Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Denison Forum

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
Sanctity of Human Life Day and the power of the presidency

Sanctity of Human Life Day and the power of the presidency

Last updated on: January 22, 2025 at 6:22 am by Jim Denison

Sanctity of Human Life Day and the power of the presidency 2025-01-22T06:22:45-06:00 Jim Denison

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Roe v. Wade was decided on January 22, 1973. In response, this day each year is proclaimed “National Sanctity of Human Life Day” by pro-life supporters. When Donald Trump was last in office, he issued a proclamation marking this day in which he stated:

Restoring a culture of respect for the sacredness of life is fundamental to solving our country’s most pressing problems. When each person is treated as a beloved child of God, individuals can reach their full potential, communities will flourish, and America will be a place of even greater hope and freedom.

By contrast, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation in 2023 affirming elective abortion, denouncing the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, and calling on Americans to “work together to restore the right to choose.”

Now that Mr. Trump has returned to the White House, advocates for life are hopeful. Since they are the most defenseless of all humans, any support for the preborn is welcome.

At the same time, this cultural moment is a call to each of us personally, an opportunity that extends to every moral decision we face today.

Reasons women choose abortion

Let’s begin with the reasons women say they chose abortion:

Not financially prepared: 40 percent
Not a good time: 36 percent
Issues with partner: 31 percent
Need to focus on other children: 29 percent
Interferes with future plans: 20 percent
Not emotionally or mentally prepared: 19 percent

Only 12 percent say they chose abortion because of a “health issue.” (Only 1.14 percent of abortions are actually performed for the mother’s life or physical health.)

When a woman aborts her child, she can typically do so privately: 63 percent of all abortions last year were the result of “medication abortions” rather than visits to an abortion clinic. As a result, presidential proclamations, state laws restricting abortion access, sermons, and articles like this one are unlikely to be persuasive when the actual abortion decision is made.

What is true of abortion is true of most of our moral decisions, from pornography viewed digitally on personal devices, to affairs arranged online, to “pods” enabling people to die by suicide at home: they can be made privately, away from the influence of government officials or institutions.

“Jews have no dealings with Samaritans”

You and I have a personal role to play in protecting preborn children, a calling that pertains to every moral choice our society faces today.

The good news is that it is a call every believer can answer in ways that save lives and change souls.

In John 4, we find Jesus in a conversation most people in his day would have found shocking. He was a Jew talking with a Samaritan at a time when “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (v. 9), a man talking to a woman in public, and a rabbi talking to a woman who has had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband (v. 18).

Nonetheless, by the end of their conversation, she sought and received the “living water” of Christ (vv. 13–15) and was so transformed that she led her entire village to meet him (vv. 28–30), with the result that “many Samaritans from that town believed in him” (v. 39) as “the Savior of the world” (v. 42).

This story is in God’s word so we can make Jesus’ strategy our own. With regard to abortion:

One: Choose to care for women in crisis.

Jesus chose to go to Samaria (v. 4) out of his desire “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He loves each of us as if there were only one of us (St. Augustine), including women considering abortion.

No woman wants to be in this situation. The physical pain alone is significant, not to mention the emotional toll she is experiencing. At such a time, she needs the compassion of those who seek to help her choose life for her preborn child.

Two: Meet their practical needs.

Jesus went to this woman at Jacob’s well, knowing that she would never come to him. Given her personal circumstances, she would not have joined the crowds listening to him teach, much less sought to join his band of disciples. She came to the well for water, so he started their conversation with water (John 4:7).

In the same way, we can ask God to lead us to help women considering abortion, then engage in practical ways to meet their practical needs. If we do not know such women personally, we can still serve them through those who do. Pro-life ministries help women facing at-risk pregnancies with financial, relational, and counseling resources. We can support these ministries with our intercession, finances, and time, knowing that every life they save is an extension of our faithfulness to God’s call.

Three: Lead to the “living water” of Christ.

Jesus began with water and led the Samaritan woman to the “living water” found only in him. We can do the same as we pray for those considering abortion (1 Timothy 2:1), share our faith story (cf. Acts 22:1–21), explain the gospel (John 3:16), and answer their questions (cf. Isaiah 1:18). (For help, see my new website article, “Why would ministers ‘bless’ abortion clinics? How to counter popular abortion arguments.”)

Ultimately, we help them most when we help them meet Jesus for themselves. He alone can change their hearts and transform their lives.

What is true of abortion is true of other moral issues: When we care with the compassion of Christ, meet practical needs in his power, and lead people to a personal encounter with our living Lord, we become change agents on a scale that transforms souls and society.

In Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, Andy Crouch writes,

“To be Christian is to stake our lives on this belief: the only cultural goods that ultimately matter are the ones that love creates.”

What “cultural goods” matter most to you today?

Our latest website articles:

Quote for the day:

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 21, 2025

What would be President Trump’s “proudest legacy”?

Next Post

January 23, 2025 Bishop asks Trump to “have mercy” on immigrants and gay people

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category america biblical-living Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Job David Peter