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The 2008 presidential election represents a major setback for the pro-life cause. President Obama will likely replace two or three judges on the Supreme Court. His replacements are sure to maintain the majority opinion that favors Roe vs. Wade.

Despite this major setback, the ascendancy of Obama to the highest office in the land fills me with tremendous hope that the abortion debate will be turned around in this country. Why?

Just consider where our country was regarding race relations forty years ago. How many people fighting for civil rights in 1968 could have foreseen a day when an African-American could be elected president? We have seen a cultural shift (in the right direction) that is unprecedented – and all of this change has taken place within a single generation.

Who is to say that within the next forty years the tide of public opinion could not shift dramatically in favor of the pro-life movement?

Perhaps we will have to change strategies and no longer pin our hopes on overturning Roe vs. Wade. After all, overturning Roe vs. Wade would not end the abortion debate; it would merely return the issue to the states. We might win many state victories, and yet still not see abortion outlawed in the country.

No… the way forward for the pro-life cause is by continuing to work to change public opinion on this matter of justice for the oppressed. We have several avenues of changing the debate:

Science: Ultrasound technology continues to prove what science has told us all along – the unborn is not merely a “fetus”, but a human being.

Media: One way the civil rights movement gained ground among average citizens was by lampooning racists (think All in the Family) and by showing African-Americans in a positive light (think The Cosby Show). It is vitally important that people with pro-life convictions use the media to take the horror of abortion and the beauty of life to the common voter. We have already seen good progress in this area (the episode of House in which a baby in the womb grasps the doctor’s finger during surgery, movies like Bella and Juno). We also need good writers. Where is the Harriet Beecher Stowe of today who can write a book that will change the debate on abortion much like Uncle Tom’s Cabin changed the debate on slavery?

Grassroots: The church has already been very active at the grassroots level, making sure that women make informed choices and have ample financial and emotional support during their pregnancy. Pregnancy support centers are on the front lines in the battle against abortion. We must continue to win people to our cause on the local level through these centers.

History: We need to inform others of the history of abortion, especially the cause of eugenics promoted by Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. How ironic that the first African-American president would promote the organization whose original intention was to weed out the black population from the gene pool by strategically placing abortion clinics in the inner city!

Our Children: Forty years from now, many of us will have children who will be engaged in this debate. Will they be as passionate for the pro-life cause as we are? Last night, as my wife and I were discussing Obama’s views on abortion, our four-year-old son piped up.

“Daddy, what’s abortion?”

“Well, son… do you remember when your sister (our four-month-old) was still in Mommy’s tummy?”

“Yeah.”

“Some people think it’s okay to kill a baby if it’s still in the mommy’s tummy.”

I didn’t know how else to explain it except in the starkest, simplest terms possible. His eyes got big, and he looked down at his sister. And I’ll never forget the brief look of horror that crossed his face as the reality of abortion sunk in. And then the big question: “Why? Why would anyone kill a baby?”

When I put my son to bed last night, I could not help but wonder if his generation might be the one to end this barbaric practice once and for all. But it will take honest teaching of the issues at stake – and nothing communicates the horror of abortion more than breaking down the concept to a small child.

As I hear of evangelicals shifting away from single-issue politics, part of me rejoices. A variety of issues cry out for Christian concern. But my prayer is that even as some evangelicals broaden the agenda, God will raise up single-minded leaders like William Wilberforce – people who will shake us out of our complacency and give us a passion for standing up for the voiceless.

Forty years ago, no one thought we could see the day when an African-American man would be president. But Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream.

Evangelicals who are disappointed in the setbacks of the 2008 Election need to hang on to the dream.

The voiceless depend on our voices.

The powerless depend on our power.

Those in danger depend on our protection.

The faithful should never give up hope. We shall overcome…

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

Related Posts:
Why We Are Pro-Life
Clinton Lashes out at Pro-Lifers

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