Responding To Your Feedback: Part 2

Every so often I receive comments on my blog posts and emails from readers who want to share their input on what I have written. Although many are supportive and friendly, plenty of others are critical, mean-spirited, inaccurate, or some combination of those attributes. On occasion, I do not respond to emails or approve comments because I don’t see how the exchange could be edifying. All that said, I would like to acknowledge some of these comments and emails when it seems appropriate. “Responding to your feedback” posts will be written directly to the author, but I will keep the individual anonymous by assigning him/her a nickname.

The Comment For Today

Today’s comment is an example of how not to respond to something you read online. It is fueled with anger, ill will, the worst possible assumptions, and an unwillingness to consider another person’s perspective. So, it’s essentially 90% of the comments written on the Internet. It’s no surprise, though, because the feedback I’m replying to is in response to my post entitled, Christians, You Can’t Support Abortion. A post with that title is just asking for trouble…

Before I start, I need to define a word for you in case you are not familiar with it. The author calls me “Gomer,” multiple times. Essentially, she is calling me “stupid, awkward, or oafish.” Interestingly, this clever attempt to win me over with name-calling was unsuccessful. Shocking!

Anyway, I’ll be referring to today’s author as “Triggered.” Let’s see what pearls of wisdom she had to share with us.

*I am presenting the comment with no editing.*

“A woman should be denied an abortion because “she chose to have sex?” 🤣 🤣 rape victims dont “choose” to have sex, Gomer. And birth control is available? 🤣 🤣 too bad it isn’t 100 percent effective, Gomer. And outlawing abortion doesn’t prevent wealthy women from getting them, GOMER. And the mistresses of the repub politicians will get free trips to Europe to get them. Got any other arguments you want to make, Gomer?”

Responding To Your Feedback

Dear Triggered,

I can tell from your comment that you are very passionate about what I believe you would call “a woman’s choice to choose.” May I offer a little unsolicited advice? Even when a topic makes us feel emotional and triggers an intense response in us, we serve ourselves and others better to calm down and approach the conversation respectfully. Frankly, it’s nearly impossible to take you seriously. Your comment is just a punchline to most people who read it. However, I choose to take it (and you) seriously, and I will address your comment with care.

I have to admit that I’m unsure how you came across my blog. Please, don’t misunderstand me. I’m happy to have any visitors to my site that come along, and I encourage dialogue. Simultaneously, The Set-Apart Walk is meant to offer encouragement to Christian women. I strive to challenge them to grow in their faith and walk closer to the Lord and away from the world. Given your comment, this doesn’t seem like what you are seeking. Are you a believer, Triggered?

If not, Triggered, you can be saved right now. Christ died on the cross for the whole world (John 3:16), and it’s not too late. If you’re not sure how someone can be saved and know that her sins have been forgiven, then check out this section of my testimony below because in the end, your beliefs regarding abortion aren’t what matter most. Your relationship with God is the most important thing. I sincerely hope you know the Lord, and if you don’t, that you will seek His truth.

You Can Be Born-Again

First, we are never going to be good enough. We cannot work ourselves into Heaven.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:10 “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;”

Second, sin has consequences. There’s no such thing as a sin that’s “small.” If you break one of God’s laws, then it’s as if you’ve broken them all.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

Finally, there is good news for all of us. God sent his Son, Jesus, to take our punishment on the cross. He was buried, and three days later he rose back to life, defeating death. His sacrifice and victory over death means we can live, too! All we need to do is repent (turn away from our sin and toward Christ) and believe in Jesus.

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “’For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”

Romans 10:13 “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 1

“A woman should be denied an abortion because “she chose to have sex?” 🤣

Most of the time, you must agree, sex is a choice. Let’s not pretend that women don’t have personal agency in this arena of life. If anything, women are more likely to pursue casual sexual encounters than ever before because the consequences are limited. In addition, women have been hoodwinked into believing that they are liberated by being sexually promiscuous.

With choice, we have to consider the biological realities associated with sexual activity. Although biology has been under some hard times thanks to transgenderism, most people still agree that sexual intercourse between a man and a woman can result in a pregnancy. In fact, that’s the way most people who want to have babies end up with them. That fact should make pregnancy an expectation rather than a surprising catastrophe.

Women choosing to have sex know pregnancy is a real biological possibility. Why the anger and surprise? I mean, this could not be more of an informed decision if we tried. Simply put, not liking the consequences of your decision doesn’t justify murder. Does that mean I am saying a woman should be denied an abortion when she chooses to have sex? Yes. Yes, I am.

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 2

“🤣 rape victims dont “choose” to have sex, Gomer.”

Triggered, you mentioned rape. In fact, you acted as if I do not know rape victims don’t choose to have sex. Rest assured that I fully grasp the horror, trauma, violation, and perpetual fear associated with sexual assault. Rape is an offense that our judicial system does not take seriously enough, and too many women have learned through experience that there is often nowhere safe to turn for help.

Nonetheless, we have no right to punish the unborn child for the sins of the father. We live in a fallen world, and that means we are surrounded by sin, decay, death, etc. And, you know, life isn’t fair. Other people’s sinful actions impact those around them. Sometimes the impact is as insignificant as being a few minutes late to work. Yet, some actions can lead to something as serious as losing a loved one. For instance, imagine a woman drives drunk and kills a father and his toddler as they drove through an intersection. It isn’t fair, and it isn’t anyone’s fault but the drunk driver. But the consequence remains.

What Do We Know About Rape-Related Pregnancy?

I need to address one more thing about rape-related pregnancy. Well, as unpopular as it is to say, it isn’t all that common. We lack data on the subject, and the studies that have been done are limited. The samples are too small, they are based on self-reporting, or they ignore females who are too young or too old to get pregnant which skews the results.

The best statistics I have found came from a study in 1996 and a study released in 2017 from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (AJPM). The 1996 study estimated that women who were victims of rape between the ages of 12-45 had a 5% chance, on average, of becoming pregnant. The AJPM study estimated approximately 2.4% of women experience a rape-related pregnancy at some point in their lifetime. Of course, any pregnancy from rape is too many because one rape is too many rapes. But we need to stop acting like when a woman is sexually assaulted that means she will definitely be pregnant. Not to mention, communities need to come alongside a rape victim who is pregnant and support her through that challenging time rather than walk her directly into another traumatic and sinful event. Abortion.

As I said in my post, abortions come with consequences in and of themselves. The side effects “include cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. More serious complications include bleeding, infection, and organ damage. Meanwhile, 1 in 100 early abortions and 1 in 50 late-term abortions have much more serious complications. Some of those risks include incomplete abortion, cervical damage, perforation of the uterus, and death.” Besides the physical side effects, abortion leaves women who are already struggling with negative mental health consequences, too.

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 3

“And birth control is available? 🤣 🤣 too bad it isn’t 100 percent effective, Gomer.”

True, Triggered. Birth control is not 100% effective. Do you know how I know that? It says so on the box. Condoms are very clearly labeled with that information. Condoms are 98% effective when used correctly every time. Birth control pills are 99.7% effective when used correctly. The University of Nebraska – Lincoln determined that the birth control pill is only 93% effective because women don’t use them perfectly. This is common knowledge for anyone who has been to a doctor about pregnancy prevention, has used Google, read the packaging of these products, or saw the Friends episode when Ross realized condoms aren’t 100% effective.

Again, I feel like we are arriving at the same opposing conclusions. You think being pregnant when you don’t want to be justifies an abortion. I, on the other hand, see another fact women have concerning pregnancy and prevention which precludes them from being unwilling to accept the predictable consequence. So, even if we took out the Christian worldview, women know what they are getting into and should reasonably understand the risks.

Returning to my Christian faith, I have to say that I’m really put off by so many people who see things like you do, Triggered. Women find themselves inconvenienced by the consequences of their own informed decisions, and immediately they are seeking a way to end the life growing inside them. Why? Because they think it’s easier.

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 4

“And outlawing abortion doesn’t prevent wealthy women from getting them, GOMER.”

When has outlawing anything prevented wealthy people from having their way? Jeffrey Epstein, for instance, had a private island for rich men and women to sexually abuse children. There is so much wrong with that. I can’t even begin to unpack it all, but we all know why Epstein and his “friends” were able to get away with those demonic acts.

Knowing that some people will break a law does not indicate the law shouldn’t exist. You seem concerned about rape victims, so let’s explore that. Sexual assault is illegal. Meanwhile, men and women break this law on a daily basis. Following your logic, we should just make rape legal because men who see women as property or tools for their sexual pleasure will rape women anyway. No offense, Triggered, but that argument is not very well thought through.

As for abortion, yes, some women will still have access to abortion no matter what the law says. But why make it easy for people to obtain one? Why normalize it and dehumanize unborn babies? As a nation (and as Christians), we should stand for the least among us. Who is more in need of our protection than babies in the womb?

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 5

“And the mistresses of the repub politicians will get free trips to Europe to get them.”

Is this a personal dig at me because you think I’m a Republican? That’s all right. I vote conservatively which ends up being Republican. However, I see both mainline political parties as a joke and mostly a bunch of liars. Men from both sides of the political aisle will end up impregnating mistresses. Gross, I know. And being wealthy and concerned about image (not enough to be righteous men who love the Lord, though), they will obtain abortions.

Nevertheless, my stance remains. I don’t concern myself with what the elites in society are up to. I’m more concerned about women taking responsibility for their babies, saving babies’ lives, and helping people understand why abortion truly is an evil act.

Responding To Your Feedback: Point 6

“Got any other arguments you want to make, Gomer?”

Four Gomers! I appreciate the commitment, friend. Thanks for following up because I do have a bit more to add. First, allow me to stress that the Bible has zero support for abortion. Zilch. Though, it does speak against it. My previous abortion post has verses written out for you to examine. I covered three categories of anti-abortion remarks in His Word.

We are made in God’s Image: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 9:5-6

We are not supposed to kill: Exodus 20:13; James 2:11; John 10:10

God values children and the unborn: Jeremiah 1:5; Exodus 21:22-25; Psalm 139:13-16; Psalm 127:3

The Harsh Reality of Abortion

Before singing the praises of abortion or having one, everyone should have to see a real-life abortion. The movie Unplanned features one. The film is about the outspoken pro-life activist, Abby Johnson, who changed her mind about abortion after assisting in one after years of working at Planned Parenthood. I recommend watching the film. For now, watch these two videos. The first features Dr. Anthony Levatino’s explanation for turning from abortionist to pro-lifer. The second video is a detailed description of the various abortion procedures accompanied by animated, yet disturbing, depictions.

Final Thought

Triggered, you’ve been lied to. Everyone wants us to accept abortion as a safe and necessary medical procedure. Pro-choice advocates scream out for access to “women’s healthcare,” but abortion doesn’t care for women or the unborn babies it kills.

Every argument you have for abortion relates to the selfish desire to avoid consequences. I get it. I don’t like dealing with negative consequences any more than you. What if we took a step back, though, and considered the ramifications of abortion and what God has to say about it? What if we embraced life and all the mess that comes with it instead of sterilizing our lives by literally killing what we don’t want? Can you imagine what the world would be like if we lived by love rather than fear?

Ladies, what would you say to Triggered? Do you have anything to add?

Image courtesy of engin akyurt via Unsplash.