The Way Forward on Abortion

I initially became a Republican solely based on the party's position on abortion. I was 20 years old, had just become a Christian, and learned about the horrors of abortion while listening to AM Christian radio in Akron, Ohio. Before that, I would have considered myself a Democrat. It was a natural position for me at the time; I was raised in a Union Democrat family, I was concerned about the plight of the poor in my community, and I only actually knew one Republican family (I didn't find this out until years later. They were unicorns in our small, immigrant-heavy town). 

But abortion trumped every other issue for me once I learned that they were tearing little babies apart or suctioning them from their mothers' wombs. The mental picture I get when I think about it still sickens me. 

Fast-forward four decades, and I'm a grandma (or Nimi, Mimi, or Gung Gung, depending on whom you ask) to three precious souls, all of whom I held within hours of their birth. I stared in amazement at their tiny faces, their little hands and feet, and listened to their sweet sighs. 

My second grandchild, Luke, was born with a rare genetic condition that was not detected until he was delivered two weeks early after he stopped growing in utero. There have been only around 70 cases of IFAP — ever — so his condition is the rarest of the rare. There were a lot of unknowns then, as now. He looks different due to having alopecia and is developing more slowly than his peers (at age four, he is getting close to walking — hooray!), and we could not love him more. He and I have our own special way of communicating, and he loves it when I ask, "Want me to rock you like a baby?" He immediately falls into my arms with a peaceful smile and gazes into my eyes. It's pure bliss for both of us.

My little Lukie is one of the reasons I'm so heartbroken and angry about Ohio Issue 1 passing because it essentially outlaws bans on murdering unborn children with disabilities. These innocent children are already being aborted so often that you rarely see a child with Down syndrome these days. In Ohio, abortion at virtually any stage, for any reason, is now enshrined in the state Constitution, alongside freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. 

 Why did it pass? A number of reasons, including poor messaging and investment from the pro-life side and outright disinformation from the Left. Mike DeWine could hardly be bothered to oppose the amendment, mostly staying out of the fray after a whole career spent defending the lives of unborn children. Why did he back off? Hard to say. Maybe, like John Kasich before him, he has presidential ambitions (please, no!) and thinks downplaying abortion will further his career. Maybe he knew it was a losing cause. Maybe he's just too old to care at this point. Unlike Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, DeWine didn't barrage the state with ads, rallies, and proclamations to promote GOP causes. So the Left got to write the narrative: If you vote No on Issue 1, women who miscarry will not receive care, and rape victims will have to carry their babies to term. 

The first is an absolute lie, but it resonated with men and women who have lost babies due to miscarriage. Why the pro-life side didn't absolutely demolish this disinformation is a question that politicians will no doubt ponder for years to come. The second issue, pregnancy resulting from rape, is at least true, but it still results in the murder of an innocent child who was also a victim of the crime. Ohio voters are apparently in favor of punishing the child for the sins of the father. 

Many are saying today that the passage of Issue 1 is the death knell for the pro-life movement. The left-wing media is reveling in the grave evil of it all, believing that Republicans will now abandon those innocent children and approve of them being sacrificed to Molech. 

But I don't think that's the message Ohio voters were sending on Tuesday. The main takeaways are 1) voters are susceptible to disinformation — and the Left excels at it and played their hand very well in this election, and 2) voters, even many who consider themselves conservatives, are not enthusiastic about banning abortion in cases of rape. 

Look, I'm 1000% pro-life and believe every baby deserves a chance at life. But I think now is a time for some pragmatism. Ohio Issue 1 won't be rolled back anytime soon, so limits on abortion are a moot point in Ohio. But other states — and many candidates — are at this moment mulling whether to drop the issue altogether, focus on immigration, the economy, or a thousand issues that aren't so contentious and perilous.

Let me say this as clearly as I can: Now is not the time to abandon the fight to protect the unborn. Now is a time for courage rather than fear. And now is a time to consider what will happen to the Republican Party if it abandons abortion as an issue. Many of us who consider ourselves to be social conservatives stood by and watched when the party we supported abandoned the sanctity of marriage and gave in to the depravity of the culture. We still have abortion, we reasoned, not believing that the GOP could ever go pro-choice. But here come the libertarian (and outright libertine) elements of the party, predicting that we will never win another election again unless we abandon helpless unborn babies who are slaughtered by the thousands in the United States. 

Here's a prediction: Republicans will never win elections if they abandon unborn children. The Uni-Party takeover would be complete, and the social conservatives among us would no longer have a reason to vote for the status quo. The Christians among us answer to a higher calling than what the Grand Old Party offers, and we will abandon those who abandon the unborn. We can do no less. 

I'll leave you with a song I heard tonight by Christian artist Phil Keaggy called "Little Ones" (with video below). Keaggy released the song in 1980, just a few years after the demonic Roe v. Wade case was decided, and it is a call to action to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It rings truer today than it did then: 

Who will speak up for the little ones?
Helpless and half-abandoned
They've got the right to choose life
They don't want to lose
I've got to speak up, won't you?

Equal rights, equal time, for the unborn children
Their precious lives are on the line
How can we be rid of them?
Passing laws, passing out
Bills and new amendments
Pay the cost and turn about
And face the young defendants

Who will speak up for the little ones?
Helpless and half-abandoned
They've got the right to choose life
They don't want to lose
I've got to speak up, won't you?

Many come and many go
Conceived but not delivered
The toll is astronomical
How can we be indifferent