Stubborn and Blinded

Not a Good Mix

A recent conversation with a young man who has been blinded by liberal rhetoric left me disturbed. Not because he was rude or hateful, but because he was so blinded by the liberal agenda. He began with a “sincere question” but it soon became quite apparent that he was baiting me. I can be as stubborn as the next one when it comes to the pro-life issue. To me, there is very little wiggle room and there are certain facts that are simply irrefutable.

Abortion is rarely health care, and then it should only be considered such if the mother’s life is gravely in danger (rare). Instead, in most cases abortion has become the means to avoid consequences associated with irresponsible behavior. Maybe I’m wrong, but I cannot think of any other “health care” procedure that intentionally kills someone who has no voice or defense to alleviate another’s burden or inconvenience. So, to label abortion as “health care” is a gross misapplication of the term.

It wasn’t far into our conversation that it became apparent that his agenda was to defend Planned Parenthood while possibly even defending his own choice to eliminate personal guilt (he didn’t say this, but it almost felt that way). His responses were seemingly canned and often didn’t directly address my questions … sometimes not at all.

This conversation with the blinded young man began in the form of a personal “tweet” as a challenge on my position regarding funding of Planned Parenthood. Here’s an idea of how the conversation went (my responses are in italics):

Jan, What do you recommend we do with children who are the result of unplanned pregnancy? Serious question. Looking for insight.

Raise them and love them. Make room for them in your life. If impossible, there are so many couples waiting to adopt. Killing the child is never the answer. Parenthood at any stage in life is both challenging and rewarding, unplanned or not. You do yourself a disservice by denying yourself the joy of pure love!

Okay. I notice you advocate defunding Planned Parenthood. Any reason for that? Don’t they help prevent unplanned pregnancy?

Yes, but the same services are available thru local clinics who don’t promote or perform abortion. 

So abortion is wrong under all circumstances? Why defund an organization that does so much good? Even w/o abortion services.

The same services are available at health clinics and covered by AFA. Only unique thing PP offers is abortion. PP is not needed.

Other organizations offer abortion too. Why not target them for defunding? Is it ever appropriate to get an abortion?

PP is largest abortion provider & best place to begin dismantling the abortion industry. Is murder ever appropriate? No! Abortion is wrong except in the rarest extreme cases.

Just as others don’t get to make medical decisions for you, shouldn’t this choice be left to the individual woman?

Killing a child for selfish reasons or convenience sake isn’t a medical decision & rarely valid health care. Choice should be made before having sex! And, what about the man? It’s not only a “woman’s decision”. Too many men are denied the right to raise their own offspring because the “mother” chose to abort their child.

Rape, incest, ineffective or broken contraception, lack of access to prophylactics. Not convenience, it’s a personal choice.

So punish the child? There’s a reason for every life whether accident or not. Sad so many don’t have respect for life of others.

Your suggestion is to punish the mother. And follow up w/no support & no help. As if she’s the only one who ever made a mistake.

How is pregnancy a punishment? Having sex always includes opportunity for pregnancy. Her choice if she doesn’t want a child is to abstain. You’re not thinking for yourself but parroting twisted logic.

Pregnancy is NOT punishment; a woman’s body was made to reproduce!

I never said a family in need with an unplanned pregnancy should go without support. If the couple would seek help from a friend, a reputable doctor or a clinic, assistance would be gladly offered. You’re making a wrong assumption.

So people who choose to be childless should abstain from sex?

I never said that either. There are times when fertility is peak & times when very low. True committed marital love exercises control, restraint & respect. Loving someone doesn’t always have to include sex. Most abortions occur in sex outside committed marital relationships.

So you’re advocating for people who don’t want children to not have sex. Sex is for more than just procreation.

Don’t put words in my mouth–that’s not what I said. Sex is to be reserved for the marital bed. Use contraceptives & self-control. If pregnancy occurs, thank God for the miracle! Sex outside of marriage sets you up for unexpected and unwanted pregnancy and the heartbreak that too often follows with killing an innocent child and a lifetime of guilt and questions of ‘what-if’. That’s the logic so many fail to understand.

It’s hardly a miracle if it’s unwanted. Problem with defunding PP is they provide those important contraceptives for many.

A miracle isn’t based on want; a miracle defies explanation which, if preventable measures are taken and pregnancy occurs, I would consider it a miracle that comes with a purpose beyond simply satisfying someone’s sexual drive.

It’s science. Biology. Not a miracle. I don’t want a child. If I impregnate a woman, that’s not a miracle.

Apparently you didn’t understand when I said contraceptives are available elsewhere. If you don’t want to impregnate a woman, avoid it by not having sex with her! Easy as that! Don’t blame the contraceptives or lack of, it’s your decision to have sex knowing the potential consequences. You can’t defend PP with that argument.

I can. For some their only access to effective and inexpensive contraception is PP.

That’s enough. You’re not asking because you are sincerely looking for insight, you’re trying to prove your opinion or ease your own guilty conscience. I pray your blinded eyes open some day.

Have a nice day. Please don’t pray for me.

I already did … I began with your first question! Hope you have a nice day, too!

I promise you I did my best not to grow exasperated with his misinterpretation or twisting of my words — that’s never my intent. After looking at his profile, I saw that he is blinded by a very liberal worldview which is obviously confirmed by his comments.

The liberal mindset has blinded the younger generation and robbed them of the ability to think and reason for themselves. Their responses to the abortion issue are almost scripted based on the hoards of promotional material put out by Planned Parenthood and other abortion-friendly organizations. Sadly we, as those who respect and revere life, have allowed this to happen through our silence and inaction. Funding is available to promote the liberal pro-abort agenda through local and national government programs; a competitive level of funding is lacking in the pro-life arena. Even the media helps promote the abortion industry while failing to cover the pro-life movement with equal fervor. Because a few pro-life radicals have made a name for themselves, the entire movement is labeled as radical and unprincipled.

While this country is in a season of change, wouldn’t it be a good time to change the opinion of the country toward those who stand for the sanctity of life? Wouldn’t this be a good time for individuals, groups, churches, organizations, and communities to begin to focus on the pro-life cause and open the eyes of those who are blinded? We’re growing in numbers but our strength doesn’t lie in numbers alone. We need to be vocal, visible and vigorous in our defense of the unborn and our support of those struggling with unexpected pregnancy. At the same time, we need to be virtuous in our approach, never allowing the enemy an opportunity to pervert our agenda or actions to make us appear anything less than compassionate, concerned and committed to the unborn child and troubled parents.

One last thing, though by far the most important. We need to pray for our younger generations. They are bombarded with such an avalanche of left-wing liberal propaganda! It is difficult, especially without a strong Christian homelife, to discern what is truth. This is why even those of us whose children have left the nest must always be Christlike in our affirmation of truth, in our behavior when confronted, and in the visible stand we take in this troubled world. Pray for our youth. Pray for the younger generation. Pray for parents and grandparents. And, be a Light in the darkness pressing in on those who will be the next generation’s leaders.

Let’s get involved through prayer, action and financial support of the pro-life cause. If you are one to jump on a bandwagon, the saving of innocent lives would a most worthy one indeed.