Pro life advocates often state that abortion is a tragedy, and that is true. However, if we can be more precise and clarify our language by defining what it means to be pro-life, our message will reach so many more people. Abortion is much more than tragic.
Abortion, other than to save a pregnant woman’s life, is a sinful and violent act that is stoppable and preventable. That killing unborn children remains legal after 45 years owes much to our cultural decay. To describe abortion as anything less than the killing of an unborn child is to advance the argument in favor of the pro-abortion movement. A tragedy implies a natural disaster or accident, not a willful act.
An earthquake that kills hundreds is a tragedy. When a child runs out into the street and gets killed by a reckless driver, it is a tragedy. When a mother finds out her five-year old son or daughter has an inoperable brain tumor and she’s counting the days that she has left with her child, it is a tragedy. It is heartbreaking when that child dies.
It is easy to differentiate between an evil deed and a tragic occurrence when you notice the language that is used. Rhetoric must be polished so that people will come to accept and defend something bad while ignoring the consequences and denying the truth. With evil there is always a scapegoat.
When nations impose laws that target innocent people or specific groups there is also indoctrination. In Hitler’s Germany, there was a propaganda minister, inflammatory language in speeches and publications that led to exterminations and a scapegoat: The Jews. The Holocaust was more than a tragedy; these were crimes against humanity.
When a mother loses a child to a terrible disease, there is no reason or need to devise false rhetoric and distort facts. People agree that it is a tragedy for her loss. Everyone recognizes that a child getting hit by a car is tragic. When, in a local neighborhood, a family perished after candles caused a house fire that was a tragedy.
There will always be those who have a need to assign blame to the person suffering. “If only the mother watched her child before he crossed the street.” “If only the mother took her child for chemo sooner.” Perhaps it is human nature to want a perpetrator even when there is none. These incidents are exceptions, however, because a tragedy is generally not preventable and common sense informs us.
With every wrongful action large or small, there is always a willing perpetrator and an unwilling victim. It may be one person committing an act that harms an individual, or one group committing crimes against another group. Bullying innocent children in school is not only a tragedy it is maliciousness, especially when bystanders allow the torment to continue.
When it comes to abortion, there is a willing perpetrator (the abortionist) and an unwilling victim. The unwilling victim is the unborn child who has no say in the matter and is not universally recognized as having a right to life.
When a pregnant woman has an abortion and is left with psychological or physical damage, or G-d forbid dies, that is tragic for her and her family. However, pro-aborts that continue to push their agenda for unlimited abortion up to birth, promote its so-called “benefits” for women, lie about its outcomes, conceal its racial implications and denigrate its victims are complying with evil. They may not be directly involved in the abortion industry, but through their power, money, lobbying efforts and legislation they have their fingerprints all over it.
Those who denigrate pregnant women suffering with post abortion trauma are callous. They lack compassion and the ability to show empathy when someone is in pain. Pro-aborts often say that a woman who feels remorse following an abortion had problems to begin with, even when that is not the case.
Very few women experience joy after an abortion, although many are initially relieved of the “problem.” However, looking deep beneath the surface, there still may be a sense of regret or remorse. Some women hide it better than others, subdue the emotion or redirect their grief into positive actions. Some are not aware of any difference.
Either way, the killing of an unborn baby cannot be justified in a civilized society. Life begins at conception and abortion should be banned unless the pregnant woman’s physical life is endangered. Let’s counter the “pro-choice” rhetoric with clear, concise language. Let’s just tell the truth.
Copyright Jewish Life League. All rights reserved.
