What the Inauguration means for abortion

Last week, we watched as a new president was inaugurated. Whether or not we voted for him, we can agree that many did so because they want to see something shift around the abortion issue.

So…will things shift in the next 4 years? I ask this question because, if abortion is an issue in this country mainly because it’s legal, then politics and changing laws should be our main focus. But if abortion is an issue mainly because of other factors, we need to spend the majority of our time, resources and energy addressing those.

Why Women Have Abortions

When surveyed, 75% of women who have abortions say they made that decision because they lacked the emotional support and practical resources to envision a future for their child.[i] And Emotional Inquiry research reveals that many women feel their life as they know it will be over if they continue their pregnancy.[ii]

These reasons are why many women have abortions.

Can either political party fully address these root causes? Or be able to fully represent God’s heart for both women and children?

No. It’s not possible, because they are man-made platforms. And when we as Christians try to completely align with one party or the other on this issue, we put God into a box. His heart, his plans, and his solution are too big to reside in the limitations of politics. He has charged his Church with extending his Kingdom on earth and bringing his creative solutions to any social issue.

It doesn’t matter which candidate we voted for last November. We can all agree that God’s ultimate solution to abortion won’t come through political change alone.

As we pray, “let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we know that his plan for bringing his kingdom is us.

As we listen to what women are telling us, we see that the way to shift the abortion issue is to meet the needs that cause many women to feel abortion is their only option.

So let’s start doing that.

 What we can do

If local churches would demonstrate God’s love and concern for both the woman and the child, extend the same grace that we’ve received, and meet the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancy, God could use us to create a picture of hope. Instead of thinking their only options are abortion or overwhelming struggle, women will begin to see they have a third option, a way to thrive.

Do we rely on either political party to create a shift in our culture so big that women start to see this option? Or do we step up, because God has called his Church to do that? The ProGrace movement believes it’s the latter, and we welcome you to join us.

[i] Finer LB, Reasons US Women Have Abortions, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005, 37(3):110–118

[ii] Caris client research 2009/Brandtrust Emotional Inquiry® Chicago, IL