What is the pro-life movement up against?
In the summer of 2020, Planned Parenthood Action Fund – the advocacy arm of the largest abortion provider in America – released their endorsement of Joe Biden for president.
While their endorsement wasn’t a surprise, it was the statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s president, that made headlines. In an interview with NPR announcing the endorsement, she said, “This is literally a life-and-death election.”
This may be one of the most ironic yet true statements that has ever come from Planned Parenthood – even though they likely don’t understand the truth of what they said.
It’s true because the reality is that one million preborn children in America are slaughtered in abortion clinics every single year. Planned Parenthood alone accounts for over 300,000 abortions every year, according to their most recent annual report.
Moreover, each election cycle represents an opportunity for the abortion industry to increase their influence in government, fight for unfettered abortion access, and ultimately kill more preborn children in the future.
That’s why, for preborn children, EVERY election is a life-and-death election.
Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry are backed by millions of dollars and an army of volunteers. They are ready to jump on any chance to tighten their grip on society and our culture.
That’s what the pro-life movement is up against. And while it may sound overwhelming, every election should also be an opportunity for the pro-life movement.
It should be an opportunity to stand in defense of preborn children and their mothers. It should be an opportunity to combat the culture of death and fight back against the abortion industry. It should be an opportunity to save lives.
That’s why we need your help. That’s why we need YOU to vote pro-life at the polls.
Can you be a Christian and support abortion?
One of the most concerning trends in recent elections is the growing number of Christians who have announced their support of abortion.
For example, Raphael Warnock, the 2020 Senate candidate from Georgia and senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, came out strongly pro-abortion.
In one interview, he said, “I’ve been focused on women’s health, women’s choice, reproductive justice. That is consistent with my view as a Christian minister. And I will fight for it.”
Furthermore, on the 2020 presidential ticket, Joe Biden – who has long identified as being a devout Catholic – became more and more supportive of abortion throughout the campaign. In fact, in 2019, he went so far as to switch his stance to support the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion procedures.
But no matter how pro-abortion politicians who claim to be Christians try to justify their positions, it just doesn’t match up with biblical truth.
In 2012, as a vice presidential candidate during a debate, Biden said: “Life begins at conception. That’s the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life… But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews. I just refuse to impose that on others.”
Could you imagine if we treated other biblical principles the same way? What if we said that we accept murder to be wrong in our personal life, but refuse to impose that belief on others? What if we said that about rape? Child abuse?
Abortion is either morally right or morally wrong. It’s that simple. And for the sober-minded Christian, to accept the biblical truth that life begins at conception, but support abortion, is equivalent to accepting the biblical truth that murder is wrong but support someone who commits murder.
Christians must also remember that we are called to serve and protect the vulnerable.
- Proverbs 24:11 says, “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”
- Matthew 22:39 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the right of all who are destitute.”
The calling couldn’t be clearer. We have a responsibility to rescue those who are vulnerable. We have a responsibility to love our neighbors. We have a responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless.
Preborn children are the most vulnerable population on the planet. Preborn children, and their mothers and families, are our neighbors. Preborn children are voiceless.
Abortion is morally wrong. Abortion is scripturally wrong. And we should reflect that truth in the voting booth.
Does it matter who’s in the White House?
One argument that has gained more prominence in recent elections is that the president doesn’t have that much influence on the issue of abortion, and therefore, whether a candidate is pro-life should not be a factor in how you vote.
For example, David French, a conservative political commentator and senior editor of The Dispatch, made this argument in his article entitled, “Do Pro-Lifers Who Reject Trump Have ‘Blood on their Hands’?”
French argues that while presidents can make tweaks to the law and use their bully pulpit to advocate for pro-life issues, the reality is that the abortion rate has consistently dropped under both Democrat and Republican presidents. Moreover, even though the president can appoint Supreme Court justices, the court cannot be relied on to “rescue America from the moral stain of abortion.”
Additionally, French argues that the real power lies in the state governments. He cites data showing that many pro-life gains happened under the Obama administration, all thanks to pro-life representation at the state level.
There is some truth here. It’s true that the abortion rate has been going down and that the Supreme Court has been increasingly disappointing to the pro-life cause. It’s also true that state governments are vitally important to pro-life policy.
But that doesn’t mean we should just throw in the towel and elect a leader of our country who supports the slaughter of preborn children – to the tune of 3,000 lives per day.
The primary role and responsibility of government is securing its people’s rights – the most fundamental of which is the right to life. And leadership in America starts from the top at the presidency.
The president plays a strong role in the cultural conversation about abortion – both domestically and on the global stage. Moreover, the president has a number of tools that can be used to either endanger preborn lives or help rescue them.
But ultimately, for Christians, 3,000 preborn children being killed every day is the same as 3,000 toddlers being killed every day. Would you want to elect a candidate who supported the killing of 3,000 toddlers every day?
David French was right that ending abortion in America requires more than just a pro-life president. But it doesn’t mean that Christians should just give up in the fight. America needs leadership at all levels of government – from the White House, to Congress, to the courts, to state capitols.
Leadership at the top matters, and with pro-abortion lawmakers at the top, there is no doubt the abortion industry would expand their influence.
Are congressional, state, and local races important?
As the saying goes, all politics is local. That means congressional, state, and local races also matter a great deal to the pro-life movement.
Congressional races for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are critically important to pro-life policy at the federal level. Congress’ primary responsibility is to make laws, so any nationwide efforts by the federal government to end (or expand) abortion access would start in Congress.
Additionally, Congress serves an important role as a “check” on the White House and the Supreme Court. Congress can vote on and pass legislation that the White House doesn’t support. And the Senate also has the exclusive power to confirm or reject nominees to all levels of the federal court system.
State and local governments are also extremely important – and can have far-reaching impact on nationwide policy.
State and local governments are often on the frontlines of some of the biggest abortion court cases in the country. Sometimes, these cases make it all the way up to the Supreme Court – which is one of the only ways Roe v. Wade will ever be overturned. Additionally, even when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade one day, the question of the legality of abortion will return to the states.
Don’t underestimate the importance of down-ballot races and the power of elected offices outside of the White House. Do your research and be sure that ALL the candidates you support are pro-life.
What is the role of Christians during an election season?
The role of Christians during an election season is straightforward: vote according to the Bible.
If Christians don’t consistently vote according to the Bible and vote to defend preborn children, more preborn children will die at the hands of the abortion industry. It’s that simple.
Again, Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
That’s our responsibility during an election season. We need to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We need to be a voice for preborn children.
Are other political issues important? Of course. Should we consider the tone, character, and demeanor of candidates? Absolutely. But nothing is more important than protecting the most basic right to life for all humans.
According to My Faith Votes, roughly one in four Christians does not vote. That’s equal to 25 million voters across the country.
The stakes are too high for Christians to stay home on Election Day. Every election is truly a life-and-death election for preborn children.
Will you be the one who stands by? Or will you be a voice for the voiceless? Will you encourage your family and friends to consider pro-life issues in the voting booth?
Will YOU commit to being pro-life at the polls?
Citations and Resources
Alexis McGill Johnson Quote Endorsing Biden:
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/876893948/planned-parenthood-backs-biden-seeing-a-life-or-death-election-ahead
Planned Parenthood Annual Report:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/uploads/filer_public/2e/da/2eda3f50-82aa-4ddb-acce-c2854c4ea80b/2018-2019_annual_report.pdf
Raphael Warnock Quote:
https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/megachurch-pastor-abortion-is-consistent-with-christianity-and-i-will-fight-to-keep-it-legal.html
Joe Biden Position on Abortion and Quote During 2012 Debate:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/05/politics/what-is-hyde-amendment-joe-biden/index.html
David French Article:
https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/do-pro-lifers-who-reject-trump-have
My Faith Votes Stats:
https://www.myfaithvotes.org/
2020 Human Coalition Action PAC Endorsement List and Voter Guides:
https://hucoaction.org/human-coalition-action-pac-releases-pro-life-voter-guides-endorses-candidates-in-key-texas-races/
