Am I Missing Something?

“Gift certificates are now a big part of the American economy. Along with electronic gift cards, gift certificates represent a growing segment of the consumer market -- and for good reason. Who wouldn't welcome and appreciate a gift certificate to a favorite store or service provider? Well, what if the product is abortion? Planned Parenthood of Indiana is now selling gift certificates redeemable "for services or the recipient’s choice of birth control method." Those "methods" include abortion.”

Death By Gift Certificate

The story this article references is not about politics, women’s health, equal rights or anything like that. Its not about birth control, which to include abortion in is barbaric. This is about ignorance and deception. The only reason this issue comes up so often on this blog is because it represents so well the fact that the simple and helpful truth of the Gospel seems to be neglected in our culture, when there is no good reason why it should be. Unless I’m missing something.

If pro-life is defined as supporting women and families before, during, and after decisions related to unwanted pregnancies, caring for them, helping them, providing resources for them, praying for them, and counseling them on the best, most ethically and emotionally healthy choice to make, all the while not ever compromising the sanctity of the unborn human life in their womb; who could disagree with this stance?

If pro-choice is represented as protecting a women’s right, by all means necessary, with a reckless disregard for the emotional health of the women making the difficult decision and for the defenseless unborn human in the womb, so much so that gift certificates are offered to further encourage an act that most claim they want to decrease; how can any morally responsible person align with this stance?

You can defend the right of a woman to choose and the life of an unborn baby at the same time. You can forgive, love, and support those who have had an abortion, and not compromise a belief and passion to protect the unborn at the same time. Why is that so complicated to understand? Offering gift certificates to encourage abortions is both ignorant, in that it ignores the real cost of the “service”, and deceptive, in that it further simplifies and justifies an act that will, without a doubt, lead to emotional turmoil and physical death. It is also ironic in that it reveals the true motives of organizations like Planned Parenthood; not caring for women but promoting their business and making money. This development absolutely blows my mind.

If the Gospel is presented as the truth that the God of the universe humbled himself and came to earth to show us a picture and example of his nature, healing the sick and lame, and eating with and offering hope to the sinful and ashamed, never committing a sin, making specific demands of us that are for our own good, going to a cross to die and absorb the punishment that we justly deserve, and rising from the dead to conquer once and for all sin and death and give us the immeasurable gift of eternal life in his presence, and leaving behind for us his Holy Spirit, to serve as a counselor and deposit and glimpse of holiness and the life to come, where there will be no more sickness or crying or deception or pain, where he will custom-make for us a new creation for our enjoyment and his Glory; how could and why would anyone suppress that truth?

I’ll go ahead and not suppress it and instead believe it and live it, and meanwhile continue to go with gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, and Lowe’s. Makes much more sense. Its Christmas!