Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Freedom Of Speech! As long as I agree...

One thing that irritates me to no end is when people cry "Freedom of Speech" when others oppose the opinions and beliefs that they hold. But when someone else's opinions clashes with what they believe, they want to cause an uproar and rally to make the opposing party cease and desist.

A recent example of this is Focus On The Family's "Celebrate Life" Super Bowl commercial that will feature Tim Tebow and his mother.

For those who don't know the story, the long and short of it is that while on a mission in the Philippines while pregnant with Tim, Tebow's mother got sick and it was suggested that she have an abortion.

His mother refused and a few months later gave birth to the person we know today as Tim Tebow, soon-to-be college football legend and my future husband (okay, maybe the latter part of the phrase isn't entirely true).

Opposing opinions are that the 30-second add "throws women under the bus" or implies that every child not aborted will grow up to be a legendary football player.

I beg to differ.

We know that some people just don't grow up to be fantastic, award-winning sports figures or movie stars or music legends. There are some people who have made bad decisions and gone down the wrong path or just basically are messed up mentally and emotionally and do things that we don't understand.

However, it is not our purpose or position to say if a child lives or dies. We cannot know at conception whether that child will turn out either way. Of course, there are circumstances in which a mother may have to choose between her life and her child's life. Mrs. Tebow chose to trust in The One who created her and who created her son to work out what his purpose was for both lives involved.

No one (besides God) could've known that that little baby would grow up to be Tim Tebow and have the effect on the world that he has had so far in his 22 or 23 years of life. Mrs. Tebow made a decision according to her beliefs. And you can't fault her for that anymore than you can fault her for wanting share her story.

Bare with me for a second. It's soapbox time.

I am a Christian. And I believe that everything that happens in our life is completely planned out by God. I also believe in the Ten Commandments. Do not make anything a priority in your life over God. Obey your parents. Don't lie. Don't steal. DO NOT KILL.

When you have an abortion, you are destroying what God has created. Therefore you are trumping God. And he doesn't stand for that. What right do we have to destroy what God has created? God's most prized creation is the human being. We are even more important to him than the angels. So I hope those who believe in abortion can see where we anti-abortion people are coming from.

I've never had to go through that circumstance nor do I ever wish that upon my worst enemy. I can't imagine what goes through a woman's mind when she is considering the termination of her pregnancy nor do I want to belittle that decision at all. I can imagine that it is not an easy decision. And I don't believe anyone is trying to make such a decision seem small and fleeting.

However, I want to give a viewpoint that I hope makes sense to pro-life and pro-choice advocates alike. The pregnancy rate outside of commitment (marriage) is astronomical. And there are definitely women who become pregnant who do not want to become mothers because they are not ready financially or emotionally. However, there are numbers of couples, just as astronomical, who cannot bear children at all. And who would rather give a child the life its birth mother cannot give it than see that child's life taken away from it before it even has a chance to life that life.

When a woman aborts, no matter how hard the decision may be, she is choosing to...as horrible as this may sound (it gives me chills to write this)... play God. And she is also choosing... (forgive me)..."the easy way out".

However...

Okay, now stepping down from my soapbox.

The main point that I think Focus On The Family is trying to make is not that abortion is wrong and that every woman who terminates her pregnancy is going to hell. Not at all. I believe they are telling their side of the story. They are telling a story of hope and purpose in which they feature a mom and her son who just happens to be making an impact on the world around him.

I don't think they are condemning anyone. I think they are shedding light on a not-so-often thought about result to choosing life. A result that gives a child the opportunity to live and affect those around him in a positive way.

They are allowing women who find themselves in this position, and may be alone in their circumstances, to consider ALL the options. Either way, with any option a woman chooses, she will have to life with that choice for the rest of her life.

So, I say, stop crying mistreatment and chauvinism and let everyone have their voice. A lot of people have died for that voice.

Let it be heard.

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