Mike Franklin
I remember the day our first was born. Instinctually, I counted fingers and toes just after I heard our little baby boy’s lungs crying loudly. And all was right with the world, even if it was only for a moment in time.
On June 24, Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I was sitting at my desk listening to a lecture. I had little interest in listening when the words scrolled across my computer screen.
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you…” I thought about God and all the lives He knew before they ever had a chance to flourish.
It is a hard subject, one that divides many people. It insights anger, guilt, and shame in some, relief, closure, and resolve in others.
I had a classmate in high school who found herself with an unplanned pregnancy. She had another year before she could graduate. The father of the baby was a friend of mine. Although abortion was an option, she opted to carry the baby and put it up for adoption.
School was hard for her. People talked and pointed. She was excluded from many social events. Few teachers treated her appropriately, and like most high school love stories, my friend ended up going off to college. The two simply drifted apart.
A few years ago, I ran into her. She had married a veterinarian and built a wonderful life. Although she did not bear any other children, the boy she had put up for adoption found her when he was 21 years of age. His life had been one of fairytales – a wonderful mom, even though she died of cancer when he was 18, and a dad who hung the moon.
Little did she know, he had grown-up in the same town in which she and her husband lived. Had she walked right by him at the mall, on the street, or in a restaurant?
He was studying to be an architect, just like the dad who had adopted him. Finding her was out of curiosity, not need, but he wanted her to know how very grateful he was she had not aborted him. She had carried him full term and chosen adoption – for that, he was grateful. The two developed a relationship over the years. Through him, she had grandchildren.
I’ll never forget what she said to me, “Sometimes we are given a window of opportunity to do something that will forever change someone’s life.” She did that, and not only one life, but his parents’ lives, his wife’s life, his children’s lives, not to mention every person that young man will touch with his life. It started with her choice to extend the gift of life.
In the U.S., it is estimated around 63 million possibilities were legally aborted since 1973. When compared to the number of U.S. citizens lost in WWI, WWII, and Vietnam (116,516; 405,399; 58,209 respectively – www.statista.com), the numbers of U.S. citizens lost to abortion is staggering. How many of them were intended to end world hunger, or find a cure for cancer? How many of them would have been your friend, family member, boss, or teacher?
I am grateful for the decision by the Supreme Court on last Friday afternoon. For 50 years, Christians have prayed for this day, and now that it is here, we should be truthful, loving answers to the struggles of others.
It may require monetary contributions, adoption, maternal support, or medical help, but please know, it is now that the real work begins. And while abortions will continue in various states and under differing situations, we have been given the opportunity to see the possibilities of God’s creations as well as the ability to change someone’s life.
Mike Franklin is the pastor at The Torch in Demorest.