CHRISTIANS: Could you offer your opinion regarding an abortion dilemma?

Question

A mother of 2 pre-school children is in her 3rd pregnancy.

She has diabetes, and because of its advanced state, physicians say that if she continues her pregnancy, she has a 30-50% chance of dying, and leaving her current children without a mom.

There is negligible risk from an abortion (less than 1% chance of serious complication) if the procedure is performed within the next 2 weeks.

How should she weigh the factors in making her decision?

Should the government have a role in helping her make this decision?

What would your church say or do when she next attended with her family?

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DAWN: Answer the question.

Answer 1

she should have weighed the problem before she decided to get knocked up ...

Answer 2

One major factor in this decision is this: Is her chance of dying during the pregnancy and would the baby die as well? The Bible does say Thou shalt not kill. But look at it this way...30-50% is a pretty big percentage to take a chance on. To continue this pregnancy and die would be choosing to knowingly end her own life.

Also, in the Bible, Jesus says (in the New Testament where it counts) that you don't have to commit the physical act of murder (or adultery or anything else) to be guilty of it. How many of you out there who would condemn a woman of making this choice is actually free to throw the first stone? Have you never had a bad thought against someone? The women at the clinics...how many Christians have had thoughts of hatred against them, standing in the picket lines yelling and screaming? According to the Lord, you might as well have killed them....

Should the government have a role in this? Absolutely not. That is pure communism in my view.

What would my church say? I don't go to one simply because I have never found the Lord in any of them...only self-righteousness and greed.

I do not condone the use of abortion as birth control nor do I feel that it is something that should be taken lightly. But neither is the devastation that would befall the 2 little children who are already here and need their mother. There are circumstances, people. Come on.

And to Dawn, who are you to tell a woman when and how she should have sex with her husband?? "Knocked up"?? Uggh, you have issues, my dear...

Answer 3

The government should not have a say...it should be her choice. If I were in that position (God forbid) I would choose to have an abortion. I have a 2 year old daughter whom I love more than anyone else in the world, and there is no way that I would take any chance of leaving her behind. It would be a terrible thing to go through, but in the end I would still feel I made the right decision. And to Dawn who said that she should have considered this before she got knocked up...accidents happen. Someday you may be in a tough spot and and then maybe you won't be so quick to run your mouth.

Answer 4

In my opinion, her first priority is to the two children that are already born, and here. She can either leave 3 children motherless, or she can choose to have an abortion and still be around to take care of the children she already has.

The government shouldn't be a part of this decision at all. Its a highly personal one.

Whichever decision she made, most of the members of our church would be there to support her and her family, because either way -- its not an easy position to be in. I'm sure there would be the few who wouldn't be pleased if she chose to have an abortion, but the majority of us would be there for her. That's just the kind of people that go to my church.

Answer 5

To answer your question, let us translate your scenario into a guy thing:

Father of three kids and one of his sons are on a weekend cruise. Accident, fire, ship sinks. Dad and 8-year-old son make it onto a one man inflatable lifeboat. Inflatable malfunctions, though, the lifeboat is foundering, barely floating, and they're in shark-infested waters. The boy has sustained burns, is thrashing about; the lifeboat is taking on water . . . the boy may not make it, and if the Dad doesn't throw him overboard to the sharks, Dad figures his own chances are less than 50-50

After all, there are two other children at home.

What would your church say this father should do?

My church would say that an intentional and direct assault on a defenseless child - for any reason - even by a parent - can never be justified.

P.S. Another analogy: The captured soldier who betrays his buddies' position under torture can be forgiven. It's understandable that some "break" under the pressure of circumstances - we are all human - but that doesn't make their actions "right". The soldier who doesn't break is the one who is the example for all, and the one we ultimately hope to imitate.

Answer 6

well....my question first is..how far along is she? in truth, they say that all pregnancies come from God, but God never specifically said that he did say "I knew you before I formed you in the womb" but that doesn't necessarily say that he means for all births to happen, after all if that were the case then my thoughts are babies wouldn't die at birth....but then there is sin in the world so it can get a bit confusing....I understand why someone would have an abortion if they were raped, or molested, or if they knew without a shadow of a doubt that the baby would suffer and die when it was born, I wouldn't necessarily have an abortion myself,...but then, who knows how someone woudl react when actually faced with the above problems? the problem you describe for me personally would be heart wrenching, and I would hate to be in a position to make that choice, right now my thoughts are, I would get everything in order to make sure my 2 children would be taken care of the way I would want to be, and then take the 50-70% chance, but then, to actually be faced with the situation, I have no idea how I would trully react, it would come down to what I feel in my heart is from God....

the reason I ask what stage of pregnancy you are talking about is because, I do not under any circumstances at anytime, for any reason advocate partial birth abortion, not in the slightest...after all diabetes or no diabetes, they induce the woman anyway, so she literally goes into labor, the only difference is, she goes into labor early, and when the baby is born they collapse the brain....or they literally rip the baby apart while its in the womb..sorry, to me..if she is going to be induced anyway, ( I understand she might not be able to wait till full term and thats fine) then fine..induce her whenever she needs to be, but do just that, its proven now that if the baby is strong they can survive from 23wks gestation...its rare, but it can happen, so induce if need be, and then give the baby a chance to live. there is no need for any reason for partial birth abortion. the excuse that it should be used if a mother's life is at stake is a poor excuse..either way she gives birth, but in one instance the baby is given a chance to live and in the other the baby is murdered...in that scenario...(past 23 wks) no abortion should be allowed.

Answer 7

Personally I believe that she should seriously considered getting an abortion. It is a personal decision that the Gov. should take no part in. It would be better for her to be alive for the 2 kids she already has, than to leave 3 kids without a mother. I believe that if a woman goes out and sleeps with loads of men and has abortions all the time, then she isn't living right, but I wouldn't tell her to change, because it is non of my business and I wouldn't want someone telling me to change my life, because they did not agree with it. However if a woman due to health reasons or just because she made a mistake chooses to get an abortion then she should be allowed to do so and I wouldn't think any less of her; in fact I would find that more admirable than endangering her life or having a child that she couldn't tkae care of. I am a christian and think that God wants us to the responsible thing in situations like this. Good Luck.

Answer 8

I try to not judge people and their beliefs. but I do believe that the people who do this are somewhat narrow-minded and self focused on their ideas of what is right and wrong. So many people use "shock value" to get their point across what they don't realize is that they do not know every person's story who chooses to have an abortion. They do not realize that it is a *very* hard decision for the people who make that choice. I have to wonder how many of those people holding the signs and passing judgment on others would be willing to take care of every aborted baby? These are, in some cases babies who are the product of incest or sometimes a crack baby. Would the sign wavers take on the responsibility of every aborted fetus who would most likely have birth defects & need lifelong care? I somehow doubt it.

Answer 9

I am not against abortion, it is not an easy decision particularly in the US where people are so judgmental. The government should have no say in the matter and if a church is truly aiming to be "Christ-like" they should be unconditionally loving and emotional supportive to the woman and her children.

Happily I can say that the church I attend would be this way in this instance. Not all who attend would be but they at least have enough sense to keep their mouths shut. (Wish I could say that was the case in all instances.)

Answer 10

Abortion is murder, no ways around that.

30-50% chance of dying is a very wide range, and it shows that the doctor is not so sure.

Negligible risk from an abortion? What about the 101% risk of displeasing God?

Answer 11

A tough question, however I cannot answer, look at the outcome and you decide;

1) She has the abortion; the baby has 100% chance of death and the mother has 100% chance of living

2) She doesn't have the abortion; the baby has nearly 100% chance of living, and the mother has 30 - 50% chance of dying

I know plenty of caring, loving mothers who would sacrafice their own life for their children, however the decision is not mine to make