BEYOND SLOGANS: WHY YOUR FRIENDS ARE PRO-CHOICE
Day 16
"Don't like abortion? Don't have one!"
Perhaps you've seen those exact words on a bumper sticker or on a social media post. It's a message that resonates with millions of Americans.
But it's a sham.
First, this slogan distorts the moral nature of the abortion debate with a single work- "like". When pro-life advocates claim that abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being, they aren't saying they dislike abortion. They are saying it's objectively wrong regardless of how one feels about it. This slogan makes it sound as if the pro-lifer were talking about ice cream. Bit this misses the point entirely.
Second, the logic of the slogan falls apart with a moment's reflection. Imagine if I said, "Don't like slavery? Don't own a slave!" Or, "Don't like spousal abuse? Well, don't beat your wife!" You would immediately realize I don't grasp why slavery and spousal abuse are wrong. They are not wrong because I personally dislike them. They are wrong because slaves and spouses are intrinsically valuable human beings who have a fundamental right not to be treated as property. Whether I personally like slavery or spousal abuse is completely beside the point. If I liked spousal abuse, you would rightly say I was sick. You wouldn't resign yourself to "I guess abuse is right for you but not for me."
And yet this slogan reduces abortion to a mere preference and then declares, "Hands off! You can personally oppose abortion but you can't say it's wrong for me!"
That won't work. When a student at Colgate University said she was personably against abortion but wanted to keep it legal, I asked a very simple question: "Why are you personally against abortion?" When she replied that is was killing and she thought it was wrong to do that, I asked what does abortion kill. She was hesitant but honest, "I guess a human being."
She was right to hesitate. If abortion doesn't kill a human being, why be opposed at all? I gently pressed the point. "Let me see if I understand you correctly. You're personally against abortion because you think it intentionally kills a human being but you want it to be legal to intentionally kill that human being?"
"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out."
That one question - "Why do you personally oppose abortion?" - transformed the conversation from a discussion of likes and dislikes to one about right and wrong. Remember that the next time you encounter a slogan posing as an argument.
Perhaps you've seen those exact words on a bumper sticker or on a social media post. It's a message that resonates with millions of Americans.
But it's a sham.
First, this slogan distorts the moral nature of the abortion debate with a single work- "like". When pro-life advocates claim that abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being, they aren't saying they dislike abortion. They are saying it's objectively wrong regardless of how one feels about it. This slogan makes it sound as if the pro-lifer were talking about ice cream. Bit this misses the point entirely.
Second, the logic of the slogan falls apart with a moment's reflection. Imagine if I said, "Don't like slavery? Don't own a slave!" Or, "Don't like spousal abuse? Well, don't beat your wife!" You would immediately realize I don't grasp why slavery and spousal abuse are wrong. They are not wrong because I personally dislike them. They are wrong because slaves and spouses are intrinsically valuable human beings who have a fundamental right not to be treated as property. Whether I personally like slavery or spousal abuse is completely beside the point. If I liked spousal abuse, you would rightly say I was sick. You wouldn't resign yourself to "I guess abuse is right for you but not for me."
And yet this slogan reduces abortion to a mere preference and then declares, "Hands off! You can personally oppose abortion but you can't say it's wrong for me!"
That won't work. When a student at Colgate University said she was personably against abortion but wanted to keep it legal, I asked a very simple question: "Why are you personally against abortion?" When she replied that is was killing and she thought it was wrong to do that, I asked what does abortion kill. She was hesitant but honest, "I guess a human being."
She was right to hesitate. If abortion doesn't kill a human being, why be opposed at all? I gently pressed the point. "Let me see if I understand you correctly. You're personally against abortion because you think it intentionally kills a human being but you want it to be legal to intentionally kill that human being?"
"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out."
That one question - "Why do you personally oppose abortion?" - transformed the conversation from a discussion of likes and dislikes to one about right and wrong. Remember that the next time you encounter a slogan posing as an argument.
What to Pray for Today:
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1. Pray for your Pro-Choice Friends and Coworkers.
Millions of Americans have accepted abortion without thinking about it. Pray for opportunities to persuasively challenge that mindset with thought provoking questions. |
2. Pray for Women Facing Unplanned Pregnancies.
What they constantly hear is that "Only you can decide what is right for your situation." That's a lie. Ask God to grant pro-life workers, friends, neighbors and counselors the wisdom to lovingly present the truth to them. |
3. Pray for Courage
We want God to awaken the moral imagination for the culture to see abortion as a human rights issue, not a preference one. For that to happen, we must speak up when we have the opportunity to do so, lovingly and truthfully. |
