Thoughts For Life
This post was written by Emma Ostlund
As Christians, we are pro-life because we believe in the inherent value of every life. Every life was created by God. Every life was crafted by God, knit together, to be a reflection of his own image. Every life is a story written by God. As we enter into a month of considering the sanctity of life, remember that every life has value because of the One who created life itself.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16
Terminology
One of the arguments coming from the pro-choice side that disturbs me the most is the idea that a child is not a child until he or she has been born. Words like fetus are used to describe a growing human being. Take a look at some of the developments that occur while the child is still in the womb.
According to facts taken from the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) Newsletter, at conception, the child already has all of the genetic material that will make her unique from every other human being. Within 18 to 21 days, her heart is beating. There are measurable brain waves by week six. A week later, she already has all her fingers and toes. She learns to suck her thumb at 11 to 12 weeks. Her movement can be felt by her mother at week 16. Within the next four weeks, her vocal cords will start working, and she’ll be able to respond to sounds like music or voices. She’ll also be able to experience pain. At 22 weeks, she could survive outside of the womb with help. Is she really still just a fetus? Because she sounds like a human being to me.
Life Has Value
Lives are not independent of one another. Lives touch each other in ways that we hardly even notice. This is one more reason why I strongly believe that every life has value. An unborn child is already a daughter, maybe a sister, granddaughter, niece, or a great-granddaughter even. She will touch the lives of her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents in a way that only she could.
As she grows up she’ll become a classmate, a student, and a friend. She’ll learn what makes her special, a life of value. Later, she may be a teacher, a doctor, or a CEO. Her life holds so much possibility, and she’ll continue to touch lives. She may be a wife, a mother, and even a grandmother. Her life is unique and deserves to be shown.
Life isn’t just a right, it’s a gift. Maybe we take that for granted sometimes. When you stop to think about it, life is pretty amazing. Life is full of choices to make. We have opportunities to explore, create, love, or do any number of things. Life is a blank page that we get to fill. When I think of life this way, I have an even harder time comprehending abortion.
Abortion ends a young and innocent life. That child is waiting in her mother’s womb. Her life is that blank page waiting for her stories. If she is aborted, her story ends. There’s no ink on the page, no stories from her life. She made no choices and created nothing. I’m pro-life because I believe in the value of every life and in the value of their stories. I want to see every unborn child get a chance at life.
“Maybe you’ll be a teacher. Maybe you’ll be President. Maybe you’ll cure every disease ever. You might even see the Grand Canyon, swim in the ocean. Oh, this is so, so much. It’s a lot. Try this, take a breath. Isn’t that amazing? It’s called breathing! You’re going to do it a lot. But nobody knows exactly how much. So enjoy it.” (“Kid President’s Letter To A Person On Their First Day Here.”)
This quote is from ten-year-old “Kid President” Robby Novak’s video letter to his newborn nephew. Someone showed me this video several years ago, and I love its positive reminder that life is something special, something to be treasured. It is a reminder for us to be more than just anti-abortion. I want to be pro-LIFE. Every life is a gift from God. Even the simple act of breathing is a reminder of how skillfully God created each one of us.
