By Pastor Adam Riviero, Liberty Baptist Church, Easton, Massachusetts
Published February 10, 2019, Easton Local News, Easton, MA
I was deeply saddened recently, as many Christians were, to watch the signing of New York state’s Reproductive Health Act (RHA). The bill now allows, through its intentionally vague language, for abortions to occur right up to the moment of delivery. Yes, the RHA sanctions the death of an unborn child who is just minutes from birth. Although I firmly believe all abortions are grossly immoral, the passage of this law has sunk our nation to a new low.
As a pastor who is tasked with preaching and teaching the “whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27),” I’ve found it necessary over the past week to remind our church why we must oppose abortion in all forms. There are many reasons why we as a nation should stand against the RHA and firmly on the side of being “pro-life.” I’ll offer just a small sampling.
Logical reasons. Currently, the laws of our nation protect the eggs of several animals more than they do the unborn. This is patently illogical.
- For instance, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 has mandated that deliberately destroying or disturbing the egg of a bald eagle is punishable by a maximum $5,000 fine and up to a year in prison.
- Molesting a nest of sea turtle eggs in the state of Florida carries a fine of $100- per egg.
How can our nation fight so fiercely for unborn animals, yet ignore the innocent lives in mother’s wombs? There is no rational way to explain this incongruence.
Historical reasons. Planned Parenthood fiercely lobbied for the passage of the RHA. This is unsurprising as from the years 2011-2017 alone, Planned Parenthood carried out no less than 2.2 million abortions in the United States. If one does research on Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, they will likely be sickened by her views on race and eugenics. Planned Parenthood was founded upon these false premises, has not utterly repudiated them, and thus they should not be trusted when they speak on behalf of the unborn.
Healthcare reasons. The RHA was passed under the guise of protecting women’s health. However, if this was the case, then why did the RHA make it legal for abortions to be performed by nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and licensed midwives? A doctor is no longer needed to perform an abortion in New York. If the focus of this bill was on protecting the health of women, then why did they remove doctors from the process? The answer is simple: the law is not truly about women’s health, but rather about giving greater access to abortions. This is why the law allows unqualified professionals to perform the procedure without a doctor present.
Practical reasons. Many medical professionals agree that there is no reason to abort a baby at such a late stage of gestation. As I pause to think about our four children, I’m reminded that all four of them were born healthy in the 38th week of pregnancy. According to current New York law, if they had lived two more weeks in the womb, they could have been aborted legally. This is unconscionable. How can it be justified? If a woman’s health is suspected to be in danger at that late stage of pregnancy, doctors can deliver the baby and work to save both mom and child.
Scriptural reasons.
Most importantly, when it comes to the issues of life, we must get our leadership from the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 explains this when it says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
A group called the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice has coined a phrase I’ve seen several times over the past few days: “Pro Faith. Pro Family. Pro Choice.” However, the Word of God clearly teaches us that these three statements cannot exist together. One can only justify the coexistence of abortion and Christianity by ignoring the inerrancy and infallibility of the Word of God. How else can you ignore Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, And he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; That stretcheth forth the heavens alone; That spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”?
How can you deny Psalm 139:13-16, “For thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; And in thy book all my members were written, Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
What God has formed in the womb, mankind does not have the right to harm. If someone wants to justify abortion, they cannot use the Bible to do so.
These Scriptures, and many others, show us that God values the life of the unborn. As Americans and as Christians we must stand and do the same.
With over 61,000,000 innocent children aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973, how can we keep silent against this gross violation of human rights?
Adam Riveiro is the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church at 800 Washington Street in Easton, MA. You can contact him at pastor@mylibertybaptist.org. More information about the church and its services can be found at www.mylibertybaptist.org.
Clipped from: https://easton.wickedlocal.com/news/20190210/guest-column-many-reasons-to-stand-for-unborn