As I watch the debates of our political leaders as they seek to woo people to vote for them my mind often goes to the inconsistency of our society’s attitude toward children. On the one hand we accord safety to children and on the other we fill their minds with destructive television and abort close to 100,000 children every year in Australia.
Why do we have this alarming inconsistency? In the main it has to do with the notions that we are free to choose and that what we choose will bring us happiness. We all like to hear this rhetoric – for that is all it is, having no basis in reality – since it panders to our desire to be autonomous of God.
When we abort children as a matter of course we devalue everyone. If the unborn are expendable, then so too are the troublesome, the old, the handicapped, or the unwanted. Unsurprisingly as I write there is the ongoing work of people in our society to introduce legislation that sees people like this as expendable.
It is rarely talked about, but the guilt and disappointment following an abortion remains regardless of what the legislation allows and the impact of this affect whole communities. We pay as a community as our attitude towards the unborn results in us hardening our hearts and attitude to one another. If we pay scant respect for the most vulnerable, like the unborn, we cannot seriously expect God’s blessing since we are failing to honour His image in these little potential lives.
However In a world where we are all touched by the wreckage of human affairs there is good news in the gospel message. As we have seen in the book of Isaiah forgiveness is available to all and guilt can be dealt if we would only turn back to God and embracing Jesus. In the face of an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy there are many other options than the one pushed on us from our society. God can be counted upon to give strength and help.
Life is a precious gift since it comes from God. I heard about a cartoon recently of twins in their mother’s womb with one saying to the other, ‘Do you believe in life after birth?’ We know that there is. Ours is to welcome newborns, nurture and protect them as children, give them Godly examples in their teens and care for one another as adults. We will all be the better for it, when we do.