Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Life is sacred

Back in 1984, President Ronald Regan designated January 22, 1984 as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The date was chosen to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade. (I sure wish he could be our President again!) Every year it has fallen on the third Sunday in January and has been declared since by Presidents George HW Bush and George W Bush but not Clinton or Obama.

I actually didn’t realize it was this past Sunday until my husband came home with our church bulletin (Lainey was sick so she and I stayed home) and there was a flyer about it. Seeing the flyer made me think about how precious life is. Every life matters and every life is sacred, even if some people don’t realize it or believe it.

Of course, when such a day like this exists people tend to think of abortion. As natural, people posted about the day and people commented. Some of the comments I saw were hateful toward women who chose abortion. It makes me shake my head how people can be so judgmental, but I can’t totally blame them because I used to have my own judgments. Then I had an abortion and I realized that not all women who have abortions are horrible people. Many are good people who either don’t know or feel like they have no other choice. Some are women who are forced by a loved one. Others are loving mothers who are making an impossible choice.

People think of abortion as a horrible, unthinkable act or a woman’s right to choose. It may be something they don’t even think about because they’ll never have to worry about it. You never know where your life is going to take you or the circumstances you will find yourself in. You can’t possibly predict the decisions you will make. Abortions happen in both wanted and unwanted pregnancies. They happen to babies who are loved.

I am a big advocate for educating women about abortion. The more informed a woman is then they are likely to make a better choice. We can’t necessarily depend on clinics to give women the right information. This is one of the purposes of sharing Jordan’s story. Women need to know how abortion can affect you. It isn’t an easy way out but a difficult path that is with you the rest of life.

I won’t ever tell a woman what path she needs to choose as that is a personal decision only she can make. I will gently guide her and share my own stories. I won’t ever tell a woman she is horrible for having an abortion because chances are she’s feeling the heavy chains of regret and guilt. I don’t want to be responsible for bringing her down further.

Sometimes when a baby is aborted it isn’t always just the baby that is lost. Sometimes it is the mother and even the father. Only God can restore what is lost but I pray that as a society we reach out to the hurting instead of pushing away.

7 comments:

Linda said...

I love you Holly. I love how you have a heart for people who are hurting.

lost--for--words said...

I have never been judgemental of women who have chosen to have an abortion (except for those who use it repeatedly as a form of birth control.) I know that life is unpredictable and we often act in the spur of the moment. I'm sure that almost all women that do choose to have one will have some big regrets at some point in their lives. I'm sure that it is not an easy decision to make for those who are faced with this. I am proud of you for using your experience to educate others. I don't think many women realize when they make the decision to have an abortion how it will affect them for the rest of their lives... ((hugs))

Karin said...

Holly, I LOVE this post! I usually don't comment on abortion because it is one of those topics where arguing pro/anti is not productive at all. You express here so well that loving not judging is what we should do. I just love it.

My name is Heather. said...

well put Holly. if only those that NEEDED to read it would.

Betty said...

I hate how things are so often black and white...one or the other. Very well said, Holly!

Crystal said...

Love this!

Hannah Rose said...

Thank you for this, Holly.

So many people make women who have abortions seem like monsters. Thank you for being brave enough to put a face on women who've had an abortion and show it's okay to grieve and that there is heartache, even though it was a "choice."

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