Pro-Life: No Exceptions?

I started this post a while ago, but the VP candidates’ responses to the abortion question in last week’s debate made me want to go ahead and post it. If you missed the exchange at the debate, you can watch it below.

While I appreciated Ryan’s answer much more than Biden’s, it still made me sad that the Romney administration would support rape and incest exceptions. You may be thinking, “Whoa, that is a bit too extreme”. And I agree, at first blush it may sound uncaring and out of touch. However, I do not think I can support abortion exceptions and still keep my moral integrity intact.

Here’s why…

I believe abortion is wrong because it kills an innocent human being. From the moment of conception, a brand new, unique human being exists that has just as much value as the human being he/she resides within. The method of conception does not change this. Really, this is my key reason.
Aborting a child conceived in rape or incest can serve to perpetuate a bad situation rather than fix it. Especially in the case of incest, abortion can work to destroy the evidence of the crime and keep the victim in a bad situation. Sex crimes are a tragic evil and we should all want the victims to be removed from the situation and the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

I know this isn’t a happy topic, or even a popular one, but I think that it must be spoken on. I think it is important for me to note that words cannot express the heartache I feel for women who find themselves in a place where they are considering abortion, especially women who are pregnant because of a sexual assault. In addition, sex crimes, whether they result in a child or not are a heartbreaking tragedy. When thinking about those affected by these horrible events, I turn to God for hope. It says in Scripture:

Lamentations 3:19-24 (NIV)¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
²²Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”