Long-Term Compassion for the Unborn by Derek Weiss

The Governor of South Dakota recently signed a bill which criminalizes the practice of abortions within state borders, except in cases where the mother's very life (and not just her health - a vague distinction) is at risk. Abortions would not be a legal option for victims of rape or incest.

This brings to mind some interesting stories from early church history. Historians have explained the incredible growth experienced by Christianity in the first two centuries in a number of ways. One of the more notable ones is that Christians often adopted babies who were either left by society to die after their parents were killed by plagues, or babies who were left to die of exposure because they were unwanted - an abhorrent though relatively common occurrence in the Roman world. Beyond simply acting as witnesses of God's compassion, these Christians would create huge families as they adopted all these new children. These rescued kids were raised by Christian parents, generally with the help of the whole local Christian community, and became fundamental members of the Christian community that expanded rapidly across the Roman Empire.

Stories like these are used by Christians today to inspire them in their fight against abortion. Rightly so: Christians should take pride in the compassionate work of their spiritual ancestors, people who took on the hard work of child-rearing in their devotion to a God who loved "the least of these." But these stories serve as so much more than just smug reminders that we are on the "right" side of this issue: Besides demanding our service to unborn victims of abortion, they also demand are continued service to "unwanted" children who are born.

South Dakota has one of the most dismal social service records in the United States and, in fact, the Western world. Will the Christians of this State, and of the United States as a whole, step up to adopt and care for the children who are born there because of this law? Their responsibility is not just for the lives of these children while they remain unborn, but for their lives after birth as well. And if Pro-Life groups fight to ban abortions using state intervention, should they also fight to provide government assistance for the (often poor and single) mothers and children who are now forced to have these babies? Of course they should. Our Christian heritage, and our Lord Jesus Himself, call us to no less.

Derek Weiss is on staff at TWU in Langley, BC.

Comments

[wanda]

Good article. I have a few comments concerning adoption/abortion. We have adopted 2 little girls so far from BC. Yes the States has a sad history of many children being past from one foster home to another, but so does Canada. In Canada there are over 20,000 children who are available for adoption....(that is not all the children in foster care) children that thank God were not aborted but are very much alive and in need of a permanent home, healing and love. In BC alone there are over 1300 children available for adoption only about 300 get adopted each year.(there are I think over 6000 in foster care in Bc) The older the child gets the less of a chance he/she has to be adopted. Lets face it cute little babies are more 'desirable' in our way of thinking than a 10 year old boy with attachment issues. No matter what age children are they need love and a sense of belonging, a family of their own and a home where they know that they are there to stay, They should not have to wonder or even have the thought cross their minds of when they will have to move on again. We have friends that were and are in foster care.Acouple little kids we know that got adopted were moved to 6 different homes by the time they were 4 and 3. One of our friends was in 43 different homes when he was growing up. That is not the kind of life that shows the love of the Father.
So yes speak out about the wrongs of abortion, but speak out and adopt the children already waiting it is an amazing God filled journey for them and us!

[Bob Burkinshaw]

Hi Derek,

I was curious about the same question, at least the adoption side of it, and did some Googling and discovered that the pro-life groups in South Dakota seem to be very active in the area of adoption. Even going so far as to showing pictures of families waiting to adopt should an expectant woman choose not to abort.