But the real reason the Women’s March’s stance on abortion excludes me from joining in is because my Christianity, my identity in Christ, takes precedence over my womanhood. In the Bible, I am told that as a follower of Christ, I am to deny myself—that I need to set my desires and goals behind the principles of my faith (Luke 9:23). I am told that I must “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant” than myself (Philippians 2:3). And finally, I am commanded to do unto others as I wish them to do unto me (Luke 6:31). I cannot support the ending of an unborn child’s life, because I would not support someone ending mine.
The pro-abortion doctrine says “I am not ready to have a child. This is not the right time to become a parent. If I have this child, I will have to put my life and dreams on hold.” The Christian doctrine says, “I need to think of myself last. I need to put others first.”
“Others” includes your children and mine, whether they are in or out of the womb.
Christ’s commands preclude me from approving an action that says, “I will end the life of this child because my goals, desires, or difficult life situation are more important.” I simply cannot follow Him and also get with a principle that puts self first.
I cannot claim to follow Christ and then align myself with a group of women who claim they MUST have the right to end the lives of pre-born children. I just can’t. And I am not alone. Christianity Today reports that according to a Pew Research Center report released last year, “40 percent of American women oppose abortion in all or most circumstances.”
And as they’ve made clear by ousting the New Wave Feminists, the Women’s March organizers do not want a women among them who disagree on this ONE thing.
Even outspoken politically liberal Christ-followers are calling out the Women’s March organizers for excluding pro-life women. Author Rachel Held Evans made her voice heard loud and clear, tweeting: “Progressives have a chance to build a broader coalition here, and they are blowing it.”
I know that there are many women in desperate situations choosing abortion. I do not stand in judgment of them, I simply think they are making the wrong choice. I support organizations who help women in crisis pregnancies choose life for their children, whether they choose to parent the child or place it for adoption. I support those in my community who are foster parents, helping families in crisis by caring for their children when they cannot. And I wholeheartedly believe that the choice for life is ALWAYS the right one, and that if it were outlawed today, hundreds of thousands of Christ followers like myself would rise to stand in the gap with these parents who are having children on a timeline they did not mean to choose. I so believe that if given the chance, we could figure this out, together.
But make no mistake: I also believe that as a Christian it is my calling to support women who HAVE had an abortion with love, emotional support, and counseling for the effects of what must truly have been a painful choice. I do not stand in judgment for one second, I simply grieve that their choice means a life lost.
So when the March goes on next week, I’ll be praying that women are seen and heard, given rights and dignity that they deserve because they too, are made in the image of God, just as men are. I will pray that their unity principles that I wholeheartedly agree with like, Gender Justice and Racial Justice, have a loud, strong voice. I pray especially that our country gives ear to this one:
“Women deserve to live full and healthy lives, free of violence against our bodies.”
But I cannot pray that abortion rights will be advanced.
I am a Christian, pro-life feminist, whether anyone else says I can be or not.
But I’m a Christian first.
