My Abortion

I am guilty of abortion.

I've never walked into an abortion clinic. I would never consider letting a doctor take the life of my unborn child, but I am guilty of putting my own desires before God's and before another human. 

One day I fell into a pit of fear—gut-clenching panic, a debilitating numbness in my limbs, stark terror rushing through my brain. I checked and rechecked the test strip in my hands before finally assuring myself that it was all right. I wasn't pregnant.

But if I had been?

A kid would cramp my style. It would change the life I've made for myself: a comfortable, good life. I have a husband who loves me, friends, work, and social engagements, and it would all be ruined by a child.

Ruined. That's the word I've used.

"You have heard it said . . . ."

Reading the Sermon on the Mount, I'm struck by the way Jesus aims at the root of sin. We think we are so holy for following the Ten Commandments, keeping to the straight and narrow path, and then he shatters our self-righteousness with words like this:

Don't just avoid muder—

kill your anger and reconcile quickly.

Don't just stop short of adultery—

cut out your lust altogether.

Don't just divorce nicely—

don't divorce at all.

Don't just make good vows—

don't make any vows.

Don't just take what you deserve—

give up your rights.

Don't just love your friends—

love the people who spit on you.

The Root of Abortion

What would Jesus say about abortion? Is the surgical removal of fetuses the real issue? If anger is the root of murder and lust is the root of adultery, then what is the root of abortion that God considers as heinous as the actual deed? Perhaps an addendum to the Sermon on the Mount would read like this:

Read the rest on the Women We Will Be blog.