media articles, and advertisements — will change the hearts and minds of most Americans and, more importantly, those who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
By the way, we consider most people who consider themselves “pro-choice” to be in a different group from politicians and clinics who profit from abortion. We don’t think most pro-choice activists are really pro-abortion. They just don’t want a personal decision crammed down their throats. We get that.
To start with, we should recognize that God is pro-choice. Stick with us here. God constantly demonstrates that He has created us with free will. It’s on display in Deuteronomy 30:19 when He gives the Israelites all the facts and then warns them: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Jesus reaffirms this in Luke 15 in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost boy (the prodigal son). The shepherd looks high and low for the sheep and the women turns her house upside down looking for the coin. But the Father stays home. He understands that you can’t force people to come to their senses.
As people made in the image of God, it’s our nature to want to be able to choose rather than be forced to do something. Let’s recognize and appeal to that nature as we expose the pro-choice deception. Let’s give people all the facts and then let them choose.
When considering a decision to buy a product, most of us do some research. Whether buying a jar of peanut butter, a new car, or a surgical procedure, we have choices. With food items, we check out the ingredients, the fat content, the carbs, the preservatives, and more. With a car, we want to know the gas mileage, the maintenance costs, the resale value, and the safety history. When faced with an operation, we want to know the risks involved, how the procedure is accomplished, who is the best surgeon, and how it will affect our future lifestyle. All this information is made available to us. No one fights to hide these facts from us and we generally end up making a pretty good choice.
How different it is for people considering an abortion. So-called “pro-choice” politicians and abortion clinics go out of their way to deny an intelligent choice to women who are prospective clients of the clinics. They refuse to support common-sense legislation that would allow women to make informed choices about how to deal with a very important trial in their lives.
Here are some glaring examples of how they deny women a “right to choose”:
They refuse to support laws that would require parents’ permission for minors to have an abortion, even though their permission is required for many less risky procedures.
They refuse to support laws that would require clinics to explain the procedure — how the child is growing and changing in the womb, when it can feel pain, the ways the child is killed at different stages of development, the probability of it surviving, and the post-operative risks for the mother and for future pregnancies.
They would never show an ultrasound to a prospective client.
They refuse to acknowledge and give information about the adoption option — that there are long waiting lists of couples who have been waiting to adopt a baby and would provide a loving home.
They would never dream of letting young girls know that there are approved shepherding families who are willing to take them into their home and support them during the course of the pregnancy.
They refuse to let women know about the post-abortion regrets and depression experienced by many.
They refuse to counsel women that they would feel so much better about themselves by accepting the responsibility of bringing a wanted child into the world instead of getting rid of the “problem” in order to avoid inconvenience or embarrassment.
They could never admit to these vulnerable women that the clinic may profit not only from the abortion, but also by selling parts of the bodies of the aborted children.
They even refuse to support laws that would prohibit “partial birth abortion”, where the child is killed after the head is outside the mother’s body.
They would never disclose that 93 percent of all abortions have nothing to do with the mother’s health.
They have the audacity to call pro-life people “anti-choice,” when they themselves are withholding all the information needed for women to make an informed choice. Let’s call these people what they are: “Pro-abortion for profit.”
We firmly believe that we can continue to turn the tide of American opinion if pro-lifers de-emphasize labeling themselves as “pro-life,” but rather point out and expose the horrible inconsistencies between those who call themselves “pro-choice” and their actions. By doing that, we’ll change hearts and minds and will highlight the options available to women and girls in crisis situations.
Steve and Sandy Pritchard
Peachtree City, Ga.
