Abortion, Americans, and the Election

I suppose that this might seem like a moot point post election.  But there is a number of things that I have been mulling over regarding the Presidential Election and the candidates...particularly the choices and reasons for those choices that American Christians have been voicing.

As a Canadian my choice for President of the USA is really rather irrelevant.  However, I feel quite strongly that the US needs to do some serious work on it's global reputation in order to stem the anger and outrage that is directed her way.  And I fully believe that Barack Obama is the kind of leader that the world can respect and in fact wants to work with.

In my meanderings online, I have come across some many indictments, mainly by Christians, of Obama's position on abortion and homosexuality.  And it has got me thinking about the government's role in enforcing ethics and morality.  Interestingly, I don't think that either issue played a substantial role in the preceding Canadian elections...the most recent event that brought abortion to the table was Dr. Henry Morgentaler receiving the Order of Canada. 

I find it fascinating how government bodies choose to deal with those who object to their policies and decisions.  Dr Morgentaler blatantly disregards the laws of the land, was tried and found guilty and then...honoured...?  It makes me wonder if the KI six will one day receive the same honour...they did not harm any body.  They researched their rights, followed the rule of law and were sidelined in favour of big business.  When they enforced their rights based on law and precedent, they were arrested and jailed ...a doctor honoured for beginning the killing of unborn children...First Nation leaders shamed defending their land...but maybe this is a story for another post...

Back to the issue at hand, abortion and politics.  I stand firmly on the side of the argument that says life begins at conception and abortion is tantamount to murder.  But I faced an ethical dilemma now many years back that has pulled me back from the graceless position that makes no allowances for living in a fallen world where things go wrong.

Imagine, a young couple, entering ministry, expecting their longed for first child...but something goes badly wrong.  The baby in utero is not well and the painful journey begins.  Prayer vigils are held, fasting and long days in medical care.  The baby will not live, baby will have massive organ failure upon birth and immediately die.  The decision is made to continue on with the pregnancy in hopes of a miracle that will give them a baby.  The journey turns now to a darker path, the mommy's life is now in the balance.  She is put into hospital, continuing to hope that something might change.  Now doctors are fearing the worse, mother and child are most likely going to die before this baby gets near full term.  In the corner sits a young man facing the lose of wife and child in one catastrophic event...  ...the unspoken solution is abhorrent... In their experience abortion was never a consideration, they would happily accept a child with a disability or abnormality, they would suffer the pain of a labour to hold and farewell their stillborn child.  

I could not in good faith stand in judgement of them.  How could I condemn a man to sacrifice his wife on the altar of 'abortion is always wrong'?  I heard judgement from both ends, those angry that this man allowed his wife to be put in harms way for the sake of a child as good as dead, and those who said that no matter what the circumstances should run it's course, come what may.

When my eldest child faced certain death without immediate and expert medical intervention, we heard from both sides.  If you hadn't have gone there this would not have happened, to if you feel like you were where you were supposed to be you should have stayed and buried her there.  One one hand, we made a bad choice to go and then we made a bad choice to come back.  Circumstances allowed to run their course would have killed her, appropriate medical intervention required us to pack up and head home; even then we were not assured that she would live, just that she had a chance to live.

Even as I write this I am aware that abortions done for medical necessity are not many.  According to statistics in the US only 6% of abortions occur for health reasons, and 1% for cases where the mother was violated.  But what about those with religious affiliations ...  In the US self-identifying Protestants account for about 37% of those having abortions, another 31% call themselves Catholic.  Of these women 18% are willing to identify themselves as born-again or evangelical.  

Allowing for abortions for medical necessity and women who were violated that leaves about 229 000 babies being aborted by women who are in those same churches that have come out indicting Obama for his liberal position on abortion.  If we are more generous with the level of commitment of  men and women from non-Evangelical and Catholic churches then the Church at large becomes responsible for the abortions of nearly 900 000 babies annually.

Who are we to hold one man responsible for safeguarding the ethics of a nation when we are not the vanguard of those ethics within our outspoken and oft judgmental communities.   Somewhere the reality of the lives of men and women in our churches is not being impacted by the message being taught.

Can morality really be legislated?  Wasn't that what Jesus frequently exposed as hypocritical in most of his interactions with Pharisees?  The Pharisees were charged with cleaning the outside and leaving their inner world strewn with dead men's bones (Matt. 23:27).  Could we, the church, be in danger of being accused of the same level of hypocrisy?  Are we, as Christians, cleaning up the visible life we live and storing up inner death?

I believe that Barack Obama is just a man.  But he is a man who, in my estimation, has attempted to address issues in their complexity, who seems to have a sincere desire to reach out across social, political and economic lines and sounds prepared to engage the global community.  It is time for the American Church to come behind their secular leader and pray for him.  Not that he would become like you, or me, but that he would be well equipped for this task set before him.

At the same time we as Christians need to have our house cleaned.  Maybe there are so many secrets because we are afraid of judgment.  Maybe there are hidden wounds because we are not sure of the love and acceptance that is promised.  Is it time for a revolution within the walls of the Church that seeks to be more like Jesus?  ...more like Jesus in how we talk, more like Jesus in how we share, more like Jesus in how we work, more like Jesus in how we love?