Reasons for pro-lifers to rejoice — and double-down — on abortion issues

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January 22, 2018

(Lorie Shaull/Flickr & Anna Levinzon/Flickr)

Listen to the 10 min audio

Read the transcript:

ROE V. WADE ANNIVERSARY — WHERE ARE WE NOW?

TOM LAMPRECHT: Harry, it’s been 45 years since the United States Supreme Court made its decision on Roe v. Wade. There have been literally millions of unborn children who have gone into eternity.

Harry, as we look back on this case and what has happened to the United States and what has happened to our culture and our morals; give us some reflection and, here, in 2018, are you optimistic, perhaps, the tide has turned on this issue?

DR. REEDER: Well, I am in one sense and I’m not on another. For instance, there was a recent survey that was just done and they acknowledged that at least two-thirds of the people in the United States believe that some form of restrictions ought to be placed upon abortion. I would say to all of my pro-life friends and fellow activists on this issue, there’s nothing wrong with finding common ground with people who are, basically, pro-abortion but believe in restrictions – just realize that, if you get a law passed based on a restriction but it is not fully honoring the sanctity of life from conception on, just realize that you haven’t won the final victory, but there’s nothing wrong in saving some lives in order to move to saving all of the lives and to, again, reaffirm the virtue of the sanctity of live, ultimately, in society.

I’m also positive, Tom, because the maturing response of this among believers, believers are learning how to enter into this issue in a winsome way, but a bold way, a courageous way and a pointedly effective way. And we have learned a maturing on this issue in dealing with it, the breadth of responses.

Whenever you have a heinous foundational sin that is attempted to be embraced by a culture as a way of life so that the unthinkable is thinkable, that is, the destruction of the most innocent and defenseless of all, and that is those in the womb, who ought to be in the safest place of all but now has become a place in which a full-out assault upon them has been made to the point that it is estimated that well over 20 percent of those babies conceived are aborted today.

By the way, the cultural elite pinpoint the African-American community in the promotion of abortion, consistent with its roots in the eugenics movement of Margaret Sanger, the patron saint of Planned Parenthood. When this is embraced, there are multiple consequences and, thankfully, the Christian community is seeing this.

PROGRESS IN CLINICS CLOSING

Tom, one time in the height of the pro-abortion movement, there were approximately 5,000 clinics promoting and doing abortion. We are now down to less than 2,000 – around 1,800 – and I praise the Lord for that. A number of states only have one or two of these clinics. Some states are now free from any abortuaries at all. The crisis pregnancy centers now number almost 3,000. The women pay nothing to participate in them and there is no taxpayer support of them. Pro-life people have provided twice as many women’s health centers available to women than the tax-supported, fee-based Planned Parenthood clinics that are only disguised abortuaries and, in some cases, body part-selling industries.

BE AWARE OF WHAT PRO-LIFERS FACE IN CANADA

I am grateful for the progress that is there. I am grateful for the maturity of how believers are able to deal with this issue in the public square. Praise the Lord, at least we’re able to save these children, one by one, and we have made significant progress, but we need to be in a society that affirms the sanctity of life.

Our neighbor to the north, Canada, the prime minister is doing town hall meetings and this is what he says: “Oh, I will protect the right for you to believe in a pro-life position in your home and in your heart, but you are not allowed to bring to bear what you believe in the public square to try to affect public policy. I am going to protect the ‘right of women’ to abort their children. I am going to protect that by not allowing anyone who believes in a pro-life position to speak in public. You will be guilty of hate speech and you will be fined and it will be criminalized.” Now that’s our neighbor to the north.

PROGRESS IN JUDICIAL PROSPECTS

My last point of thankfulness, at least at this point, courageous and thoughtful and prayerful believers can now be engaged in the sanctity of life and there is some hope that the recent significant number of appointed Federal Courts of Appeals judges by the current administration and the Supreme Court may finally be tilted toward affirming the right to life in our society and the full embrace of our Declaration of Independence that declares the God-given inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

PROGRESS IN TRULY PRO-LIFE ADMINISTRATION

Tom, finally, while people know I have been and will continue to be appropriately critical of the current administration from a Christian world and life view, I cannot help but affirm the reality that this president has done more in one year for the pro-life movement than “pro-life” presidents did in eight years of office.

He has removed the mandated abortion support in Obamacare. He has removed the threat of financial penalties upon states who defund Planned Parenthood and has given permission to states to defund Planned Parenthood. He has affirmed justices and appointed justices that are originalists in the interpretation of the Constitution and, therefore, affirming life. He has authorized the investigation of the Justice Department of Planned Parenthood and, in that investigation, he has, particularly, affirmed the search for the evidence of Planned Parenthood trafficking body parts through the abortion industry.

Finally, Tom – and this is no small matter – the vice president, Michael Pence, has arrived and has spoken at the pro-life rallies. Even pro-life presidents would not appear, nor members of their cabinet and vice-presidents, at these pro-life rallies, but Michael Pence does under the approval of President Trump so I’m grateful for all of that.

MORE EVANGELISM NEEDED TO CHANGE HEARTS

Those are the things that encourage me. What discourages me is the assault upon unborn life and what it does to the coarsening of the heart and soul of a nation. Tom, I have an offer to anyone who listens to this program.

The legal affirmation of the assault upon an unwanted category of human beings in this world, the state-affirmed legal assault upon a category of human beings for a genocidal destruction of their life – all of you who thought that was horrendous in Nazi Germany, please tell me what is different from what is done in this horrific assault upon 6 million Jews; please tell me what is different upon the same state-supported, culturally-affirmed assault upon the unwanted, deemed-undesirable category of human beings called unborn life – not 6 million, but over 60 million now.

As long as we as a nation countenance this, we are in desperate need of the delivering power of our God. If God came down to judge the slaying of one man and his innocent blood when Cain slew Abel and it said, “God came down because the blood cried up to heaven to be avenged with justice,” what does it look like for 60 million statements of destroyed life and their blood crying up to heaven from our nation?

I am pleading with God, do not bring judgment upon us. I am pleading with God, please bring a Gospel awakening so that, through evangelism and discipleship, we will again embrace life – life – to the glory of God, life made in the image of God.

COMING UP TOMORROW: BIBLICAL PASSAGES IN ACTION NOW

TOM LAMPRECHT: Harry, we are out of time for today. On Tuesday’s edition of Today in Perspective, I want to take you to two real-life stories that paint incredible pictures for Biblical truth: one dealing with “untold riches that are ours,” the other dealing with “be sure your sins will find you out.”

DR. REEDER: Yeah, that’ll be tomorrow. I’ll look forward to being with you, Tom.

Dr. Harry L. Reeder III is the Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.

This podcast was transcribed by Jessica Havin. Jessica is editorial assistant for Yellowhammer News. Jessica has transcribed some of the top podcasts in the country and her work has been featured in a New York Times Bestseller.