Christian Reflection and Prayer

I can’t count the number of times that conservative Christians
have named “the Supreme Court” as the only deciding
question of this election. No matter what else a candidate
says or does or will do on any other issue, the only concern
some people have is what future Supreme Court justices will
decide on one issue — abortion. Things like intellectual
competence, moral character, honesty, emotional maturity
and temperament — and gospel issues like racial bigotry
and the treatment of women — apparently do not matter in
the end to some. Really?

 

As a Christian who truly believes that abortion is a moral
issue, I am deeply committed to dramatically reducing them.
But criminalizing an often desperate choice is not the answer.
We must also be deeply committed to the economic security,
healthcare, and childcare choices that women need, which
are critical to reducing abortion. I believe in the sacredness
and dignity of life from womb to tomb. But a “consistent ethic
of life” also includes ending poverty, human trafficking, the
death penalty, ceaseless and senseless wars, and weapons
of mass destruction.
(Jim Wallace)

 

The categories of pro-life and pro-choice are outmoded and
unhelpful. It’s time to find common strategies that promote
the health, sustenance, and equity of women, the sexual
integrity of men and women, the prevention of unwanted
pregnancies, the transformation of adoption systems, and
the care of children both unborn and born. We must
de-politicize abortion, and support women, parents, and
children in the way a society that values all kinds of families
truly should. This is a societal problem to be solved — not
an issue to keep screaming at each other about in ways that
further distort our electoral politics. Lord have mercy.
(Jim Wallace)