According to a recent article in the New York Times, The New
Abortion Providers,
“Abortion remains the most common surgical procedure for American women;
one-third of them will have one by the age of 45.” Although the rate of
abortion has held steady for the past few decades (at about 1.2 million per
year), the number of doctors who are being trained in the procedure is rising.
As growing numbers of women join the ranks of obstetrician/ gynecologists, more
and more of these doctors have requested training to terminate pregnancy.
Abortion training is mandatory in “about half” of medical schools, up from 12
percent in 1995. And these doctors who perform abortions are increasingly
seeking to move abortions into hospitals rather than isolated clinics, thus
expanding access to abortion and limiting the stigma (and potential danger) that
goes along with it.

I could rehearse all the reasons–theological, ethical,
legal, medical, economic–people are opposed to or in favor of abortion. Or I
could tell stories, of my friend, a Christian, who works with women in crisis
situations and often supports their choice to terminate a pregnancy out of
compassion for their desperation. Or the story of another friend who works in a
Crisis Pregnancy center and counsels women who have had abortions and remain
grief-stricken years later. Or of my friend whose grandfather was shot dead
outside the abortion clinic where he worked. Or of my friend who mourned the
loss of the sibling she never had because her mother had aborted a baby with
disabilities.

Rational arguments aren’t enough. This is an emotional
issue, on both sides. Doctors who perform abortions, counselors who advise
clients to procure abortions–they aren’t trying to kill babies. They are trying
to serve women with compassion. As one doctor in the Times article explains,
“Bringing so many unwanted children into the world, or children who wouldn’t be
readily provided for because their mothers were on drugs or who were taken away
at birth–well, that just solidified my feeling that I wanted to provide
abortions.” For these doctors, counselors, and women, it is a harsh reality
that some children are unplanned and unwanted. And the tragic but necessary
choice, in their mind, is to terminate.

But on the other side of the equation, pro-life protesters
with signs and slogans outside of Planned Parenthood Clinics aren’t trying to
demonize women or take away women’s rights. They are trying to speak on behalf
of the voiceless ones within the womb. As Romesh Ponneru writes, also in the
New York Times (“The Year of the Pro-Life Woman“),
Pro-lifers see their cause “as a plea for justice for a vulnerable group.”

The complexity of it all, and the hurt of it all, leaves me longing for the kingdom. Longing for the day
when Jesus is acknowledged by all as Lord of all. Longing for the day when
there won’t be unwanted children, or babies with mothers on drugs, or babies
born into families who already don’t have enough food to go around. Longing for
the day when each individual sees her/himself as a part of a community,
inextricably linked to one another and called to care not only, and not even
primarily, for her/himself, but for others. Longing for the day when openness
to human life in all its diversity is welcomed and valued.

Jesus talked about what the kingdom of God would look like
in the future. But he also invited his disciples to participate in the kingdom
here and now. He talked about the nearness of the kingdom. He even went so far
as to say, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful
observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the
kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). 

The responsibility and privilege of those who follow Jesus
is to participate in God’s coming kingdom. When it comes to social issues like
abortion, numerous possibilities exist. Some of those are direct advocacy roles
in the political spectrum and others are direct counseling and support through
organizations such as Crisis Pregnancy or Choice One. But just as Jesus
compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, there are ways to participate
in God’s kingdom that are less obvious than petitioning lawmakers, and many of
these possibilities would find support across the political spectrum. Providing
jobs with a living wage or childcare options for women in difficult economic
situations, for instance, might well translate into the choice to welcome
another child into a family. Opening your home to a foster child while a mother
gets treatment for addiction… Donating baby food, toys, and (perhaps most
importantly since they are not covered by food stamps) diapers to young mothers
in need… Any action that helps eliminate poverty could stem the number of
abortions.

In the United States, every woman has a legal right to
terminate her pregnancy. But we have reason to hope that no woman would ever want or need to exercise that right. As more
and more doctors are trained to provide abortions, may more and more women and
men work to eliminate the perceived need to end those lives before they have a
chance to begin.