Christian Right vs. The World
January 23, 2007
A left-wing organization called Feminists for Life should be welcomed by pro-lifers with open arms. Finally.. a group of feminists that believe in something other than the "right to choose" has emerged. FFL wants Roe v. Wade overturned and wants abortions to be illegal. So what does the Christian Right have against these pro-life feminists? Unlike the Christian Right, who believes that banning abortion will instantly translate into a perfect, life fostering world, Feminists for Life actually tries to solve underlying causes of abortion. This drives the Christian Right crazy.
Feminists for Life are currently working on a project called the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Act, which would distribute $10 million per year to colleges in order to improve housing, health coverage, and child care for students who are pregnant or parents. This project achieves a few key goals. First, it allows pregnant or single mothers to stay in school, despite her parental responsibilities. Second, it gives women an incentive not to look to abortion. Serrin Foster, president of FFL, explains it in simple terms: abortion doesn't happen "because women want to fit into a size 5 bikini; parents have abortions for the same reasons that they have trouble raising children." Even though the Stanton Act is a noble attempt to give women a reason not to have an abortion, the Christian Right staunchly opposes it. The Christian Right can't stand the fact that a group would want to help a single woman who became pregnant. Abstinence is the only solution the Christian right will accept, and the Stanton act actually encourages sinful sexual activity (or so they say).
Although Feminists for Life don't take a stance on contraception, they don't specifically oppose it. The irony for the Christian Right is that they want to see an end to abortions, yet they don't want to give people the tools that might prevent an unwanted pregnancy from happening in the first place. The Christian Right is in an awkward position because for some reason they think we live in a perfect world. They believe that if we tell kids abstinence is good that they'll follow it. They believe that if we make abortion illegal no one will have one (because we're all perfectly law abiding citizens, after all).
The Christian Right needs to wake up and understand something important: in order achieve the end they want, we have to bend the rules to get there. Remember, many members of the Christian Right believe that the Iraq war is justified if it means overthrowing a dangerous and evil dictator. In other words, they believe that murder is justified as a means to achieve a more important end! You can't certainly tell me that helping a pregnant woman afford to raise her child is more immoral than killing thousands of people. The Christian right needs to abandon this stereotype that pregnancy out of wedlock is the worst sin anyone can commit. Once they start working with groups like the FFM can we actually start to make some progress.
Feminists for Life are currently working on a project called the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Act, which would distribute $10 million per year to colleges in order to improve housing, health coverage, and child care for students who are pregnant or parents. This project achieves a few key goals. First, it allows pregnant or single mothers to stay in school, despite her parental responsibilities. Second, it gives women an incentive not to look to abortion. Serrin Foster, president of FFL, explains it in simple terms: abortion doesn't happen "because women want to fit into a size 5 bikini; parents have abortions for the same reasons that they have trouble raising children." Even though the Stanton Act is a noble attempt to give women a reason not to have an abortion, the Christian Right staunchly opposes it. The Christian Right can't stand the fact that a group would want to help a single woman who became pregnant. Abstinence is the only solution the Christian right will accept, and the Stanton act actually encourages sinful sexual activity (or so they say).
Although Feminists for Life don't take a stance on contraception, they don't specifically oppose it. The irony for the Christian Right is that they want to see an end to abortions, yet they don't want to give people the tools that might prevent an unwanted pregnancy from happening in the first place. The Christian Right is in an awkward position because for some reason they think we live in a perfect world. They believe that if we tell kids abstinence is good that they'll follow it. They believe that if we make abortion illegal no one will have one (because we're all perfectly law abiding citizens, after all).
The Christian Right needs to wake up and understand something important: in order achieve the end they want, we have to bend the rules to get there. Remember, many members of the Christian Right believe that the Iraq war is justified if it means overthrowing a dangerous and evil dictator. In other words, they believe that murder is justified as a means to achieve a more important end! You can't certainly tell me that helping a pregnant woman afford to raise her child is more immoral than killing thousands of people. The Christian right needs to abandon this stereotype that pregnancy out of wedlock is the worst sin anyone can commit. Once they start working with groups like the FFM can we actually start to make some progress.
Rob -
appreciated your thoughts. Your thoughts remind me of a qoute I read while on a study trip in Quernevaca, Mexico. "When I try to help the poor people applaud me. When I as why people are poor they call me a communist." Likewise with the abortion issue. As a follower of Jesus Christ I must be willing to look into the reasons behind abortion and be willing to love as Jesus would love. It means getting dirty and it means helping a mother raise her child and coming along side her and the father to help them.
Keep sharing your thoughts. I'm not much of a blogger but do have a blog. If interested you can check it out at www.truthngrace.wordpress.com
Have a blessed day!