Bright Spot: What it means to be pro-life
One of my friends was being ridiculed for aligning with the “pro-choice party.”
The mockers were angry that another anniversary of Roe v. Wade had come and gone.
This was the Jan. 22, 1973, United States Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized abortion on demand for any reason during an entire pregnancy. That landmark decision has been propelled to the front page of today’s news as it is being closely scrutinized by the current court.
So, about 62 million U.S. abortions later, pro-lifers are angry.
I interrupted this forum of Friends (Quakers) to remind them that our Quaker ancestors would roll over in their graves if we focused on a single issue as the barometer of what it means to be pro-life or a Christ-follower.
Our peaceful Quaker forefathers “fought” for life in every way. That’s why they would enter the military as combat medics, but never carry a gun.
In centuries past, many of our Friends forefathers would tirelessly work for prison reform, often swapping themselves for frail prisoners in the horrific jails of 17th century rather than see those prisoners die without Christ.
Friends were all about fair treaties with the Native Americans who had many promises broken in the pacts they made with those of European descent. The Friends who negotiated treaties had such integrity that the U.S. government used them as their key mediators for many years.
Friends were leaders in reforming the way the mentally ill were treated and housed, often in squalid conditions.
Friends were key cogs in the Underground Railroad, the informal network that paved the way for slaves to escape the South into Canada. For this Quakers risked their freedom and lives since aiding fugitive slaves was illegal.
To be pro-life means to be life-giving in every way. We must live at peace with all men, from co-workers to classmates (Romans 12:18). Pro-life means we add value to the lives of others. Pro-lifers get involved in the lives of women who have crisis pregnancies. There is no better way than donating time or money to a local pregnancy center, like the excellent ones we have Alliance, Columbus and Canton. Pro-lifers adopt and foster children. They take in refugees.
Being pro-life means you are the best partner, parent and person you can possibly be. We speak the truth, but always in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25). We offer solutions instead of cynicism, hope instead of hatred. We light candles instead of constantly cursing the darkness.
Nothing has ever meant more to me than hearing one of our grown children tell my wife and me: “You are life-giving to us.”
So just as Jesus came to give life more abundantly (John 10:10), so should we as we strive to be like Him (Luke 6:40; Romans 8:29), in all ways, not just on a single issue.
Rick Sams is pastor emeritus of Alliance Friends Church.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Bright Spot: What it means to be pro-life
