Roe v. Wade Was Never About Abortion

‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them…

Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen’ (Romans 1: 18-19, 24-25).

The law that was Roe v. Wade was never about abortion. It was never about protecting babies from a life of poverty and abuse either. What we have come to know as the ‘pro-choice’ position is far older than 1973. Roe v. Wade, abortion, and modern feminism are merely symptoms of a heart condition going back to Genesis 3, belonging to both male and female.

What is this ancient condition? It is the cancer of human sin and rebellion. It is the push for human rights instead of God given rights.

As Genesis 3 reminds us, it all started by believing the lie of Satan. What was the lie? ‘God is holding back on you. He is keeping you from becoming all you could be. He is withholding YOUR RIGHTS to take and eat whatever you want. He doesn’t want you to become God!’ (Gen. 3: 4-5, [emphasis mine]).

So, Adam and Eve took. They mocked the glorious boundaries of God. And thus came the fall - one unbroken chain of ‘taking’ and ‘pushing’ past the parameters of God’s rule ever since. (Psalm 58:3). Instead of trusting and stewarding the mighty responsibility of tending God’s creation – we close our eyes, cover our ears, and set up our thrones in His throne room.

The Apostle Paul in Romans 1 clarifies that we are not ignorant of this reality. Instead, we suppress (drown and strangle) the truth of God. We hate God and love our sin. (Psalm 53: 1-3). We chose the lie.

This sinful nature and rebellion sit at the heart of abortion. We want the ‘right’ to ‘pursue the lusts of our hearts’ without consequence. We want the right to have sex when and how we want it. We do not want to take responsibility for our passions. Therefore, abortion is merely collateral damage to the desires of our hearts.

Since we have become God – sex is the ultimate form of worship. (This can be seen in every state of false pagan worship through history, i.e., Baal, Min, Artemis). If babies get in the way of pursuing our desires, dreams, and self-made destinies – then they must be removed. Sex is not a tool for bonding and childbearing within marriage. What is marriage anyway but another boundary?

The statistics tell the same story, with 86% of all abortions accounted for by unmarried women (CDC). The biggest self-reported reason for these abortions is not rape, incest, or health complications. These explanations combined still account for less than 1% of all abortions. So, what is the biggest reason? Answer: ‘Just not ready for a child, done having children, or would interfere with career/education’ (Guttmacher Institute). In a 2020 Florida study, the results were even worse, with 74% of 74,868 women giving ‘no reason’ for aborting their child.

Let me be clear – this is not to hold the spotlight on women. Men in their sin have rebelled against their God-given responsibility to love, nurture and provide. They, too, want sex without consequence, and to leave their sexual partner with the check is the height of depravity.

Let us remember, God gave us His law to be a blessing to us and our society. The commands of Christ protect us and guide us so we may flourish and thrive (John 10:10). The Lord said, ‘keep the marriage bed pure’ (Hebrews 13:4) so that sex may be a blessing and childbearing a gift and responsibility we can bear. Raising children was never meant to be done alone. It was never meant to be attempted without support from family, the Church, and a Godly society. Yet – due to our sin and the establishment of our own laws and norms – we have been suffering under the fruits of such labor.

Therefore, let’s be honest. What do we really mean when we say abortion is a ‘woman’s right’? What we really mean is: ‘as an autonomous, self-governed, god unto myself, I have the right to terminate any and every obstacle that keeps me from worshiping at the altar of self.’

If this is your argument – then I plead with you to repent. If we do not, Paul is adamant that ‘the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness’ (Rom. 1:18).

May the Church arise, show grace, and carry the burdens of one another. Since we are all broken, we all make mistakes – some with greater consequences than others. Therefore, let us be prepared to be the Church Christ desires. Ready to support mothers, hold fathers accountable, and raise children who have been abandoned. Abortion is never the only option. Christ does not tell us to ignore our cross but to ‘pick it up and bear it’ (Matthew 16:24).

Rebellion is where Christ found all of us. But His grace softened our hearts and made us aware of our sin. Christ has paid the price we could not – took the blame and bore the wrath we deserved. Place your faith in Him – leave behind ‘your rights’ - ‘deny yourself’ and follow.

Written By: Luke Johnston

Pastor of GlenHaven Church

KCMO