Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Reflections on Tiller

For 2 days now I haven't been able to stop thinking about the murder of Dr. George Tiller. First of all I think that I can't believe murder is an acceptable solution to any problem. And unfortunately the action of Mr. Roeder will reinforce the views many have of Christians as intolerant. I want to shout to the world that this man does not represent the vast majority of Christian people, and he certainly does not represent the Christ we know and follow. I am pro-life and because I am pro-life, I could not take someone's life, no matter if I thought of them as a murderer. I am deeply disturbed that this action was taken and is being condoned by people who call themselves pro-life. I'm no angel. I can't say that I've never had a violent thought in reaction to a heinous injustice. I can say that Jesus has changed me so that I reject these thoughts and instead try to pray for those whose actions I find abhorrent.
Secondly, I have been thinking about the whole abortion issue. One of my colleagues asked our bible study group why we thought the abortion issue wasn't talked about in the church. The answer for most in the group seemed to be that it was too contentious an issue, that people could not talk about it in a civil manner. How sad! And yet, I wonder if discussing it is the issue. I can't say that every abortion, generally speaking, is right or wrong, rather, I think it is a difficult decision made by real people who are often in very difficult circumstances. i do have serious reservations about the late-term abortions performed by Dr. Tiller. At the same time, I think there are circumstances when abortion might be the best choice for someone if the life of the mother is jeopardized by carrying a baby to term and the baby would not survive outside the womb or when a woman has been raped. Really, who am I to say? It's so easy to say whether something is right or wrong or when it's right and wrong and in the midst of doing so to forget that we're passing judgment on real people.
I feel strongly that abortion should be the last option when nothing else will do. It should not be a convenience or a way to avoid responsibility; indeed it cannot be because it carries a heavy price for those who make the decision to have an abortion. In the final instance I think the following story states my position more eloquently than mere words could. A woman from Mozambique said she couldn't understand why the church in America talked about abortion so much, trying to find just the right words to make everybody happy. She told how a young woman in her village became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. This woman did everything she could to persuade this young woman to carry her baby to term. When the young woman made her decision, she went with her to the clinic, took her home, and nursed her back to health. I'd like to think I would do the same.

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