The ‘win-win’ efforts of the early church by Brian Denker
What did the early church do to combat abortion? They had little political recourse and few ways to influence the laws of the land. During times of persecution (and they were many) it would have been impossible to launch large scale publicity campaigns to sway public sentiment against abortion. Few early Christians held prominent political or military positions. So what option did they have to defend the lives of unwanted babies.
Though abortion was practiced during the time of the early church1, the solution of choice for many ‘unwanted’ pregnancies was infanticide by means of a practice often referred to as ‘exposure’. Unwanted newborns were left alone, usually outside in an inconspicuous place, so that exposure to the elements would end their lives. Such a barbaric solution seems unthinkable to (most) modern minds, but it was a common practice in the ancient Roman empire.2
The question emerges how the early church was able to ‘speak out’ against this animalistic practice?
Lacking political, military, and financial means to effect large-scale change they instead chose to combat the problem by rescuing abandoned newborns and taking them home to raise them as their own.3 The early church developed a reputation for being those in society who would come behind others who practiced infanticide by exposure and save the unwanted babies from the elements and wild animals.4 Such a habit surely cost them dearly, but they were willing to be people who would pay the price. They loved not in word only but also in deed.
Perhaps the most profound result of this practice, besides the preservation of the living image of God in each discarded human life, was the reputation the Christians achieved with those outside the church.5 The pro-life followers of Christ were able, in this one action, to accomplish several things. They valued and saved human lives, but they also demonstrated the love of Christ and His willingness to suffer and sacrifice for the good of others. This ‘win-win’ approach was followed in later centuries as the church of the middle-ages became Europe’s primary institution for the care of the sick and the raising of orphans.
The modern Christian pro-life movement can learn a great deal from the sacrifices of these early Christians. We must be willing to participate in sacrificial living that, while perhaps being inconvenient, is also prophetic in demonstrating the love of Christ through actions that not only prevent abortions but also provide solutions for those who would be most affected.
1Michael J. Gorman, Abortion and the Early Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1982), 27.
2 The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford Press, 1997), s.w. “contraception, procreation, and abortion, ethics of.”
3 Brad Kierkegaard, “Placing the Early Christian Family in Its Roman Context,” Journal of Lutheran Ethics 9(February 2009).
4 Edmund H. Oliver, The Social Achievements of the Christian Church, reprint (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Pub., 2004), 31.
5 ibid., 32.
Harvesting Fetal Organs: The Logic of Abortion by Justin D. Barnard
Most people would recoil in horror at the thought of taking innocent living human beings and chopping them up for spare parts against their wills. In fact, most people would probably be a squeamish about it, even if the living person being chopped up for spare parts gave their informed consent!
Sadly, few recognize that this is precisely where the logic of abortion leads. In a recent news article published by the UK’s Daily Mail, several prominent scientists argue that organs should be harvested from aborted fetuses for use in organ donation.
As shocking as this may seem to some, this is precisely where the logic of abortion leads. And the scientists who advocate for such actions make the point with utmost clarity. One scientist said, “if they [the babies] are going to be terminated, it is a shame to waste their organs.”
Makes perfectly good sense, doesn’t it?
Those who favor abortion on demand really have no logical objection to such a policy. After all, by its very nature, the act of abortion – actively seeking the death of an innocent human being – treats a fetus as though it were nothing but “tissue” – something that we commonly hear in the rhetoric surrounding the abortion debate. And if a human life at its most fragile and helpless stages is really nothing more than “tissue,” then why should we have any worries at all about chopping up that tissue for spare parts?
Of course, in our hearts we know better. We know that human beings are not the sorts of creatures that ought to be chopped up for spare parts – even if it’s for a “good cause” like organ donation. Unfortunately, we don’t listen to our hearts – even when we are presented with something as shocking and gruesome as what these UK scientists are advocating. We so desperately want to cling to our “right” to terminate the lives of the innocent when their existence inconveniences us that we refuse to budge under the weight of our own moral irrationality. So, on the one hand, we recognize that there’s something terribly immoral about chopping living human beings up for spare parts. Yet, on the other hand, we refuse to see the connection between such a practice and the abortion rights that we cherish in the enlightened West.
Congressional Sponsors of the Freedom of Choice Act
Senate Sponsors of S.B. 1173
Sen Baucus, Max [MT] – 4/19/2007
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] – 4/19/2007
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] – 5/2/2007
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] – 4/19/2007
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] – 4/19/2007
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] – 4/19/2007
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] – 4/19/2007
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] – 6/13/2007
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] – 4/19/2007
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] – 4/23/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] – 4/19/2007
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] – 4/19/2007
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] – 4/19/2007
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] – 5/11/2007
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] – 4/25/2007
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 4/19/2007
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] – 4/19/2007
Sen Tester, Jon [MT] – 4/23/2007
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] – 6/6/2007
House Sponsors of H.R.1964
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] – 4/19/2007
Rep Allen, Thomas H. [ME-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] – 4/19/2007
Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3] – 7/11/2007
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] – 4/19/2007
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] – 4/19/2007
Rep Boucher, Rick [VA-9] – 4/19/2007
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] – 4/19/2007
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] – 4/30/2007
Rep Carnahan, Russ [MO-3] – 7/16/2007
Rep Carson, Julia [IN-7] – 10/22/2007
Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11] – 4/23/2007
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] – 4/23/2007
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] – 4/20/2007
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] – 4/19/2007
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 4/19/2007
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] – 12/5/2007
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] – 4/19/2007
Rep Davis, Susan A. [CA-53] – 4/19/2007
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] – 4/19/2007
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] – 5/2/2007
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] – 7/11/2007
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] – 4/19/2007
Rep Emanuel, Rahm [IL-5] – 4/19/2007
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] – 3/31/2008
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] – 5/10/2007
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] – 4/19/2007
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] – 4/19/2007
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] – 4/19/2007
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] – 6/21/2007
Rep Green, Al [TX-9] – 1/28/2008
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] – 4/23/2007
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] – 4/19/2007
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] – 1/22/2008
Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] – 4/19/2007
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] – 5/2/2007
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] – 4/19/2007
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] – 4/19/2007
Rep Inslee, Jay [WA-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] – 4/23/2007
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] – 4/19/2007
Rep Johnson, Henry C. “Hank,” Jr. [GA-4] – 6/12/2007
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [OH-11] – 9/4/2007
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1] – 1/28/2008
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] – 4/19/2007
Rep Lantos, Tom [CA-12] – 4/19/2007
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] – 4/19/2007
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] – 5/3/2007
Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] – 4/19/2007
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] – 5/3/2007
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] – 4/19/2007
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] – 4/19/2007
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] – 4/19/2007
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] – 4/23/2007
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] – 4/19/2007
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] – 4/19/2007
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] – 4/23/2007
Rep McNerney, Jerry [CA-11] – 6/6/2007
Rep Meehan, Martin T. [MA-5] – 6/14/2007
Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] – 4/19/2007
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] – 5/2/2007
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] – 5/23/2007
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] – 4/23/2007
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] – 4/19/2007
Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] – 4/30/2007
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] – 6/21/2007
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] – 4/20/2007
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] – 1/22/2008
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] – 4/24/2007
Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] – 6/6/2007
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] – 4/23/2007
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] – 4/30/2007
Rep Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [MD-2] – 1/29/2008
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] – 4/19/2007
Rep Sanchez, Loretta [CA-47] – 5/21/2007
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] – 4/19/2007
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] – 10/15/2007
Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4] – 4/19/2007
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] – 4/23/2007
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] – 5/3/2007
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] – 4/19/2007
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] – 4/19/2007
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] – 4/19/2007
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] – 4/19/2007
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] – 6/18/2007
Rep Thompson, Mike [CA-1] – 4/19/2007
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] – 5/3/2007
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] – 4/19/2007
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-5] – 2/12/2008
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] – 5/2/2007
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] – 6/6/2007
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 4/23/2007
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] – 4/19/2007
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] – 4/19/2007
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] – 4/19/2007
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] – 5/21/2007
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] – 4/19/2007
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] – 4/19/2007
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] – 4/23/2007
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4] – 4/23/2007
Website Resources
Fight FOCA Petition Signing
Our petition signing went extremely well this week. We were able to educate the student body about the (so called) Freedom of Choice Act, and many of them signed the Fight FOCA petition. Here are pictures from the petition signing.
