Having the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

“All things are lawful/permissible, but not all things are beneficial/helpful.”

1 Corinthians 10:23

God has given us the freedom to choose good or evil, right or wrong, blessing or cursing. And He tells us what the consequences of our choices could be. It’s all through the Bible.

The greatest commandment says, love God and love our neighbor, and in Philippians 2:3 we are told to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek their own good, but the good of their neighbor.”

“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

When we think of these verses, perhaps we wonder how we’re measuring up with our family, friends, and coworkers. Are we being selfish or self-sacrificing?

How about with the child in the womb? Are we being selfish or self-sacrificing?

IVF is legal, but is it right? Is it ethical or moral? Is it seeking the well-being of the child above our own?

Abortion is legal, but is it right? Is it ethical or moral? Is it seeking the well-being of the child above our own?

“Let no one seek their own good, but the good of their neighbor.”

Jesus says I died so you can live. Abortion says you die so I can live.

Abortion, by definition, is terminating a preborn human life, not the euphemism of “terminating a pregnancy.” It is the intentional and unnecessary killing of a baby, which is murder. I realize that many people hesitate to put it so bluntly, often out of concern for those like me who have made this deadly decision and carry its weight. But if I can acknowledge this truth about my own experience and find a way to live with it, I believe we owe it to others to speak honestly as well.

At the time of my abortion, I didn’t think I was ending my child’s life. In all honesty, I wasn’t thinking of anyone but myself. I wasn’t thinking I had a child within me; I was thinking I had a problem. I was a messed up single young woman, terrified of being pregnant outside of marriage. What will people say? I don’t want to be tied to this man. I was so gripped with fear, I had no rational thought. I just wanted it all to go away, and Planned Parenthood said, “We can take care of your problem.” So, I let them.

But since Jesus saved and redeemed me, I now understand the painful reality—I allowed someone to kill my child. The medical professional at Planned Parenthood who performed my suction aspiration abortion knew the full reality of what was taking place. They didn’t show me the ultrasound because they didn't want me to see what they already knew to be true: an 11-week-old baby was growing in my womb, not a “product of pregnancy.” A tiny person, with tiny hands and feet, tiny ears and nose, and a tiny mouth that could not speak for itself. He was part of me and part of a man I didn’t love. Yet this little one, conceived in sin, was very much created and loved by God, gifted to me despite my sins of disbelief and immorality. How I wish I had known then what I know now. Thanks be to God for His indescribable mercy toward me.

Suction abortion tears a baby apart limb from limb until they die. Planned Parenthood’s priority was not my understanding of what was growing in my womb or my well-being, but rather the completion of the procedure that killed my baby, because their priority is to make money. A harsh reality, but it’s the truth.

No health care was offered to me. Not physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. There was no follow-up. They did their deed, got their money, and sent me on my way.

Sadly, this is not only my story. This is the story of millions of women. That’s right, millions. 73 million babies are aborted every year around the world (according to the Guttmacher Institute), resulting in 73 million post-abortive women and men every year. All around us, millions of women and men are suffering, in varying degrees, from post-abortion trauma.

We, Christians, need to work together at changing the hearts and minds of our culture to see the baby in the womb as one of us, someone to love and care for, rather than a burden to be offloaded.

There is a great deal of willful ignorance in the world and in the church, which we need to gently challenge with grace and truth. If each of us can influence just one person to consider the baby as “more significant than themselves” and choose life, that’s one life saved. Then that person can influence another, and so on. Leading to more lives saved. Isn’t that worth the effort? Isn’t that what Jesus would want us to do?

I recognize that my Biblical worldview may not be universally accepted. However, the science of embryology and basic logic demonstrate that the womb nurtures a preborn human until they are ready to be born into the world, just as we once were. Therefore, they deserve life just as we do.

If we are followers of Jesus, believers in the Bible, there’s no other way to see this. We have an obligation to the Lord to proclaim His gospel—His life-saving, life-redeeming gospel, and to rescue those being led away to death. (Proverbs 21:11)

“Let no one seek their own good, but the good of their neighbor.”

If you would like to learn more, come to Abundant Life Conversations on October 2 through November 6. For more information and to register, click here.

12 week old fetal model