During the Presidential debate in September, Kamala Harris declared that “one does not have to abandon their faith” in order to support a woman’s right to have an abortion.
The Vice President’s statement was firmly refuted on a recent CareCast with Roland Warren, President and CEO of Care Net, and Vincent DiCaro, Chief Outreach Officer.
Listen to the newest CareCast: Do You Have To Abandon Your Faith To Be Pro-Choice?
The above link sends you to SoundCloud, you can also find this episode on iTunes and Spotify.
The podcast started with Roland referencing an article by Candace Watters of World Magazine, who wrote that Harris was partly right when she said government should not tell a woman what to do with her body: “This is deeply ingrained in the American psyche and our representative form of government. But neither do we belong to ourselves—at least not in the radically individualistic, deterministic way Harris meant it.”
Ultimately, a Christian is not autonomous, she said.
“The Apostle Paul reminds the church in Corinth: we were bought with a price—the very blood of Jesus. We must not do whatever we want, but instead glorify God in our bodies (1 Cor. 6:20).”
Based on the command to glorify God in our bodies, a woman’s right to choose abortion is not justified—it is a total misrepresentation of the Bible, Roland said.
“If you are a pregnant woman, a child is in your body. The Bible says that children are a blessing from the Lord. They glorify God when they come into the world.”
A Christian would have to abandon their faith in order to support abortion, according to Roland. He explained how people may try to view their faith through the lens of abortion, seeking justification within Christianity. However, he asserts that true Christians should view issues through their faith, allowing it to guide their perspective.
Roland highlighted the importance of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, emphasizing that these tenets cannot align with supporting abortion.
“Abortion is a violation of love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self…These are the words of Jesus. But it also goes further than that in this context. Christ called us to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). The first discipleship community of any parent is the children that God gave them.”
“How can you reconcile aborting your child? How is that an act of love, of sacrificial love for God, when you abort his image bearer?”
A Christian cannot reconcile loving God, loving neighbor, and loving self with aborting a child. A Christian also cannot reconcile the call to make disciples with killing the one you’re supposed to make a disciple.
Yet, there are pastors and Christians leaders who are outspoken in the pro-choice movement.
“Some are members of the Planned Parenthood’s Faith Advisory Board,” Vincent said. “There’s a joint statement on Planned Parenthood’s website from faith leaders that basically says abortion is compatible with your faith.”
Trying to justify abortion through faith is an concerted and intentional effort from the pro-choice movement over the years, Roland said.
“They are trying to justify abortion in the light of different faith traditions so that women of a variety of faiths can feel justified in choosing abortion despite what their faith tradition might say.”
In his latest book, The Alternative to Abortion: Why We Must Be Pro-Abundant Life, Roland outlines a blueprint for compassion, transformation, and discipleship, and includes an apologetic section entitled, “Is a Pro-Choice Position Consistent with the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ?”
“Our faith should guide how we think about these things,” he said.