The Dobbs Picture

Just over two weeks ago, in the 6-3 Dobbs decision, the Court stated the U.S. Constitution did not confer a right to abortion and overruled both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992).

Their decision did not outlaw abortion; it simply sent the issue to the states. However, many states had “trigger laws” that banned or drastically restricted abortion. In other states, the right and access to abortion were unaffected since the ruling does not pertain to state laws. In response, the Biden administration has recently taken steps to mitigate the decision’s impact as much as possible for people in states most impacted by the ruling.

For many on the pro-life side, the ruling is a significant victory after nearly 50 years of a long obedience in the same direction. People are rejoicing in the lives saved after years of what they describe as legalized genocide. On the pro-choice side, women are outraged that their reproductive rights are curtailed and grieving the loss of their autonomy.

Much has been written on the nature and importance of the historically orthodox Christian church’s response. (I am working hard to avoid using the word evangelical for reasons that will become clear.) This reflection is offered in that same vein but with a personal perspective.

My Story

The picture (right) of my mother and me was taken in the late summer of 1967, six years before the Roe decision. What is not communicated in this photograph is the reality that my mom was forcefully pressured by my biological father to terminate her pregnancy. Through a series of remarkable circumstances, his plans were thwarted, and I came into the world in April of that spring.

Their abusive marriage ended in the early seventies, after another child.

My mom remarried a remarkable man in 1975. Together, they had two more children. For me, life was stable and happy as love knit our new family together. We lived in an idyllic small town in the Midwest and seemed poised for a life of endless possibilities and joy. The picture to the left was taken in early June of 1979, just a month after my sister was born. It was also six years after the Roe decision. The smiles are genuine.

A month after posing for this portrait, my new dad suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him permanently disabled and quickly moved our family to welfare. Four months later, just before Thanksgiving, my mom found her daughter (my infant sister) dead in her crib from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Our family was devastated and my mother was destroyed. She had gone from an abusive marriage to a magical marriage to a tragic marriage.

Henrik Ibsen is credited with the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” More recently, Rod Stewart wrote, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” The words are only accurate if you know the whole story.

The next picture was taken in late 1980. Much is missing, especially for my mom. She had endured losing much of her husband to a TBI, her daughter to crib death, and custody of her second son to his father in the wake of our family’s implosion. Only one of the smiles is genuine.

Shortly after this picture, and eight years after the Roe v. Wade decision, my mother had an abortion.  How do I know this intimate detail? Because I was lying on the floor in the living room of our house (that used to be a home), watching television, while overhearing my mom describe the procedure to her sister.

Our family would remain at four until my mother surrendered to her pain. She abandoned her family and became homeless when I was in my late twenties, and my youngest brother was only 15.

Why do I share this story? Because it informs how I, and we, should engage the Dobbs decision and the painful conversations in our future.

Authorial Intent

In addition to my personal story, two essential truths inform my approach to this conversation.

First, I am a gospel-centered Christian, which means I believe my standing before God is not based on anything I have done (or not done) but solely on God’s love for me and the work of His Son, Jesus, to reconcile me to His Father. As a result, I embrace the call of Jesus to love my neighbor as myself, judge not, and make disciples of all nations.

Second, I am pro-life. Whole-life, actually. That means I support life from conception to death. My Christian faith informs my views on life, flourishing, and community care, which are shaped through graduate-level study and pastoral experience.

Both truths are critical to properly leaning into conversations regarding Dobbs in a posture of Faithful Presence. Especially for those leading and serving in government.

Understanding Context

Context is essential in any conversation. Shown alone, the pictures above do not tell the whole story. Without additional personal information, responses to these pictures will likely result in words received as relatively loveless. We must avoid blanket statements and caricatures of those to whom we speak.

When Peter said, “Repent!” in Acts 2, it was to a Jewish audience that understood the language he was using and why he was using it. This is commonly referred to as the rhetorical triangle: Author + Audience + Shared cultural context = Communication.

Paul uses this same approach when he comes to the Areopagus in Acts 17. Stoic and Epicurean philosophers gathered in this famous venue to discuss their competing worldviews and how to bring about the Roman Empire’s flourishing and their own happy life.

Responding to their invitation to enter the conversation, Paul says,

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

“ ‘In him, we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:22–31.

Rather than screaming at them through a bullhorn with Christian-insider language, Paul’s words begin with a commendation of their pursuits, informed references to their worldview, then include two different quotes from contemporary Greek poets before pivoting comfortably to a presentation of the gospel.

We would do well to employ this methodology. Whether on the streets outside or in our conference rooms, we are all aware with the self-appointed prophets of Washington whose language is so off-target that it is ignored.

Given her situation, I cannot fathom the confusion, fear, and pain my mother faced realizing she was pregnant with her fifth child. Some call the decision to terminate a pregnancy an act of selfishness.  Perhaps it’s possible to mix a selfish act with love for others and self. From any perspective, shaming and guilting her would have been the cruelest form of communication.

In addition to the myriad of individual stories behind women’s pursuit of abortion, we must also remember that a woman’s right to choose is the only world any woman of child-bearing age has known. For them, this is a step backward and the taking of something they have always known as a right. This truth must inform our speech.

Proper Posture

The Sunday after the Dobbs decision, many Christians took to Facebook and Twitter to express their joy.  Churches across the country openly celebrated the decision and thanked God for answering their decades of prayers and efforts. I believe that rejoicing was warranted.

But what of the women in the congregation who had terminated a pregnancy in the past? How were they addressed and cared for during the service? What about visitors who did not expect such language because they were seekers or skeptics?

Now consider the language used within the halls of government. How have our words and actions effected those whose we work with that may have had an abortion or know someone who has?

Understanding context is an essential element of empathy and compassion. My own painful story tempered my joy after the Court announced its decision. As we discuss policy decisions, on both sides of the political aisle, intentionally and pastorally considering our audience is the fruit of the Spirit.

As Christians, we are called to rejoice in justice and righteousness, but we must do so without embracing a posture of braggadocio, judgmentalism, and superiority. Scripture makes clear that we, too, are not without sin and are worthy of judgment.

This is where the gospel becomes central to our response. As we realize our standing before God is not the result of any merit that we possess or self-generated righteousness, but only because God decided to love us, we are drawn into a posture of faithful presence as we engage our post-Dobbs world.

But there is more to a posture of faithful presence than empathy and compassion. It must include action. John tells us that when Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, they were locked in a room for fear of the Jews. Jesus tells them,

“Peace be with you.”

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again,

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.”  John 20:19–21.

What does it mean for Jesus to send us as his Father sent Him? It means we do not respond by attacking with the sword or hiding in fear. We are sent into the post-Dobbs world in a posture of faithful presence. As such, our words and actions must flow from an assessment of our context through four simple questions. Again, this is especially applicable to those serving and leading in government.

Faithful Presence

Question 1: What is good that should be encouraged?

Lifting people out of poverty, protecting women from abusive relationships, and ensuring proper access to health care, education, food, and employment are critical aspects of a flourishing society.  Starting in 1979, our family benefited from government services that kept us physically healthy and reasonably well fed (I never acquired a taste for powdered milk). How can we build upon existing structures and programs to strengthen their support for families, women, and children?

Now more than ever, crisis pregnancy centers are on the front lines of applying Christian empathy and compassion. Despite some recent political rhetoric, most of these facilities offer genuine care and concern for the mother and unborn child. Many of their clients are frightened and confused, others lack support systems, and some may need material resources or life-skills. These centers provide assistance in all of these areas.

What else is good that needs our support? What role can you play?

Question 2: What is broken that should be repaired?

Following the industrial revolution (when women and children were no longer forced to work in unimaginable conditions) and World War II (where women were an integral part of our victory through their factory work), many women found themselves relegated to the role of child incubator and maid.  The sexual revolution and the women’s rights movement of the 60s and 70s gave women back an aspect of their dignity that they were created to enjoy. Yet, in our prioritization of autonomy and rights, we devalued dignity and meaning. How can we restore a proper balance in our understanding of life? There is much work to be done here.

Financial insecurity is often a significant stressor in an unplanned pregnancy. Whole-life discipleship leads to pro-life advocacy that is whole-life advocacy. Are our systems prepared for the influx of children in need of school lunches (Department of Education), groceries (Department of Agriculture) health care (Health & Human Services), and housing (Department of Housing and Urban Development)? What about women who will need time off work to care for their newborn child (Department of Labor)?

What else is broken that requires repair? What role can you play?

Question 3: What is missing that should be created?

When my mother discovered she was pregnant, her world was unimaginably painful and lonely. Any offers of support she heard while making her way into the clinic were too little - too late. My mom needed those relationships and support systems years before her life was turned upside down. How can we, as Christians, create intentional relationships with our neighbors now, so they are a trusted resource when drastic times call for drastic measures?

What systems and structures, through the government and faith-based intuitions, need to be established to support women and children (and families!) in the years to come?

What else is missing that needs creation? What role can you play?

Question 4: What is evil that should be eliminated?

Many will read this and say, “End all abortions! There is still unfinished work.” I understand that sentiment. But what evil exists in the post-Dobbs world that must be eliminated?

How about shuffling our children off to “visit an aunt” for a few months because the family does not want “to bear the shame of their daughter’s bad decision.”  That is an evil response! It is evil because it is not centered in the gospel. “Jesus was crushed for our transgressions, and by his wounds, we are healed,” says the Prophet Isaiah. How can we possibly respond by offering judgment and shame when the gospel replaces them with freedom and hope?

While efforts will continue to reduce and eliminate abortions, we must also work to reduce and eliminate our own pious and self-righteous hearts that lead us to respond in a manner counter to the way the Father sent the Son. Consider the words of Jesus to every hurting or marginalized woman he encountered including the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) and the Syro-Phonecian woman (Mark 7). We must also seek to eliminate our apathy towards the needs of vulnerable and disempowered women and children and repent of our belief that “thoughts and prayers” are enough to make it better.

What else is evil that should be opposed? What role can you play?

49 years have passed since Roe and only a couple of weeks since Dobbs. My mom spent her final 8 years sober but in compromised health. She passed away 13 years ago, mainly from the effects of her attempts to drown pain with alcohol as well as the toll homelessness extracted from her physical and mental health. Not a day goes by that I do not miss her and long to tell her “I love you,” one more time.

Loving our neighbor as ourselves, through understanding their story, will prove an essential aspect of our response of living in a posture of faithful presence in the post-Dobbs world.  Especially for those serving and leading in government.