A friend made this comment about the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision: While some of us commemorate this sad anniversary, others actually celebrate it. Naturally, that set me thinking. It's the celebration, not merely of the right to abortion, but of abortion itself, that makes this issue so weird, and so inflammatory.
I could so, so easily support leaving all difficult medical decisions to the family. Having experienced painful, personal, life-or-death medical decisions myself, I know I don't want the government making them for me. Because, like it or not, in this fallen world there are times when the better (not to say good) choice is to end life rather than to prolong it, to take a life rather than to save it.
But in our society there are many people who glorify, not just the legality of abortion, but the procedure itself, and that's where they lose me. If we cheer when a criminal is executed, if the homeowner gets a thrill out of shooting the housebreaker, if the wholesale destruction of an enemy town causes rejoicing, if "pulling the plug" on an invalid is an easy decision, if we can end a child's life without grieving deeply and without seeing the action as anything other than a last, desperate resort ... then we know that no matter how necessary the choice may sometimes be, our consciences have been compromised and cannot be trusted. And therefore we sometimes, however reluctantly, let the government in—to set the boundaries we refuse to set for ourselves.
