In all of life there are, and have been,
many “rites of passage” to endure or to get through in order to move on to a
next level. Usually this “rite” is the
choice of the person going through it. Yet
sometimes is given to a person whether that person wanted it or not.
In the epic 1970 movie “A Man Called Horse” Richard Harris portrays an outsider willing to endure a horrendous rite of being suspended from the roof beams by his pectoral muscles in order to be awarded the opportunity to become a warrior.
In the Hebrew tradition a child of 12 must pass through b’nei mitzvah to be seen as coming of age. In Hispanic culture a girl enjoys the Quinceanera party on her 13th birthday as her rite of adulthood. In Lutheran tradition the students usually complete their Catechism classes by age 14 in order to be Confirmed. A theological student is expected to satisfactorily pass ordination testing to become an Ordained Minister. These are really not so bad and often fulfill an important function.
However, some rites that people go through are not so pleasant nor are they always part of their own decision. Examples include: the ancient tribal rite of sacrificing a young virgin to the “Volcano god” to avoid the god’s anger. And our own world that honors abortion as a way to ensure the presumed physical and mental health of the mother. Abortion has become a rite in itself of appeasing evil over good. Honoring death over life and the Giver of life, the Almighty Creator God.
Political ads often show a mother convinced that a continued pregnancy would have ruined or even ended her life. But an abortion” saved her.” The facts are that the ratio of deaths during pregnancy are 17.4 per 100,000 worldwide. That is a 0.0174 percent, extremely small, and for many of those both the baby and mother could have saved with proper medical care.
On the reverse side, statistics show that, “… about 42 million women with unintended pregnancies choose abortion, and nearly half of these procedures, 20 million, are “unsafe” for the life and health of the mother (3% in Western nations). Some 68,000 women die of these “unsafe” abortions annually, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%). Of the women who survive “unsafe” abortions, 5 million will suffer long-term complications. And we must ask, what about the millions of aborted babies that have met with “long-term complications” called death? The comparisons made are: 13% of maternal mortality is due to abortion; 0.0174% of mothers die during pregnancy; basically 100% of babies die from abortion.
In all of this our media and far too many politicians portray abortion as the giver of life to the mother, the source of health, and the essence of joy and relief in one’s life.
Christians, it is time we step forward and honor our God and His sacrifice, Jesus Christ, who gives life to all who will receive. No longer shall we stand back and ignore, sit quietly and pretend, or smile when one states that she is going to get an abortion. Do whatever you can to lead her and all others to life.
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).
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