THOUGHTS
“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he shall also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:7-9 NASB
As I have watched the news stories unfold the past few weeks concerning life issues — the passage of the ban on partial-birth abortion and the action of Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature defending the right to life of Terri Schindler Schiavo — emotional ebbs and flows have overwhelmed me. I have not always been as ardently pro-life as I am now; in my 20s and early 30s I was confused by “compassion” and by a secular world view that believed there were indeed some “gray areas” in life issues. The secular world demanded that I look at the “hard cases” and be compassionate toward women who find themselves in an “unwanted pregnancy,” and to distinguish between “quality of life” and “death with dignity,” versus an intolerant Biblical world view that values all life and imposes stringent boundaries on the preservation of life. The saga of “compassionate death” and “a woman’s right to choose” with NO restrictions appears to be consuming the media, along with those who choose death rather than life as their mantra.
Now passionately pro-life, I am appalled at the reaction of some to the ban on the gruesome and grisly procedure called partial-birth abortion. My newspaper headline read “Senate Votes to Restrict Abortions: Bill would ban ‘partial birth’ abortions. [Emphasis added.] The spin is on abortion restrictions, rather than “compassion rules the day” or “unborn full-term babies saved from grisly death.” Depends on your worldview, I guess. The day has come when a woman’s “right to choose” any form of abortion at any time and for any reason is more important than an infant’s right to be born and to be protected by law. People like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) took “deep offense” at the testimony that said partial-birth abortion killed a child. Is she offended at the killing or at the use of the word “child?” How long will they ignore the fact a child is partially delivered and killed by the choice of that child’s mother in the guise of compassion? I would have to say that the hardness of heart that drives these comments is not only frightening it is a threat to our society and to all Americans.
Terri Schindler Schiavo’s life is deemed less important than her husband’s right to end her life, based on what he says were her wishes. Most of the news stories fail to mention Terri’s settlement (administered by her husband) from the injury that produced her disability. Her life supposedly has less “quality” because she is unable to function as the rest of society. However, the semantics come into play here (as they always do): “Persistent vegetative state” versus “vegetative state.” I don’t know about you, but I have NEVER heard a vegetable speak to me, but Terri speaks and responds to her parents . . . yet she is described as being in a vegetative state. This convenient omission of persistent serves to cloud the issue for the general public. She is described as being on “life-support” when in fact she has a simple feeding tube to give her nutrition . . . again making it seem to the general public that she is hooked up to a machine that gives her breath. No one mentions that Michael Schiavo’s lawyer is an ardent “right to die” legal expert who supports Dr. Kevorkian and his agenda. As we wait to see whether yet another activist judge will appoint a guardian ad litem to protect Terri’s interests as ordered by the Florida legislature and signed by Gov. Jeb Bush, Terri’s life dangles precariously swinging capriciously dependent on her husband’s and a judge’s interpretation of her wishes that she cannot state for herself. What ever happened to the idea of erring on the side of life rather than death?
Ernest Hemingway wrote the classic For Whom the Bell Tolls many years ago. I fear those of us who are aging and being beset with various ailments can hear the bell tolling in the background of “cost” and “useless eaters” and “quality of life” in an “it’s the economy, stupid” society. The bell is tolling for those babies diagnosed by genetic tests in utero for Down’s syndrome; it is tolling for those babies conceived in lust—“unwanted pregnancies” that were thoughtlessly perpetrated by selfish individuals who care nothing about consequences unless it falls on them.
However, the Bible verse at the beginning has the final say . . . God is not mocked or deceived by our verbal gymnastics or our justification for the shedding of innocent blood. He is compassionate toward all whether it is a helpless infant or a powerless woman who responds to the voice of her “mommy,” who smiles when family members come into the room, but who is not “perfect” enough for our “compassionate” society to remain alive. He sees the motives of us all and He will someday judge those motives. I pray that as those who love the culture of death hear those bells tolling for them, they repent before it is too late.
In Him,
Judy Smith
State Director