For most issues in life – and on social media – I find that I can be neutral. Time after time I can pass by without liking, clicking, or reposting. It’s not that difficult; in fact, my general tendency is to keep surfing – especially if it is political. Who wants to be THAT person? However, some issues force us to not be neutral! We as human beings cannot stand or sit idly by…we as human beings cannot surf on…we as human beings cannot afford to ignore what’s going on under the guise of research for the greater good. What we see on video is us. Hands, arms, feet, legs, faces, heads, hearts, brains, neural tissue, lungs, livers … all part of us, dissected in Petri dishes, sold to the highest bidder, then resold for research and profit. These gruesome videos bring to our awareness the barbaric practices by abortionists at Planned Parenthood and document the cavalier attitude toward human life in the womb.
The Upside-Down World
Last night I was overwhelmed when it was reported that the death of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe garnered 30 minutes, 1 second of nation-wide coverage on the major networks ABC, CBS, and NBC compared to a total of 11 minutes, 13 seconds of combined coverage for all four Planned Parenthood videos through the first two weeks (source). One crime, one lion in Africa … no shared hands, arms, feet, legs, faces, heads, hearts, brains, neural tissue, lungs, livers, etc. … just an animal that was well-respected and beautiful. At the end of the day, just one animal on another continent. No soul. Not made in the image of God. Not in our shared image. Yet 30 minutes, 1 second of pure outrage.
This week a picture surfaced on the net regarding the bald eagle. According to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the law provides for the protection of the bald eagle and the golden eagle by prohibiting the take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, of any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, including any part, nest, or egg, unless allowed by permit (16 U.S.C. 668c; 50 CFR 22.3). Civil penalties and felony convictions vary with a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years of imprisonment. The fine doubles for an organization. Rewards are provided for information leading to the arrest and conviction for violation of the Act (source). A beautiful eagle, a formerly endangered bird … no shared hands, arms, feet, legs, faces, heads, hearts, brains, neural tissue, lungs, livers, etc. … just a bird. No soul. Not made in the image of God. Not in our shared image. Yet legal protection with significant fines and fees for even the possession of various parts of a dead bird or even a part of a nest.
As of this writing, there are 43 homicides in Baltimore this month, the 3rd most homicides ever in a single month in Baltimore history (source). In Chicago, there were 216 homicides in the first six months (source). In Planned Parenthood approximately 900 abortions per day are performed, according to historical records (source). Homicides and abortions have commonalities: shared hands, arms, feet, legs, heads, hearts, brains, neural tissue, lungs, livers, etc. … a person. Souls. Made in the image of God. In our shared image. Human.
Sit in the average perinatologist’s office and talk to the pregnant ladies who hope beyond all hope that the doctor can help them save their babies. The doctors have devoted their lives to helping moms deliver this baby growing inside the womb. Or move sometimes just down the hallway into the NICU where doctors work tirelessly with families to save the lives of babies. Babies. Humans.
Why can’t we be neutral?
We can’t be neutral because God is not neutral on this issue. God described the process of what was happening in the womb in incredible detail from His perspective. As every baby develops, God is miraculously working in that baby’s formation. David records God’s view in Psalm 139.
Speaking to God, David writes (Psalm 139:13-16, translation mine):
You Yourself created my mind and heart;
You knit/wove me together in my mother’s womb
I will continually praise You because I am made wonderful awesomely,
Your creative works are miraculous; as I know exceedingly well.
My bones/skeletal frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in the secret place (the womb);
I was skillfully woven together in the lowest places of the earth (speaking of the womb). Your eyes saw my formless mass, incomplete vessel, embryo…
So what should we do?
First, we must be a voice for the unborn. They are voiceless humans. By ultrasound you can see them move their mouths, cringe, and push away from invading devices to mutilate and kill them. They can’t say, “Stop!” “Get Away!” “Leave me alone!” But we can make their voice heard through personal conversations and social media. As we do, we need to pay special attention to our tone, our love, our consistency with the Gospel, and being judgmental. The standard of our speech is love. The sound of our speech is mercy, especially toward those who have committed abortion in the past.
We must object to the inhumane harvesting and dissecting of human body parts. These videos show individuals who barbarically sort body parts and celebrate how much money there is to be made. They crush some “parts” in order to protect “better” and more “valuable” parts. They haggle over price in an effort to gain money. They proclaim, “This is a boy.” We respond to this proclamation, “Yes, absolutely. This is a person – either a little boy or little girl made in the image of God to love and be loved. This is a hand made to hold another’s hand. This is a foot made to walk down the sidewalk. This is an innocent, little person needing protection as he or she develops.”
We must prioritize human life over animals and birds. The world rages against poaching a wild lion. The law of the United States protects the eggs and even the nests of eagles. We can’t passively allow lions and eagles to be more protected than humans, babies, or embryos. Every day, all day, 365 days per year, year after year after year, human life is always worth more than animals or birds. Do we respect God’s creation? We must; God tells us to be stewards of it (Gen 1-2). However, human life is greater than all other living creatures.
We must pray for God’s mercy and help. Pray that God would protect the unborn, provide help for pregnant mothers, use Christ-followers to show mercy, and change the attitude of the politicians in Washington D.C. Pray diligently recognizing that millions of lives hang in the balance.
We must be human for humanity. We who live must protect, care for, and prioritize all those who also live. Whether in the womb, in Baltimore, in Chicago, or anywhere on this planet, all lives matter. Lives matter. People matter. God cares. We care.
You can’t be neutral. Choose human life.
Wonderfully said. This must be stopped and our tax dollars need to be withdrawn from helping Planned Parenthood with anything they do.