Abortion: A Choice Forced By Fear

The pro-life vs. pro-choice debate has churned on and on for decades now. Just the phrase "Roe vs. Wade" makes people on both sides of the issue wrankle, or at best, feel a dark weight on their shoulders. I've heard just about every argument for and against. Here are the basic ones outlined below:

Pro-Choice Arguments	Pro-Life Arguments
A woman should have the right to choose what to do with her own body.	A pregnancy is not simply "part of the woman's body". It is a new life of a new individual and, therefore, the woman should not legally have life and death power over it.
No one can prove at what stage an embryo or fetus becomes a viable, human life.	Every human life should be protected, even in its earliest stages. At conception we have the inalienable rights that any other human being has. (In this country those are clearly defined as: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.) Furthermore, a baby's heart starts beating at 18 days (when the mother is only four days late for her first menstrual period), and by 21 days it is pumping, through a closed circulatory system, blood whose type may be different from that of the mother. (Click HERE for more information about the developing unborn baby.)
In cases of incest and rape, a woman should be seen as the victim and should be given extra rights over any pregnancy that may have resulted.	While rape can be a horrible experience, so is abortion. A rape victim can find great healing through either providing a child to a couple who cannot have their own or by learning to love and raise the child herself. In this way, beauty can come from ashes. Abortion, on the other hand, will not solve the problems of a rape victim. It will be only one more traumatic experience for her to deal with. Most cases of incest—particularly those that result in pregnancy—are those where a father, older brother or uncle impregnates a young girl in his family. This is often a result of on-going sexual abuse. By allowing abortion in these cases, the victim of the crime is not being protected—only the criminal. An abortion will simply allow the abuse to continue. A pregnancy and delivery will force the truth into the open, force the laws of the country to take notice, punish the culprit and liberate the victim.
In cases where the mother's life might be threatened, she should have the right to choose between her life and the life of the baby/fetus.	As difficult as this situation is, one person should not have the legal right to choose his or her life over the life of another. (The laws about self-defense are specifically about cases where the attacker has an intent to inflict life-threatening harm. Of course, an unborn baby has no such intent.) Furthermore, medical science is advancing rapidly and what might seem like a hopeless situation one month, might be a solved the next. There have also been many cases where the perceived danger to the mother ended up being much less than originally diagnosed.
In cases where the baby/fetus is believed to be unhealthy, the woman should have the right to decide whether or not she wants to or is able to care for a possibly handicapped child.	The right to life of the individual does not diminish based on their health, either physical or mental. One person should not have the right to determine another's value. Such power is arbitrary and easily abused. (In China males are valued more than females and since they are only allowed one child by law, vast numbers of female babies are aborted every day.) We are each "created equal".
If abortions are legalized, there will be fewer illegal botched abortion attempts that will result in more deaths of women of childbearing age.	Since abortion has become legalized, many, many women have died on the doctor's table (often going unreported). Abortion is in no way a safe procedure for any woman. Moreover, at least one death occurs from every one performed—that of the child. Therefore, the actual fatality rate has skyrocketed since abortions have been legalized, not decreased. Furthermore, the cultural atmosphere has changed to such an extent crisis pregnancies are being handled much more lovingly and there are many, many resources available.
If abortions are made to be illegal, there will more people trying to raise children they don't want and don't love.	This idea cannot be proven. This idea is based in the fear that a woman might not be able to love her own child. There are some extreme cases where this might happen; however, most people naturally grow to love their unexpected children and this love quickly becomes fierce and protective. It simply takes a little time to get to know one another. Furthermore, for the woman who is certain she is unwilling or unable to raise a child, there are many good, kind people waiting to adopt.

My intent is not to get into a heated political debate. My intent is not to cause guilt or pain or anger. I simply want to ask you to do something: As you glance over those many arguments, which ones are based on love and which ones are based on fear? You see, it is my belief that it is fear that drives so many women to give up their babies—the fear that they aren't old enough, wise enough or wealthy enough to care for a child, the fear that others will disapprove of them and relationships will be strained or broken, the fear that they simply won't be a good mom, the fear that the experience of delivery will be too painful and, yes, frightening for them to face and the fear of going through this experience alone. Fear after fear arises—even in the best of situations for a new mom—but the unexpected pregnancy brings its own variety of hopelessness and desperation. I know what I'm talking about, my friends, as I have gone through a crisis pregnancy myself. It is absolutely terrifying.

The abortion industry and organizations like Planned Parenthood thrive on the fear of young women. They are not interested in your wellbeing or your mental health or, surprisingly, even your physical health. They are interested in your money, and that alone. Don't be fooled. They do not care about women one iota. It is a business. They are not in the business of protecting women; they are in the business of making money. So, when it comes to pro-choice, the fact is, they don't want you to have a real choice at all, despite all of their propaganda. They want you to feel as if your only choice is to have an abortion. They want you to believe that abortion is the safest, wisest and most logical route, and they don't want you to learn about the amazing development of the unborn child, or about the many resources that are available to you. They want you to feel trapped, isolated and frightened by the prospects of bringing a new life into the world. But most of all, they don't want you to come to love that little, precious life growing inside of you.

The Watchmaker

Watch this video: The Watchmaker.


Our world is far more complex and amazing than we can imagine. But evolutionists insist that all of these complexities have evolved simply by chance and random selection. Could the watch on your arm come into existence through natural selection? What about something even simpler, like a coke can or a coin or a comb? When we look at these simple objects, don't we know by common sense that they must have had a creator? And, yet, we look at the eye or the banana or the chimpanzee and see chance. Such thinking makes no sense at all.


Consider the banana--it has a natural flip top--an easy open section at the top. It fits neatly into our hands--even with five natural ridges so that our fingers can grip it just right. It has an appealing color, grows in large bunches and is the perfect size to fit in your mouth--like a pre-wrapped treat. The banana also tastes quite good--either fresh or cooked and can be added to many other foods to create something delicious to eat--such as cereals, creams, pastries, tarts, breads, milkshakes, etc. It not only tastes great, it is quite healthy for you. It is a valuable source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and it is good for digestive health. Obviously, the banana was created to be just right for us--perfect in every way. And this is only one of many examples of how perfectly God has created the universe to fit our needs.

"Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

Laminin: Jesus Holds Us Together

I once watched the YouTube video where Louie Giglio discusses the importance of laminin--a cell adhesion protein. To watch this clip, click here. Basically, laminin is the protein that holds all of our cells together. It keeps us functioning normally and protects us from degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy or progeria. Laminin is also made up of three parts--three in one, just like our triune God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.)

Amazing, isn't it? Laminin--called the "basement membrane" without which we would literally fall apart--is in the exact shape of the cross.

The Bible says: "For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16-17)

How Has the Bible Survived?

If you have done much searching for ancient literature, you will quickly discover that there simply aren't many available that were written before 500 B.C. which still exist in their entirety--even less which have been preserved in the original form. Even the Epic of Gilgamesh--perhaps the best known ancient text, dating to 2150-2000 BC--exists in both the Sumerian and Akkadian versions and is missing sections. Much of this loss of our ancient literature is, naturally, due to the corrosion or destruction of the materials on which they were preserved--such as stone stella, clay tablets, ostraca, papyrus, copper sheets, etc... Another reason for their disappearance is the disastrous event of the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt when is it believed that approximately 40,000 ancient books and texts were either burned or lost within the first several centuries A.D., though there is disagreement as to the culpable party.

Keeping this in mind, I find it very interesting that we have retained so little of our extra-biblical recorded past--despite our decided efforts to preserve it. Even more amazing, is that the Bible, which dates from as early as 2,000 B.C. to about the first century A.D., exists not only in its entirety, but in a startlelingly well-preserved form, with its original language, format and wording, despite many decided efforts to destroy it.

Here are some very interesting facts about the miraculous survival of the Bible:

1. Late 7th Century B.C.--King Johioakim of Judah threw the scoll of Jeremiah's prophecy into the fire; however, God simply had his prophet write the same words again with additional material (Jeremiah 36:21-32).

2. 200 A.D.--During the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, the Pentateuch was torn up and burned. "...anyone found possessing the book of the covenant was condemned to death by the decree of the King." (I Maccabees 1:56-57)

3. Early 4th century A.D.--Diocletian attempted to rid the Roman Empire of the Bible, only to have it reinstated by Constantine a few years later. (Reference.)

4. 19th century--The government of Korea outlawed and tried to keep the Bible out of the land... of course, that failed, as evidenced by the Church's presence there today.

5. The Soviet Union also tried to outlaw the Bible; now it is wide open to the Word and is flourishing.

6. Mid-20th century--A patient in an American hospital in Turkey was given a Bible. When dismissed from the hospital, he took the Bible back to his hometown in Turkey and proudly showed it to his friends. A muslim teacher* snatched it from him, tore out its pages and threw them into the street. The young man was afriad to pick them up. A passing grocer, however, did and took them and used them for wrapping paper. Before long, they were scattered all over the town. His costumers read the pages and returned to him for more. In a few days the entire Bible was distributed to interested readers. When a Bible salesman came to town, he was surprised to find a hundred people eager to purchase the Word of God! (Reference.)

7. The church itself, thinking it was doing the right thing, attempted to keep the Bible out of the hands of "ordinary people".

a. Jerome (405 A.D.) completed his translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin so the ordinary people could read it. He was condemned by the bishop and accused of tampering with God's word. Still, his Latin version became the Bible of Europe. (Reference.)

b. John Wycliffe (1320) sought to give the English people a Bible they could read, but the church fought him severely. The Archbishop described him as "that Pestilent wretch, John Wycliffe, the son of the old Serpent, forerunner of the anti-Christ who has completed his inequity by inventing a new translation of the scriptures." He was eventually hunted down and burned at the stake. Those who possessed copies of the Wycliffe Bible were also hunted down and burned at the stake with the scriptures hung about their necks.... but despite all of this, the English Bible spread like wildfire throughout Europe. (Reference.)

c. William Tyndale (1500), after the invention of the printing press, put the Bible in his common language. Priests and bishops burned thousands of copies of his translation as a "burnt offering most pleasing to the Almighty God". He too was burned at the stake. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes!" Less than three years after that, King Henry VIII authorized the publication of the Great Bible. This version was a combination of the Tyndale Bible and that of Miles Coverdale. A copy was chained to every pulpit in England so that everyone could read it. (Reference.)

8. French humanist, Voltaire, (1700) boastfully proclaimed, "one hundred years from now the world will hear no more of the Bible." Yet, in the year of his boast, the British museum purchased a manuscript of the Greek New Testament for $500,000 while the first edition of Voltaire's new book sold for eight cents a copy! Furthermore, fifty years after the death of Voltaire, Bibles were being printed by the Geneva Bible Society in the very house where Voltaire lived and on his own printing press! (Reference.)

9. It was during the Council of Toulouse that the religious leaders made their decision to outlaw God’s word. "We prohibit laymen possessing copies of the Old and New Testament...We forbid them most severely to have the above books in the popular vernacular." "The lords of the districts shall carefully seek out the heretics in dwellings, hovels, and forests, and even their underground retreats shall be entirely wiped out." Concil Tolosanum, Pope Gregory IX, in the year 1229. (Reference.)

10. It was again reiterated at the Council of Tarragona that "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after the promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned." Histoire de la Bible en France, D.D. Lortsch, 1910, p.14. (Reference.)

11. Even after the Reformation commenced and Bible societies were formed the Catholic Church classified them with Socialism and Communism. On December 8, 1866, Pope Pius IX made this amazing statement: "Socialism, Communism, clandestine societies, Bible societies....pests of this sort must be destroyed by all means." Encyclical Quanta Cura (Reference.)

Other interesting facts:

1. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.

2. As evidence to support the facts that early manuscripts tend to decay, or be lost or destroyed, consider these facts concerning the major existing manuscripts: We have only 10 records of "The Gallic Wars" by Julius Ceasar and there are 1000 years between that event to the first existing manuscript. We have only 7 records of Pliny the Younger's "History" and there are 750 years between the events he recorded and the first existing manuscript. We have only 8 early records of Thucydides "History" and there are 1300 years between those events and our first existing manuscripts. The same can be said for Herodotus's "History". Now, consider this--the second most prevalent ancient writing is Homer's "Illiad", with an impressive 643 early records with only 500 years between the events and the first existing manuscript. However, the New Testament (a collection of smaller texts) vastly surpasses them all, with 24,000+ early records and only a mere 25 years from the events of Christ's life and the early Church to those first existing manuscripts.

3. When the printing press was invented in 1450, the first book ever printed was the Bible. Since then the Bible has been printed more and read more than any other book in history.

4. "If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years [at least, possibly much longer] by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time." Jordan and Justin Drake (Reference.)

5. "A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put. No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles lettres of classical or modern times has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet?
The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions." Dr. Bernard Ramm, Protestant Christian Evidences (Reference.)

6. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 confirmed with fascinating clarity how reliable our biblical texts are, showing that the variations are less than 2% from the texts we have and not a single doctrine nor teaching has been changed. (Reference.) (25 Fascinating Facts About the Dead Sea Scrolls)

7. In 64 A.D. Emperor Nero not only tried to wipe out the Bible, but anyone who professed Christ. He blamed them for the burning of Rome (which, he did himself) and ordered their mass execution. There are about 7 million graves in 900 miles of caves beneathe the streets of Rome which speak of his attempt to rid Rome of Christians. (Reference.)

Obviously, there is something special about this Book. No other written document or collection of documents has even come close to surviving such trials or impacting our lives to such a degree. There is a very good reason for this--the Bible is indeed "God's Word". God extended His protection over the Scriptures so that His message to us would never be lost. Despite man's many efforts to wipe out God's words, He loves us enough to preserve them so that we might know Him and love Him. Remember, the Bible is God's love letter to you.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)

* unable to verify