Amy Welborn is a columnist for Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic News Service and a regular contributor to the Living Faith quarterly devotional. You may purchase her books in our online store, by clicking here.
Hey teens, why should you even care about Roe v. Wade? Is there a reason that you should concern yourself for even one second with the fact that as of yesterday, abortion’s been legal in this country for twenty-nine years now? What does it have to do with you, anyway?
Well, if you’ve been or known someone who’s been pregnant and wondered what to do about it, of course it has a lot to do with you.
But even you’ve been untouched by an unexpected pregnancy, legal abortion is something you should care about.
In a way, abortion is sort of like any “issue” out there that seems distant, but really isn’t.
There are starving and malnourished kids all around the globe, from millions dead in North Korea just over the past few years to victims of famine and war in Africa.
Should you care?
Even though they don’t make the front page of the newspaper very often, wars beyond those involving the United States still exist, and their victims still suffer.
Should you care?
Right in your town, there are children and young people in hospital beds, fighting terminal illnesses. There are the walking wounded, victims of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
Even though it’s never touched you personally, is there a reason you should care?
Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink?
Sound familiar?
Does that maybe answer our question about caring?
The fact is, if you say you’re a Christian, what you’re saying is that you operate on a different kind of moral plane than the one the world calls you to.
If you say you’re a Christian, you’re admitting the strange and wonderful fact that everyone on the planet is related to you, and that everyone’s pain is your concern.
Sure, you have to pick your battles. Not any one of us can give time, energy and prayer to every one of the world’s problems and every aspect of human suffering.
But we can’t shut all of them out, either.
So there’s your answer to that first question up there at the top of this column.
Why should you care?
Because when you talk about abortion, you’re not talking about numbers and vague statistics, and you’re not even talking about something called “choice.”
You’re talking about real, live people.
You’re talking about women and girls, deeply loved by the same God who loves you, who find themselves in terribly difficult situations, who toss and turn at night, feeling scared, unsupported, alone and trapped.
You’re talking about those same women and girls who are sorely tempted to fix their problem by resorting to violence.
And you’re talking about the victims of that violence. Real little kids, living at peace inside their moms, growing at an amazing rate, hearts beating strongly, full of potential, and — get this — tiny little children loved by God.
It happens all around you. In your town, in your neighborhood, and in your school.
So sure, you should care. Why?
I guess because Jesus does. Shouldn’t that be good enough for any of us?
…whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!
