I was invited to participate in a panel discussion for a Baptists for Life youth event. Each year, they have a high school lock-in for some of the baptist churches in the area. In the early part of the evening, I was on this panel; then for 5 hours I played games at Magic Mountain!
Here is Panel Question #1:
My 16 year old friend who recently broke up with her boyfriend just found out that she is 8 weeks pregnant. She has not yet told her parents, who are going to be very upset, and her ex-boyfriend tells her that “it’s not even really a baby yet, just have an abortion”. What should I tell her? Is a baby alive at 8 weeks of age?
Here was my response:
I’d like to read a Psalm to you. This is a song of David.
Psalm 139:13-16
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Did you notice a recurring theme in this song? Seven times the word YOU was used as he sings this song to God. David is intentionally pointing upward and gives God the credit for three things:
1) He is created by God
David didn’t give credit to his parents for his existence; it was God who knit him together. At times we’ll say a pregnancy is unintentional or accidental, but God doesn’t make mistakes.
2) God’s creation is wonderful.
David unleashes his praise to God saying, “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well!” Does he sound unsure about that? Anything that God creates is wonderful.
3) God has an intimate relationship with his creation.
Even before David understood that he had a relationship with God, God already had an intimate relationship with David. This relationship started even before he took his first breath! God knew everything about David’s body, his personality, his character, and his inmost being. But it didn’t stop there; God knew everything about David’s future before any of it happened.
Psalm 139 isn’t so much about David as it is about the sovereignty of God. When we are faced with difficult circumstances in life, it’s easy to focus on ourselves and make a decision that will make things easier on us. But, before you make up your mind about what do you with a pregnancy, I challenge you to enlarge your perspective to take into consideration God’s sovereign plan. God doesn’t make mistakes.
Thursday, 17. April 2008
I really liked reading this. Though I was wondering if the girl was raped and fell pregnant what does this mean? You mentioned that God doesnt make mistakes, but surely he wouldnt want someone to be raped and then have a consistent reminder that she has been raped. What should a girl do in this situation?
Monday, 21. April 2008
Samantha,
You have brought up a great point and it deserves to be explored! I did a little research before writing this response, so I will include statistics and facts that are not found in the Bible. I’ll try to reference my findings so you can read more at your own leisure.
First, conception after rape is extremely rare. Approximately 1% of abortions are because of rape or incest. (a) One of the reasons why this number is so low is because if a rape victim goes to the police, there is medical treatment available to remove the semen and protect against sexually transmitted diseases. However, some women are so victimized that they feel like they cannot go to authorities out of fear. Perhaps they were the victim of long-term sexual abuse. I would imagine that those women are more susceptible to pregnancy. This is unfortunate, but it does happen so let’s look into it further.
Second, rape is a terrible crime and the victim should not be subjected to any further trauma. She needs compassion, love, and healing. In the event of a pregnancy, abortion can be viewed a way to turn back the clock. Instead of bearing the memory of this crime for the next 9 months, one could promptly bring an end to that memory and alleviate the trauma. I would agree with this point of view except for the fact that an abortion is not just a medical procedure; it’s a second traumatic blow for some women. The effect an abortion has on a woman is called Post Abortion Syndrome. (b) PAS describes a woman’s inability to process the feelings of fear, anger, sadness, grief and guilt surrounding her abortion experience. This added trauma would only complicate the healing process.
Third, taking the life of an unborn child would, in a sense, be victimizing another innocent person. This point of view in not shared by everyone simply because not everyone views life the same way. Does life start at conception or at the time of birth? How you answer that question will most likely determine your view on abortion, regardless of the circumstances of the pregnancy. Some people have such a strong conviction about life starting at conception that they are willing to do whatever it takes to preserve that life, despite the horrible circumstances surrounding the pregnancy.
Now that I’ve bored you with some facts, let me take a minute to answer your question
, “What should a girl do in this situation?” She should surround herself with family and friends who love her. She should go to a health center that has counselors who are willing to discuss ALL of her options. She should talk to women who had similar circumstances with rape and talk about their decision affected their healing process. She should pray throughout this process for God to comfort her and give her wisdom to make a decision.
Brian
(a) http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html
(b) http://www.prcsfv.org/Post-AbortionSyndrome.html