(EDITOR’S NOTE — While the Biblical Recorder is seeking an Editor/President, the normal editorial page will be filled with guest commentaries from the BR Board of Directors as well as experts in their particular fields of ministry.)

“Each one of us must be prepared for the conflict. We must know how to sit with Christ in heavenly places and we must know how to walk worthy of Him down here, but we must also know how to stand before the foe.” — Watchman Nee in Sit, Walk, Stand  

(On Jan. 22) our country will acknowledge the 38th anniversary of Roe vs Wade, the Supreme Court decision which made abortion legal for any reason in all 50 states. The thinking at the time was to make abortion legal, safe and rare. Sadly only one of those ideas has come to pass. Abortion is legal.

Safe? Abortion is never safe for the baby, and it’s safety for the woman is debatable. FDA figures from 2006 state that at least 1,100 women have been physically harmed by RU-486, the drug that causes chemical abortion, since it has been approved for use in the U.S. 

And what about the women who have suffered emotionally and spiritually from abortion? Many women are plagued by guilt, shame, regret, anxiety, even self-destructive behaviors following their decisions to abort.

Rare? Current figures indicate that in New York City, our nation’s largest city, 41 percent of all pregnancies end in abortion. Nationwide 20 percent of pregnancies end in abortion. The numbers of abortion were actually dropping nationwide (thanks to pregnancy care centers and abstinence programs) until the use of RU-486 became more common. Now the numbers are on the rise again. We can only imagine the lost potential of 53 million Americans who have been aborted since January 22, 1973.

How did abortion become so commonplace in America, of all places? When God was removed from the public square we saw a dramatic shift in attitudes and practices. Today more than seven million couples are cohabiting. Many will have had children together. Four out of five of those couples will break up before marrying. The children will be left without the benefit of both parents interacting in their lives daily. Marriage is being reduced to just a contract, sometimes between two or more people of any gender.

Families are being created in unusual ways. There is research available entitled, My Daddy’s Name is Donor. Women are offering their wombs as incubators for the babies of others. Often these women will supply the egg, but not always. Individualism, even narcissism, has invaded our thinking.

We’re operating on the premise of what’s best for me alone. Parents aren’t taking the time to set healthy boundaries for their children. Children, by default, are living lives of self-reliance for which they aren’t equipped, nor should they be. This leads children to be self-protective, which leads away from the ability to be vulnerable. Our moral code is lost. Each person is deciding from situation to situation what is right and what is wrong. In this context it is no wonder that Jesus, whom God sent to save us from our sin (from ourselves), becomes irrelevant. Is it any wonder that abortion is on the rise?

Have we also lost the grandeur of God? We have attempted to put Him in a manageable box, to bring out when it’s convenient. In the meantime, we take charge of own lives. We have forgotten that we are created in God’s image, not the other way around. And, as we reach out to minister to others we must remember that all human beings are created in His image, whether they acknowledge Him or not. He sent His Son to die for all of us, not one of us being deserving of that sacrifice. We’ve lost a sense of humility before God and our fellow human beings.

The good news? There are ministries specifically equipped to enter into the culture and provide alternatives to abortion, pregnancy care centers. Largely manned by volunteers trained to minister to young who are facing the challenges of unplanned pregnancy, these organizations fill a unique niche in their communities. Often they represent a rich cross section of the Body of Christ as the staff and volunteers come from a variety of Christian churches for a common purpose, meeting the needs of women who are definitely products of the culture. These women and girls appear self-reliant and optimistic, but the optimism is often devoid of realism. They can talk about past decisions that had negative consequences, but they express no regret. To express regret creates a frightening level of vulnerability, which they are ill-equipped to manage. 

Enter pregnancy care center workers, who love the Lord and are called by Him to reach out. In no way are we going to make decisions for women nor will we change them, but we can offer sound information and a kind, listening ear. The decision-making process and the heart changes are between the woman and God. We are quick to realize our limitations and also to realize that God has no limitations!

If the choice of abortion weighs heavily on your heart I encourage you to find your local pregnancy care center. Every center needs prayer support because the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of this world.

Centers are in need of volunteers. Some of the tasks assigned to volunteers are counseling clients, answering the phone, sorting baby clothes, serving on the Board of Directors, helping with publicity. The list is long for most centers and all of us have talent we can bring. Centers are also in need of money. Most pregnancy centers receive no government support, and grants are hard to obtain. If you would consider putting your local center in your family’s budget each month you would be providing much-needed encouragement.

Most centers provide parenting education for those women who will be parenting their babies. Could you teach a class or mentor a new mom? Have your children outgrown their baby clothes or is there a crib collecting dust in the attic? Call the pregnancy center near you and offer to donate those baby items. It is wonderful for pregnancy care center workers to be able to tell their clients that the Body of Christ stands with them in their decision to choose life for their babies.

Do pregnancy centers really make a difference? The answer is a resounding yes! We have the opportunity to share who Jesus desires to be in each life. We may be the first ones to believe they can make needed changes as we point them toward healthy lifestyle choices for the future. 

We can instill godly principles as we teach parenting skills. In some communities we have the opportunity to present a message of sexual integrity to teens in the public schools. We are equipped to interface with negative cultural trends and befriend women who may have made very different choices from ours, but whom God loves unconditionally, as He does us.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says if you want to do God’s will, go where God’s working. He is indeed at work in pregnancy care centers. Won’t you join Him there?

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Every is the executive director of Pregnancy Support Services, serving Durham and Chapel Hill. She has held that role since 1992. In those years she has also served as president of the Board of Directors of Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, a network of pregnancy centers, Christian adoption agencies, and Christian maternity homes. Since 2001 she has served as Regional Consultant for Care Net, a national network of pregnancy care centers. She and her husband make their home in Durham. She can be reached at mimi@pregnancysupport.org.)

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