HARD CASES |
Day 10 |
After an exhausting three days of speaking. I landed an exit-row seat on the 757 for the flight home. This was no ordinary exit row. It was the one near the rear of the plane with plenty of room to stretch out and nap.
But there would be no nap on this flight. To my left was a vacationing couple, who in their late 50's and all decked out in party hats and shirts, were headed for a cruise. The wife did not look happy, and her husband warned me upfront: "She is terrified of flying. She will talk you to death."
That she did. It didn't help that I boarded the plane carrying Kaczor's book, The Ethics of Abortion. Seizing on the title, she was off to the races. "So, you study abortion? Interesting. I'm not for it but I don't see how anyone could tell a woman who is raped that it's wrong to have one."
Figuring my anticipated nap was not forthcoming, I engaged: " Tell me, when rape results in pregnancy, how many humans do you think are involved in that pregnancy - two or three?"
"Two ...no three. (Turning to her husband) Three right? Ya, three."
"I agree. Let's talk about each one. Is the rapist guilty and does he deserve to be punished?" "Yes. Totally" she said. "Should we execute him for the rape?" "NO! I'm against the death penalty. He should be in jail for a long time, maybe forever. (Husband jumps in with a smile - Honey, stop now. This isn't going to end well for you.
"Is the woman guilty? Should we execute her for the rape?" "Of course not! That's terrible. That's what those Muslim countries do - what do they call those things - honor killings. Where the woman gets raped and her husband or father kills her because she's defiled the family name. That's just plain evil." she said. "Agreed!" I stated.
"Now what about the unborn offspring, is he guilty?" "No.", she said. "So, of the three people involved in the pregnancy resulting from rape, you won't execute the guilty rapist but you will execute the innocent child?" (husband nods grasping my point.)
"Ok...let me think about this for a minute..." she sighed.
We had a pleasant conversation. Given we both agreed the unborn were human, the question was simple: how should a civil society treat the innocent human beings that remind us of a painful event? Is it okay to kill them so we can feel better?
As my talkative seatmate rightfully pointed out, we must never dismiss the rape victim's feelings. But, hardship doesn't justify the intentional taking of innocent human life. We'd never allow the killing of toddlers who remind us of painful events, and if the unborn are also members of the human family, we should not kill them to make someone else feel better. Often, the right thing to do is not the easy thing to do. And what's right depends on the question: What is the unborn? We can't get around it.
But there would be no nap on this flight. To my left was a vacationing couple, who in their late 50's and all decked out in party hats and shirts, were headed for a cruise. The wife did not look happy, and her husband warned me upfront: "She is terrified of flying. She will talk you to death."
That she did. It didn't help that I boarded the plane carrying Kaczor's book, The Ethics of Abortion. Seizing on the title, she was off to the races. "So, you study abortion? Interesting. I'm not for it but I don't see how anyone could tell a woman who is raped that it's wrong to have one."
Figuring my anticipated nap was not forthcoming, I engaged: " Tell me, when rape results in pregnancy, how many humans do you think are involved in that pregnancy - two or three?"
"Two ...no three. (Turning to her husband) Three right? Ya, three."
"I agree. Let's talk about each one. Is the rapist guilty and does he deserve to be punished?" "Yes. Totally" she said. "Should we execute him for the rape?" "NO! I'm against the death penalty. He should be in jail for a long time, maybe forever. (Husband jumps in with a smile - Honey, stop now. This isn't going to end well for you.
"Is the woman guilty? Should we execute her for the rape?" "Of course not! That's terrible. That's what those Muslim countries do - what do they call those things - honor killings. Where the woman gets raped and her husband or father kills her because she's defiled the family name. That's just plain evil." she said. "Agreed!" I stated.
"Now what about the unborn offspring, is he guilty?" "No.", she said. "So, of the three people involved in the pregnancy resulting from rape, you won't execute the guilty rapist but you will execute the innocent child?" (husband nods grasping my point.)
"Ok...let me think about this for a minute..." she sighed.
We had a pleasant conversation. Given we both agreed the unborn were human, the question was simple: how should a civil society treat the innocent human beings that remind us of a painful event? Is it okay to kill them so we can feel better?
As my talkative seatmate rightfully pointed out, we must never dismiss the rape victim's feelings. But, hardship doesn't justify the intentional taking of innocent human life. We'd never allow the killing of toddlers who remind us of painful events, and if the unborn are also members of the human family, we should not kill them to make someone else feel better. Often, the right thing to do is not the easy thing to do. And what's right depends on the question: What is the unborn? We can't get around it.
What to Pray for TODAY:
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1. Pray for Pregnancy Center staff, Sidewalk Counselors, Pastors and Others who counsel victims of sexual assault
Pray God grants them wisdom to compassionately engage victims with healing truth and courage to speak the hard truths when necessary. |
2. Pray for Moral Clarity
Questions about rape and other exceptional cases are used to distract from the fact that the pro-choice position is that abortion should be legal for any reason or no reason through all nine months of pregnancy. Pray the public sees how radical the abortion agenda is. Pray the pro-life speakers and politicians give compelling answers that demonstrate compassion for both mother and child. |
3. Pray for Victims of Sexual Assault
There are many victims of rape and incest in our culture, which has embraced the illusion of sexual freedom without consequence. Pray that the church will truthfully and lovingly demonstrate the true freedom comes from Christ and his design for sexuality and marriage. |
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Foundation for Life
5726 Southwyck Blvd, Ste. 120 Toledo, Ohio 43614 phone: (419)535-5800 |
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