I was driving around today the other day and I saw a field filled with hundreds of little white crosses with a sign stating that “1995 heartbeats are stopped every month in BC by abortion.” This caught me by surprise and I must admit, I was pondering this figure for the rest of the afternoon. If this figure is true then by the end of this year there could have been around 24,000 abortions performed in BC alone. 24,000!

As soon as I got home I began to do some research – part of me wishes I hadn’t as my finding are shocking to say the least. According to AbortionNo.org there are 42 million abortions reported worldwide every year, that’s 115,000 abortions each and every day (many more go under the radar). 83% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 17% occur in developed countries. In America there are around 3,700 abortions performed every day and in Canada there are over 270.

I am saddened that in North America “4 in every 10 pregnancies are ended by abortion” (Guttmacher.com) with some sources even suggesting that over 50 million abortions have taken place since the 1970’s. 50 million! If we look at the fact that 11 million people were systematically killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust of World War 2, the abortion stats are almost five times that amount!

“The killing of an unborn child is ALWAYS intrinsically EVIL and can NEVER be JUSTIFIED!”
Bishop Gerald A Gettlefinger

This past Sunday my pastor taught from Nehemiah 5, when Nehemiah called out the people of Israel because of their injustice towards their fellow Jews – they have been selling their sons and daughters into slavery and adding hefty amounts of interest to monies loaned. What I saw a couple of days back got me to thinking about how we have, like the Jews of Nehemiah’s time, become complacent and apathetic to the things that are going on all around us. As Christian’s we are ofttimes guilty of not standing up for justice, instead turning a blind eye to the evils taking place all around us – the evils taking place right on our doorsteps.

Needless to say I have to question where I stand. Don’t get me wrong I am firmly opposed to abortion, but am I prepared to stand up, like Nehemiah did, and call out those who are not only killing babies in the millions, but profiteering from it also. And am I willing to fight this injustice for those who don’t yet have a voice? In our society many people “deny an entire class of human beings (the unborn) the fundamental legal protections they rightly demand for themselves.” It seems that those who “protect abortion have abandoned the Judeo-Christian belief in the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of each member of the human family.” (Erlc.com) I find it ironic that we cry and weep when dictators murder thousands of people, as in the case of the Holocaust or more recently Rwanda, yet all the while a multi-million dollar “murder industry” has been taking place right in our own backyard. Some of you may think I’m being a bit harsh, but if you’d seen the pictures I have seen in the last couple of days…

So, how do we fight this evil? We stand up for what we believe. For instance, when the topic of abortion is raised in conversation we can simply say something like, “I don’t agree with it.” Maybe we could support non-violent groups in our communities that work with young girls to raise awareness and those groups that help those who have been hurt or effected by, or regret having an abortion. And what about bringing this subject to our church prayer circles. When all is said and done there are many ways to fight evil in this world – the most effective way is on our knees.

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
March, 2009

Picture fromErlc.com

---

Related Posts:

1. May God Forgive Us How many abortions do you think have taken place since 1980? The real figure may...
2. And Justice for All… As far back as we care to look there are times when the system fails....
3. World AIDS Day Faithblog Since 1981 the HIV virus has spread throughout the world infecting 33 million people and...
4. Bankrupt You would have to be living in a cave not to notice that the world...
5. Open the Door When I first became a Christian I remember one ill-informed believer telling a crowd at...



---