Abortion: A Pregnant Mom is Still a Momby Melissa J | More from this Blogger 23 Feb 2007 02:32 AM Since nearly the beginning of humanity, there have been problems and people have been faced with circumstances that are not ideal. January 22, 1973 abortion was deemed as a constitutional right for women, justifying the termination of their unborn child should they be faced with unfortunate circumstances or decide they just don't want to be a mother at the time. I don't believe for most women the decision to terminate their unborn baby's life is an easy one. I'll admit I am grieved by the fact there are clinics that provide the option of a pregnancy termination before offering real help for the mother to provide for her child. I suppose it makes sense though; the money to be made is in abortion, not providing support to the mother so she can raise her baby or get necessary help for herself. I believe, from the moment a woman's pregnancy is known, she is a mother. Just because a baby is developing in the confines of her womb doesn't make its need for their mother any less. A pregnant mother has the responsibility to eat well, get rest, take prenatal vitamins, and attend prenatal doctor visits. Once the baby is born, it is still developing and is not able to survive without the role of a mother. So while it's not my place to condemn any woman who's come to such a decision as to end her baby's life, as with any child, I take up concern for their well being at the hand of the mother, whether they are inside the womb or outside. I've always believed, even in the most unfortunate of circumstances, a mother's main goal should be to protect her baby, not cause harm or death to them. As we read in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, we learn that in the last days there will be a time when people will be more concerned with themselves, unthankful, without natural affection (some translations state "unloving"), without self control, lovers of pleasure instead of God. I am not suggesting every woman who is contemplating abortion fits all these descriptions, but too often they do. When I read "without natural affection" I think of abortion and a woman's unborn baby who is unwanted and unloved by its mother. For those who are impacted by their past choice to terminate their pregnancy there are many great support groups. You might start by doing a search for "Pregnancy Resource Center" then type your state to find local support groups in your area. Within our local PRC, I found some interesting statistics:
I would truly like to see abortions become more and more rare. I'd like to see people reach out in their community supporting these women by helping them to make the best choices they can prior to a pregnancy. I would like to see hope offered to moms who do become pregnant so they don't feel like abortion has to mean a better future for them or their baby. I'm really glad to see Christian churches supporting this same vision. Please visit these related blogs: Relevantchristian tags User Comments mommietres (5) 23 Feb 2007 09:10 AMI am ashamed to admit, but at 16 years old I became pregnant and automatically knew that I had made a mistake, but was going to keep the baby. I was floored when my mother told me that I had to get an abortion. The sentiment was echoed by my father. I never in a million yrs expected this from them; we went to church, I heard my mother's negative comments regarding abortion and now here she is telling me I had to get one. I fought them both on this issue but the end became numb and gave in. It has 10 yrs since that happened and I am barely healing. I WOULD NOT advocate abortion for anyone. Not only does it kill the baby, but it kills a woman's spirit, her soul, and a family. At 16 I became depressed, something that would last for about a yr. I withdrew from life, switched schools and graduated early just to get away from everything. Worst of all I was afraid to talk to God for fear he would not forgive me, I was embarassed. I know now that this is far from the truth but cannot imagine having this happen to someone else. It is not worth it, it lies with you forever. Just because I chose/allowed someone to make me feel like this was the only option, it wasn't; I went through it and can now staunchly say that I am 150% against abortion, it is more than a procedure...  Katie-Anne Gustafsson (604) 23 Feb 2007 10:01 AMThis is such a minefield topic, you're a brave woman for putting it out there! I have strong views on this because I don't believe anyone has the right to judge another on what they decide to do. I also think that this should be an issue that should be judged on each person's individual situation. Should a girl of 12-13 who was abused by her father be made to have his baby just because her priest says so? Absolutely not. Should a woman who got careless, drunk and finds herself in an "inconvenient" situation be allowed to do what she feels like without being faced with the consequences of what she's doing? I don't think so! A friend of mine wasn't given any real choice - the baby's life was never going to have any quality because of complications, and her life was in danger if the pregnancy continued - neither her nor the baby would have survived. Should she be made to feel guilty for the rest of her life by women who've never stood in her shoes? Again I say, absolutely not. But this is just my opinion - and most people have an opinion on this topic, one way or another! There are so many facets to the abortion question and I don't think anyone has the right to judge another person for the choice they made, simply because we don't walk their path.  Melissa J (13710) 23 Feb 2007 10:22 PMThank you both for your comments. Mommietres, I can't imagine the pain you must feel and am so sorry you were put in such a position. I don't believe God is mad at you; you were unfairly strongarmed into what you did. My mom initially had support to abort me as shared in the first "visit this blog" link. Katie, I tried to link some blogs with other views. I've heard people say drug addict mothers would be better off aborting their babies too because after all, what kind of life can they give for their child and what kind of issues might these children have? I have two precious sons, both born after enduring either/and meth, cocaine, alcohol... these boys have blessed my life because their birth mothers didn't abort. My boys have wonderful gifts to offer this world. My mom was young when she had me and encouraged to abort me too. Thankfully I'm alive to say, thank you to her. You're right though. It is not for us to judge. It is God's place. I would like to see abortion more rare though.  Julie Gentry (5915) 24 Feb 2007 03:05 AMMommietres, I think your story is a common one. The overwhelming majority of women I know who have had abortions were co-erced into it, usually by parents, boyfriends, or husbands. There is a wonderful organization called Rachel's Vineyard that offers counseling and retreats for post-abortive women. It can be totally anonymous and, while it is sponsored by the Catholic church, it is a non-denominational ministry open to all. RachelsVineyard.com  gina00 (680) 24 Feb 2007 01:16 PMThank you for your article Melissa J.! My husband & I have struggled w/ infertility, and it always grieves me that so many kids are aborted. I wish birthmoms that abort would understand that there are so many parents/would be parents that would love to give their child a loving home. Grammi58 (396) 07 Mar 2007 08:01 PMI,too was pregnant at the age of 18(not married & still living at home). I was brought up in a strong Christian family. When my folks heard I was pregnant, My dad didn't say much(I was his little angel), but my mom insisted that I to a family-planned clinic & sign up to have an abortion. I believe that this whole situation had embarressed her & she felt that the church would look down on me. The time came to have the abortion(maybe a few days before), my mom came to realize that this should be my & only mine decision. I chose to keep the child(this was30 years ago). The church was Very supportive of me & of my decision. I even prayed & asked God for forgiveness. Approx. 9-10 years later at church, the adult class was showing a film on abortion. My mom told me that she had to walk out of the room. She coulnd't bear to watch what could have happened to her grandchild. She even told me that she wished that she didn't have me go through all of that. She asked for my forgiveness(which I gave to her). I'm now blessed with 2 beautiful grandsons. Community Tags abortion, coercion, healing, kills, motherhood, pro-life, pro-choice, post-abortive Discuss this article
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