Great, heated debates have been taking place in our universities and places of higher education for the last several decades on the nature of human life, the value of life, and the ethics of its ending. With advances in technology & changing of societal norms (among other things), the question is a big one: what is a human life? Where does it begin, where should it end, and who should determine its beginning and ending? Is it something intrinsically valuable, worth fighting for, or is it valuable with certain conditions?
Some would argue that life is valuable to the degree that a person can think, act, and function in some useful manner, but throughout history, and in modern times, Christians have argued that life is valuable, period; that all human beings are made in the image of God; and that simply by existing, all human lives are equally sacred, holy and worth protecting.
Eleven years after the Roe v. Wade decision in which the Supreme Court issued a ruling that guaranteed women access to abortion, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation that Sunday 22, 1984 would be the Sanctity of Human Life Day. This Sunday, January 19th, 2020, that tradition continues, as many Christian communities across our nation stand in solidarity with the belief that human life begins at conception and is to be seen as sacred and worth protecting.
The conversation and issues surrounding abortion and women's rights is a complex one that should be approached with close compassion and humble conviction. Sadly, it is too often approached with an arms-length judgement and arrogant shouts. My challenge for us this week is that we would choose the posture of close compassion and humble conviction, and that we would be consistent in our sanctity of human life ethic. Here's what that could look like.
Begin by seeing your own life as intrinsically valuable. This isn't just an abstract thought; this is real life, flesh and blood. Once it's personal, begin to apply a consistent value for human life across the board. The unborn child and the mother. The friend and the enemy. The patriot and the immigrant. The citizen and the criminal. Those who you look up to, and those you look past. All human life is made in the image of God and worth protecting. Simply by existing, all human lives are equally sacred, holy and worth protecting. Do what you can this week, this year, and with the one life you've been given to live a life that truly values life from its beginning to its ending.