The city of San Francisco decided to implement a ban that forbids city employees from taking work trips or doing business with companies in 22 states, beginning January 1, 2020. And the egregious sin that these 22 states have committed in order to engender this kind of backlash? Well, they have enacted laws that prohibit abortion after 13 weeks of pregnancy. In announcing the ban, mayor London Breed stated, “Every day in the country, women’s reproductive rights are threatened, and we have to fight back. Just as we restricted spending with states that have laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people, we are standing up against states that put women’s health at risk and that are actively working to limit reproductive freedoms. … By limiting travel and contracting with certain states, we are sending a clear message to states that disregard the right to abortion.” What we have here is a government entity creating a religious litmus test that determines who they will and will not interact and do business with.
I can tell you right now, that anyone representing this San Francisco policy who might read that last sentence would be apoplectic. In their minds, this has nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with a “woman’s right to choose.” The huge problem is, these people don’t know how to define a religious belief. Sadly, this problem of understanding is not limited to people in San Francisco. It is a problem for people over the entire U.S., and one that plagues many self-identified Christians, as well.
Abortion is, by definition, the killing of a baby in the womb. Those who think this is okay, view human beings as nothing more than natural animals, and generally deny the very existence of God. But even those who say they believe in God do not view an unborn baby as an actual human being. And since, to them, it is not yet human, it is okay to kill it.
It is extremely rare, if it ever even happens at all, for there to be a situation where carrying a child to term is actually a mortal danger to the mother. That being the case, why the radical means to go so far as to punish those who disagree with abortion? The reason is that human life is not the actual concern of these people – neither the life of the unborn baby nor that of the mother. Rather, it all has to do with their view of morality. They want to enjoy the pleasure of sexual relations without having to be concerned with the consequences of their actions. By deeming an unborn baby as a non-human, they can kill it without any feelings of guilt. And to protect their belief, they are willing to demonize, and even destroy, those who disagree with them.
In its essence, this is a faith problem. And the only remedy is a faith solution. People who believe that babies in the womb are not human beings do not believe in the God of the Bible. They worship at the altar of self, and their morality is relativistic based on their own personal desires. What is required is not a simple change of beliefs, but an entire change of heart – and that only happens when Christ enters and transforms their lives.
When we push back against these kinds of militant pro-abortion activists, it is not enough to simply state that we have a different belief, and to promote the anti-abortion cause. We need to share Christ with them – the only thing that can actually give them a change of heart.