This is my second post on the topic of abortion with the question being which group (MAGAs or Dems) better reflects the teachings of Jesus as it relates to a given issue, let’s continue with the issue of abortion.
As I see it, this needs to be viewed from two key perspectives:
First is from the individual woman who is facing a crisis pregnancy and those around her who will have a bearing on her decision. Let’s term the woman & related parties as “the Individual”. The other perspective is from that of society at large that enacts laws related to support services for health care and childcare that affects women who will bear and raise children – and the funding thereof, as well as laws related to abortion restrictions. Let’s term this perspective as that of “The Society”.
So, the question becomes, “Based on Jesus’ teachings, what should the Individual do and what should the Society do relative to abortion?”
In this post, I will focus on the Individual.
I think it goes without saying that Jesus would encourage a woman who has become pregnant to choose to bring the child into the world. God’s instruction to the first human couple was “be fruitful and multiply”. If the woman’s situation is such that she cannot raise the child herself, adoption is a very viable option. I just checked and clearly any baby, regardless of race, put up for adoption in the US will be adopted.
And yet, can we say for certain that Jesus expects or mandates that all pregnant women bring a child to term in every situation? Based on Jesus’ teachings, we understand that God is loving and compassionate. Is it possible that there are situations where bringing a child to term will so totally disrupt a woman’s life and cause so much distress for her that it renders her incapable of providing for herself and her other children? And if such conditions exist, is it possible that the Triune God will insist that she give birth to the child. Or, is it conceivable that God will convey to the pregnant woman in a crisis pregnancy who seeks spiritual guidance that it is ok for her to opt for an abortion?
The MAGA perspective is that the Individual should always choose life and bring unborn children to term. (Even so, there is no evidence that Evangelical Christians have fewer abortions than other segments of US society.) The Dems perspective is that each Individual should evaluate their situation and decide what is the overall best decision for the woman to take.
I would say that based on Jesus’ teachings; He would want the woman to give birth in nearly all cases. However, I certainly can’t presume, particularly as a man who will never face a crisis pregnancy of my own, that in every situation, Jesus would mandate that every woman carry the child to term. It may well be that in some cases, the trauma, hardship and stress that bringing the child to term will inflict on the woman will be so devastating that God will not condemn her for obviating such misery by terminating the pregnancy.
I am not as sure as I once was what a woman in a crisis pregnancy should do. Afterall, who can say with certainty what is the mind of The Creator of the Universe? Not me, that’s for sure.
Next post, we will look at the abortion issue from the perspective of our Society.
Relevant Comments
Many Protestant Churches have a very weak theology on the value of suffering. 1 Pet 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” This is often absent in Democrat and Republican camps. Thankfully the Catholic Church has been historically strong on this point.
Dan, I consider Franciscan priest Richard Rohr to be my spiritual mentor. And I consider his book “Falling Upwards” to be the most applicable practical guidebook for how to view and live life today that I have ever found. A key theme of the book is that for one to grow and become the person that God wants you to become, you must experience suffering, loss, and tragedy. He says that he prays for at one good humiliation a day. And that when the suffering comes, don’t try to wish it away quickly. Rather, use it as an opportunity to grow and mature and to enhance your relationship with God. So yes, I agree with you that suffering can be beneficial and that it is undervalued in our society. And yet, I am no longer willing to step into a situation where a woman is suffering with a crisis pregnancy and demand that she bring the child to term. Great progress has been made in America since the abortion rate peaked in the mid-1980’s. The abortion rate fell to less than half of what it had been. We hit an all time low in the number of abortions in the US in 2017. The number of abortions to live births has changed from 1 in 3 to less than 1 in 6. So clearly a much greater number of women facing crisis pregnancies have chosen life without the state forcing them to do so. I would rather the Holy Spirit persuade women to choose life rather than have the government mandate it.
Daniel Runkle David, the Holy Spirit also expects us as citizens to enact moral laws that protect life.
Don WhiteThe first amendment guarantees each of us freedom of religion
.Kathryne DowningHart
David, where did you find your information that every baby put up for adoption will be adopted? I know in Baton Rouge that is not the case for babies with disabilities. I know these Foster families personally. They are few and far between.
I’ll go back and check my search history and send you the linkI was surprisedIt said there were like 30 times as many people wanting to adopt as there were babies to adopt
David, that is correct about private adoption of healthy babies. It’s not true of children born with disabilities who are surrendered especially those in the NICU.
ActiveKathryne Downing HartDavid Treppendahl I know of cases in Louisiana of hospitals prescribing Hospice not because the baby was terminal but because they needed the bed in the NICU and that was the only way they could be released to Foster Care because there aren’t enough trained Foster Families for medically complex kids much less families waiting to adopt them. And that’s due to the lack of support they receive to properly care for them.
Meg KendrickKathryne Downing Hart I would surmise to say that’s infant adoption. My husband and I initially struggled with fertility and looked into adopting. We attended a class for potential foster and adoptive parents and they weren’t even taking names for infant adoption/fostering but were desperately looking for families to foster/adopt teens.
ActiveKathryne Downing HartDavid Treppendahl this will all tie back when you get to the “society” piece of ProLife. I am not saying a disabled life is worth less and should be aborted.But we aren’t prepared as a society to to help care for a child that is disabled due to genetics, birth injuries, drugs, or lack of prenatal care when those children are placed for adoption. The families who do raise their children with disabilities except the very very rich require government support to cover their care. Private insurance does not pay for quite a bit of my son’s care. Home nursing is only covered by Medicaid and I have insurance through a Fortune 100 employer.
ActiveKathryne Downing HartMeg Kendrick I know kids who have been in Foster Care since the day they were born. 3 years and counting. They were born with disabilities. The only babies left in Foster Care are those with medical needs.
ActiveDavid TreppendahlKathryne and Meg, I totally defer to the two of you. Whatever I pulled off the internet in a 20 second search is irrelevant. You two have lived this. So I take what you have to say about adoptions as being true. I gather from your posts that healthy babies are quickly adopted. Those with disabilities are much more difficult to place. Are healthy black and brown babies also easily adoptable
ActiveKathryne Downing HartDavid Treppendahl When a family is adopting they are more likely to receive a placement if they are open to a child of any race. Longer waiting list if you only want a white baby. Even when you are open to any race there is no guarantee an adoption goes through as birth mothers often change their minds when the child is born. Children are more likely to be given up or custody taken away later when the birth parent cannot or will not care for them.
Meg KendrickMy only experience is with foster to adopt through the Department of Child and Family Services. The goal is always reunification with a family member so if at any stage in the foster process a family member steps up the child will be placed with the family. Teens are especially hard to place. Personally, I get enraged with the adoption argument to avoid abortion. First and foremost, adoption is traumatic for all parties – the birth mother, the child, and the foster/adoptive families. Can there be good that comes from it – yes but it doesn’t take away the trauma. Second, it still forces a woman to give birth and furthermore – adoption yet again favors those privileged to be able to jump the hurdles and barriers. The state has an intense list of requirements and if families want to go through the private adoption route it requires the upfront funding to be able to do so. There is no simple answer to abortion, adoption, etc. But i would love for people who claim to be pro-life to actually follow through on that – stable, proper funding for education, healthcare access, food and hygiene access, better job training and post high school educational opportunities. I will always admire John Bel Edwards for saying that the same pro life religious beliefs that make him against abortion also make him believe in Medicaid expansion. I may not agree with his abortion stance – I will always believe and support a woman’s right to control her body, but that shows he’s not just pro-birth but is about care and health throughout the life of a person.3
Caroline Caldwell AlberstadtMeg Kendrick so well said my friend. 
View 1 more replyPhilip DavisI cannot presume to imagine what Jesus would teach on this. We do know that he said: ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ So, once again, we may have to pretend to consider what it is that is in the child bearer’s womb that requires a sacrificial choice affecting two souls, one of which has no choice in the matter at all. Something to consider–I would hate to make the choice. I believe our Lord would love the child bearer in any case and care for the taken soul. That is my hope. I use the word child bearer here instead of woman to conform with the dismissive forces rewriting the English language. Also, when I talk to a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, atheist, humanist, I know not whether he is a MAGA anything.
David TreppendahlLet’s view Jesus comments in the latter part of Matt 25. He says: 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these BROTHERS AND SISTERS of mine, you did for me.’ Jesus was talking to a dealing with people he was interacting with around him – those were his brothers and sisters. Sisters includes women in crisis pregnancies who are facing great trauma. Was He also thinking of fetuses when he was identifying the “least of these”? Perhaps, perhaps not. In my next post, I will address the role of society in this matter. Would Jesus have us criminalize abortions or not?
David, Right–it is a conundrum. Once cannot condemn a woman who may make a tragic choice, while simultaneously not condemning oneself; Jesus would show us the way through love. The book that the woman writes is her own, upon which she will open when she ascends to stand before before God. So the choice is really hers, between her people, and God. I believe Jesus would have us not criminalize the act. But that is just me from a non-secular viewpoint. Practicalities of living in a modern day society generally do not take a Jesus viewpoint, unfortunately
David, No this is actually a response to the comment. Where he states why he is saying Child Bearer. Bottom line is it’s all only women. Period. A man can not get pregnant and we don’t care what woke ideology wants to try to force down our throat and this is done supported by the Democrat party. God made man and woman period. That’s it nothing else is true from woke agenda. So yes it actually replies to comment on this post.
Donald, so what about babies who are born with both a vagina and a penis? There are millions living today. Go back and read my post regarding my urologist friend who mistakenly turned a person who was emotionally wired as a female into a male.
David, this stat. Would you be generous to provide me with the source.
Donald, what determines if someone is a man or woman? Their internal reproductive organs, their outside sexual organs, their genetics? So far we know of 6 genetic karotypes of biological sex. XX and XY are just the most common. God created all of them
Phillip, Again, I addressed all this in the discussion on Sexuality. This is a link to that discussion: https://respectfulpointsandcounterpoints.com/…
RESPECTFULPOINTSANDCOUNTERPOINTS.WORDPRESS.COMSexuality.Sexuality
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Steve NoyolaWhen you post something and label it MAGA versus Democrats you lose me…it’s Republicans versus Democrats or Conservative versus Liberal…
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- ActiveDavid TreppendahlSteve Noyola there is a huge distinction in my mind between the Ideology of the Republican Party that I was once a part of and that today includes people such as Bill Cassidy, Ben Sasse and Liz Chaney and the MAGA Republicans who are the sycophants of Donald Trump.Were Mitt Romney to run for PresidentI would probably support him.Under No condition would I ever support Donald Trump or anyone who fawns at his feet.
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- Steve NoyolaDavid Treppendahl that’s certainly your opinion to have but again, there is no “MAGA” Republicans IMO…you either believe in the overall philosophy of conservatism no matter who is at the top of the ticket or you support the liberal policies and politicians of the Democratic Party…nobody else has a seat at the table…there are no independents in Washington no matter what Bernie or Angus want to claim..
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- ActiveDavid TreppendahlSteve Noyola Trump does not believe in conservatism. Conservatives are fiscally conservative. They oppose increasing the national debt. Donald Trump was the president who wanted his name on the signature for all stimulus checks. During his single term, the national debt increased by nearly $8 trillion – more than under any president in US history by far. Conservatives stand for bringing the power of the US military to bear to accomplish our nation’s objectives. Trump was the one who negotiated a deal with the Taliban to cut the US military to 2,500 and agreed to exit Afghanistan by May of 2021. It was his decisions that led to the debacle when Biden was faced with either greatly escalating our military commitment there are abandoning Afghanistan as Trump had agreed to do. Conservatives stand for truth and integrity. Never has a president been more deceitful and told more lies than Donald Trump. Republicans believe in the rule of law and adhering to the Constitution. Donald Trump was the only president in US history who did his level best to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after clearly losing an election. Mitt Romney, George Bush and Ronald Reagan – Republicans that I strongly supported would never have done the any of these things Trump has done. He is an aberration and a disgrace to the conservative Republican Party that I faithfully supported for four decades.
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- Steve NoyolaDavid Treppendahl dude..I ain’t reading all that…either you are a Republican or a democrat…seems like you are the latter now…that’s ok just own it
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- Kathryne Downing HartSteve Noyola it’s not even that black and white within the Democratic party. There are Centrists like David, John Bel Edwards, and Biden. The people running the Democratic party are not as far left as Bernie and his supporters want them to be. Bernie is an Independent only because he is further left.And then there are Black Democrats which are typically hold more conservative religious views than white Democrats left in the party. For a long time the southern black Democrats supported anyone with a D to their name, but have since chosen to only support black candidates as white southern Democrats have shown to be less and less interested in the issues important to minorities. Hence white southern Democrats who continue to run for office have often turned to the Republican party to stay in office.
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- ActiveDavid TreppendahlKathryne Downing Hart It is my hope that one day people like Mitt Romney, John Kasich, Bill Cassidy, John McCain, GHW Bush, Liz Cheney, Ben Sasse and Adam Kinzinger will be able to reclaim the policies, integrity and civility that was once the Republican Party. It has been hijacked Donald Trump, White Nationalists, and other fearful and angry people who share none of the values that once made the RNC my party of choice.
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