Abortion and the Recent Health Bill

So recently the health bill passed in the US House of Representatives by a narrow margin, and not without much debate. It is, to be sure, a marked day in the history of our nation. However, will we look back on this day in fifty or so years and laud this day, or shun it?

What brings about this blog posting is really the crux of the bill, namely, the funding of abortion by the federal government. As an Orthodox Christian, abortion is viewed as murder across the board--whether done out of necessity, shame, or even rape. The taking of a life is a taking of a life. End of story.

Now that I have shocked most readers, let me give you a very good illustration of the Orthodox meaning. A priest once had one of his parishioners tell him that she was pregnant. It was all very joyous until the doctors told her that she had to have an abortion because the baby threatened her life (either a tubal pregnancy or something like that). After much prayer, talking with her priest, and tearful nights, she finally decided that she had to have the abortion. So, on the day of her abortion, her priest went with her to the abortion clinic and was there praying for her, and supporting her through that incredibly difficult time. Afterward, she confessed the sin of taking another person's life, and she was given absolution. This is the Orthodox position.

Likewise, the Orthodox position on life is so strong that it extends to war, as well. Unlike the West, Orthodox do not have a "just war" theology. All war is lamentable. And the taking of life in war is also a sin to be repented of.

For many, this might seem extreme or unjust. However, only when we look at life as a gift that only God can give, can we start to appreciate the Orthodox perspective. It is easy to kill, but only God gives life. This is why it is so precious and holy.

For those who are Pro-Choice, let me ask you this: what about the baby's choice? There is nothing more liberal than extending the rights of freedom, liberty, and life to the most helpless among us--the unborn.

For those who are Pro-Life and yet are supporters of war and the death penalty, let me say this to you: when we kill someone, we take away their opportunity to repent. If a rapist, murderer, pedophile is imprisoned for life, he has the rest of his life to repent--and as Christians, this is what we pray for! We pray earnestly for his conversion and repentance! If we kill him, though, we take away that opportunity. We tell God, "We don't think that he will change, therefore, we're sending him back to You." How arrogant! How prideful! That we should tell God that He is incapable of softening a man's heart to repentance is sinful!

Life is holy. Life is precious. It is easy to take life, but only God can give it. Let us live, and vote, and promote the precious gift God has given all of us in every aspect of our lives.