Choose Happiness, Choose Life!: Part 1
This series of posts is designed to take a true look at the factors around the abortion movement and what it truly means to empower women and to empower them for free choice.
Abort the Pro-Choice Mission
Love over Everything (?)
Overcoming Fear and Obstacles
Love is always the best option; love conquers all. This may seem like a condescending argument to an expectant mother who is facing addition, facing poverty, working through school, raising children as a single mom already or someone feeling too young or two old to be starting that chapter of life. Love conquerors all may also seem condescending to the friends and family of an expectant mother who has learned power and strength for a woman is terminating an inconvenient pregnancy rather than growing and adapting through it.
According to www.umassmed.edu 1 out of 4 American women will have an abortion before the age of 45; based on a 2004 study here are the motivations for not choosing to let a baby live: 25% for bad timing, 23% money issues, 19% have people counting on me or children are grown, 8% don’t want to be a single mom or have relationship problems, 7% did not feel mature enough, 4% worried about interference of education of career and 4% aborted because of health issues.
These reasons are motivated by fear, but we have an awesome God and we can stand tall and strong in, with faith; ““ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”” (Jeremiah 29 11-12).
These issues that seem to be driving women to kill their babies are lacking a few key things that we need more of in life; faith, hope and love. There is never a bad time to have the love of a new baby in the world, in your family and in your life. With only about 72 days of fertility each year it is impossible to imagine that even without the use of contraception that any baby is something other than a miracle.
Faith has to be stronger than fear, women and families cannot fear bad timing or money issues and other pressures; women have to do what is best for their infant and for their own health and happiness. An empowered society of women is a society of women willing to stand up for the value of all life and stop worrying about social pressures. Women (and families) need to have faith that God will provide, we have to speak out about available resources and create more resources as well as a better culture for young parents to come into that encourages life over death.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:13).
Woman and families that are faced with this choice need to take heed to the truth; God is our Father and He does not create life by mistake, He does not give bad gifts to His children and He does not leave His children’s side. He hears the cries of His children and stands firm for all of them.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17).
“A new study published in the Winter 2017 issue of The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons confirms that many women suffer from long-term negative psychological effects of abortion.”(liveaction.org ). Even more shocking “ 58.3% of the women said they had their abortions to make other people happy, and 78.3% percent said that their decision to abort was aided by pressure from others.” (iveaction.org ).
These statistics declare that more than 300,000 babies in the US are murdered by abortion to make people other than the mother happy and over 450,000 babies in the US are muredered by an abortion that mothers were pressured into having.
It is time for women to take a stand and declare that real reproductive rights stand in motherhood, and the ability to protect the child within the womb; 78% of woman did not feel empowered enough by por-choice laws to choose life. 78% of woman felt pressured and were pushed to do what they knew was the wrong choice for their baby.
After learning the devastating statistics on the pressure woman are often under to get abortions, it is no surprise that many abortions result in much pain and trauma.”Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) is the residual pain of abortion felt through feelings of grief, anger, shame, guilt, or other mental or physical turmoil. Many people experience depression, anxiety, anger and abandonment following an abortion and these feelings can continue for months or even years afterwards.” (h3helpline.org). Symptoms of PASS include:Bouts of crying Depression, Inability to forgive yourself, Intense grief / sadness, Anger / rage, Emotional numbness, loss of will to live, Sexual problems or promiscuity, Eating disorders, Lowered self esteem, Drug and alcohol abuse, Nightmares and sleep disturbances, Suicidal urges, Difficulty with relationships, Anxiety and panic attacks, Flashbacks, Multiple abortions, Pattern of repeat crisis pregnancy, Discomfort around babies or pregnant women, Fear/ambivalence of pregnancy.
Post abortion trauma is real and it is time to start facing it head on. Let us stop letting the fear of change and a new baby drive women into a life of emotional instability and pain. Life with a new baby, the gift of adoption or moments of a short life of an ill baby are not only where strength and empowerment comes from but it is also where glory and peace comes from.
If this nation would turn back to God, we will remember that our strength is from Him and that life is a valuable gift, and with that gift of a child, God will mold you into all that you do not think you can be for your baby.
The evil one wants to scare women and families into killing their babies. The fear of the devil is able to come in when we do not focus on God and His truths.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
The fear of poverty and lacking, the fear of “bad timing” and other situational issues is just that, it is just fear. God will use all things for your good. Even though having a child makes life more difficult, even though it may seem impossible, know that with God all things are possible.
“3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5).
We need to start the narrative that pro-choice means choosing hope, choosing what is good; choose life.