A Southern Pastor on Abortion: The Choice No Woman Should Have To Make

update 1/26/2019

With New York’s new law in the news, I am being asked more and more how I can call myself a Christian and ever vote for a progressive liberal agenda because liberals are so obviously pro-choice. First of all, New York’s law only allows late term abortions in very specific cases. So please click the link and understand that law.

“The New York state legislature passed a law allowing abortions after 24 weeks if the mother’s health is at risk or there is an absence of fetal viability… The law does not allow for unrestricted abortion up through the normal term of pregnancy.”

I am against abortion. I wish there would never be a situation where a woman felt she had no other choice than to abort a pregnancy. I could never have an abortion myself, and I didn’t when I found myself pregnant at the age of 16 and about to have to raise a child on my own. I thought about it, but I didn’t. That was my decision. It wouldn’t have been the right decision for everyone, but it was for me.

I want to see a day when the decision to have an abortion never has to be made. But in order for that to happen, several things will need to change.

Women must have equal job opportunities and pay, and be able to make life choices without fear of poverty.

Sex education must not be feared but embraced, so that at an appropriate age young adolescents, both boys and girls, will be taught to understand their bodies and to respect the boundaries of everyone else’s

Contraceptives must come out of hiding and be explained, embraced, and freely provided to everyone who wants them.

And we must, as a society, begin to take responsibility for the quality of life of every child. Until no child goes hungry, is homeless, or faces abuse, and we as a society take the responsibility to provide the resources to make those things happen, we have no right to force others to be born.

Therefore, I can only vote for those who are calling for equal pay for women, universal sex education, affordable healthcare which includes contraceptives, and social programs which benefit children and improve their lives. So as you can see, because I am against abortion, I simply have no choice but to always vote for those who are working to improve conditions for the children who are already here and the women who bear them, and to eradicate the circumstances which might lead to a decision to ever have an abortion .

Psalm 82:3

Give justice to the lowly and the orphan;
    maintain the right of the poor and the destitute!

featured image taken and modified from pixabay

Melanie Tubbs is a professor, pastor, mother, Mimi, and true Arkansas woman. She lives with nine cats and one dog on a quiet hill in a rural county where she pastors a church and teaches history at the local university. Her slightly addictive personality comes out in shameful Netflix binges and a massive collection of books. Vegetarian cooking, reading mountains of books for her seminary classes, and crocheting for the churches prayer shawl ministry take up most of her free time, and sharing the love of Christ forms the direction of her life. May the Peace of Christ be with You.