Christians Should “Value Them Both”

Roe v. Wade was a controversial and tragic 1973 decision that created a previously unknown constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s choice to have an abortion always outweighs the state’s concern for prenatal life up until the “point of fetal viability”, or the point when a baby can survive outside the womb (in 1973, this was determined to be 24-28 weeks). In another case decided the same day as Roe, the Court went even further in severely limiting even post-viability restrictions on abortion. Fifty years and 63 million abortions later, it does not take a Christian worldview to see the human tragedy wrought by this ruling: for unborn children; for women victimized by the abortion industry; and for society as a whole.

The revocation of Roe v. Wade this very month now seems possible. But such a ruling would not make abortion illegal in the U.S., it would merely place abortion-related laws in the hands of the states. Shockingly, in Kansas, a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling removed the legal foundation for all existing and future state laws that permit basic regulation or limitation of abortion. Whether Roe v. Wade is revoked or not, Kansas will have some of the most unfettered abortion laws in the U.S. as things currently stand.

There is a proposed amendment to the Kansas state constitution that will allow for the legislature to resume its traditional role of passing laws to limit abortion in our state. The amendment proposal is called “Value them Both”. This amendment will be on the ballot August 2nd. I urge all Christians to support this measure. 

The PCA Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Abortion, noted that,“Ignoring the sanctity of life by destroying it through abortion clearly falls within the purview of the church’s ecclesiastical responsibility to speak for God to the state.” This same report from our denomination went on to say, “We are convinced Scripture forbids abortion. The premise of the personhood of the unborn child and the premise of the universal validity of the Sixth Commandment, if true, necessitates the conclusion that abortion is wrong. … We cannot stress too strongly our authority in this matter. God in His Word speaks of the unborn child as a person and treats him as such, and so must we. The Bible teaches the sanctity of life, and so must we.”

The heinous plight of abortion has ravaged America for 50 years. Romans chapter 1 speaks of a downward spiral of sin that leads to the judgment of God. I cannot say for sure if America’s slaughter of 63 million babies since 1973 is the reason for the epidemic confusion about sex, human dignity, and human identify in our times, but it seems to parallel the “due penalty” for societal sin described in Romans 1.

Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25] 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. [26] For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [27] and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Abortion is a tool of self-worship. By eliminating the responsibility of caring for children as a possible result of unbridled sexual practice, it is open season for the pursuit of all manner of selfishness. Abortion provides a way for people to live out “dishonorable passions” without being “punished with a baby”, as President Obama put it in 2008. Just as Romans 1 says, people are living in service of the creature (themselves) rather than the Creator. Abortion falsely promises a certain guarantee of human autonomy. The slogan, “my body, my choice” says it all. Beyond the Biblical and ethical problem with such a declaration, it is an ignorant statement biologically, as we know a pregnant woman has a separate body residing in her body. Once a child has been conceived, that person deserves protection as image bearers of God like everyone else. At the same time, we should have compassion on the mother who is faced with real life challenges due to an unplanned pregnancy. The proposed legislation seeks to value both the mother and the unborn child.

The “Value Them Both” amendment is a positive step toward the elimination of abortion in Kansas. It is also necessary to protect women from a predatory abortion industry. My hope is that Christians will be active in their responsibility as citizens and vote for this amendment. 

Here is wording for the amendment that will be on the ballot August 2nd:

“Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.”

Finally, from the valuethemboth.com website –

“The Value Them Both amendment affirms that Kansas still wants to be able to protect both mothers and babies by placing basic restriction on the abortion industry. The Value Them Both Amendment simply ensures that there can be at least some limits on the abortion industry and that you are not forced to subsidize the industry with your tax dollars”.

In the Lamb,

Pastor Tony Felich