We Are Abolitionists
We refuse to go with the multitude to do evil.
For 50 years, the pro-life movement opposed abortion by seeking to compromise with it. For the entirety of Roe's existence, Pro-life strategists accepted it as the “law of the land" and focused on trying to regulate the murder of children in the womb to the greatest degree the courts would have allowed. Secularly minded pro-life strategists, who set themselves up as the political "experts," have left the word of God on the sideline and fought abortion with worldly wisdom. This reality is even true outside of Roe's lifespan, as Pro-Life political experts have still advocated for less than abolition, falsely claiming that polling realities have forced their hand. What was idolatry to the Supreme Court is now idolatry to the culture. Tragically, most pastors and Christian leaders have blithely and without looking at pro-life arguments and strategies in light of scripture deferred to the pro-life establishment's counsel. The Christian opposition to abortion has thus been woefully inadequate.
The need for a reformation of the way Christians fight abortion was met in 2011 when the Abolitionist Movement in America was reignited. We are a part of that movement. Thus, we want to be very clear in defining what we mean by abolitionist and why we distinguish ourselves as abolitionists rather than pro-lifers.
The abolitionist, as a Christian, seeks to lead people to Christ and rescue as many babies as possible from being taken away to death. We proclaim the Gospel, beseech mothers and fathers to repent of abortion, Christians to repent of abortion apathy, and the culture at large to repent of legalizing child-sacrifice and reject abortion as the evil of our age.
Regarding legislation, abolitionists do not believe that compromise is an effective way to fight child sacrifice. Abolitionists don't believe we should make exceptions for abortion while arguing that abortion is evil. The abolitionist does not believe in encouraging the entrenched ageism and dehumanization of humans in the womb by putting forward bills that protect some humans at the expense of others based on their age or stage of development. The abolitionist calls for the total and immediate criminalization of abortion as murder and never attempts to simply regulate or reduce abortion by treating it as healthcare.
Knowing that abortion is not likely to be abolished overnight, the abolitionist consistently calls for total and immediate abolition while working diligently to reduce the number of abortions by practicing moral suasion and assistance for as long as it takes and until total abolition is accomplished.
Abolitionists believe that we will never abolish abortion by calling for compromise; that we will never end abortion by allowing it all along the way to its “incremental abolition.” The abolitionist does not think that you can write laws to “protect babies because they feel pain,” then write laws to “protect babies because they have beating hearts,” then write laws to “protect babies because they are human.” By writing such laws, pro-life legislators train the culture to believe that abortion is permissible up to the point of pain or the possession of a beating heart instead of instructing the culture to abolish abortion because it is the murder of a human being created in the image of God. Two examples of this dynamic:
- Abolitionist activist James Silberman met with the office of Ohio State Senator Andrew Brenner in April 2019. James explained to Brenner’s aide the importance of introducing and passing a bill that nullifies Roe and treats abortion like murder from the moment of conception. At the end of James’ presentation, Brenner’s aide said, “This was very interesting, but it’s Senator Brenner personal religious conviction that life begins at a heartbeat.” Where did Senator Brenner learn that unbiblical, unscientific, dehumanizing nonsense? He learned it from the Heartbeat Bill which had just passed in Ohio a few months earlier.
- Abolitionists Rising’s T. Russell Hunter was ministering outside an abortion facility in Norman, OK in 2016. A young mother who Russell was pleading with not to have the abortion told him, “It’s okay. My baby won’t even feel any pain.” Where did she learn that it’s acceptable to murder your baby as long as he or she doesn’t feel pain? From the Pro-Life Movement and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which highlights pain as the reason abortion should be illegal.
Abolitionists are not trying to make abortion safer for women, more rare, or a little less legal. Abolitionists are seeking to criminalize abortion because it is murder and the laws against murder should be applied equally to all people. At the same time we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ declaring that there is forgiveness for the sin of abortion, and all repentant post-abortive mothers and fathers can be redeemed and restored in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. This truth does not mean that there should be no punishment for choosing to murder your child, however. There is no conflict between preaching the Gospel and establishing justice in the courts (Isaiah 1:16-17; Amos 5:15; Luke 11:42).