Comprende?

Patty and I were discussing the issues entrenched in the abortion controversy. She made the observation that “We have lost genuine regard for other Human Beings …Could it be that is why real changes can’t occur?

My wife and I have 5 grown children, and we have 6 grandchildren.

So, we apparently believe in babies.

God blessed us with everything we needed in the material world, providing the necessary income and support. Importantly, my Union contract provided the “cadillac” of health care plans. More importantly, Grandma and Grandpa Hogg gave much needed support, and the Henderson Grandparents were always delighted in babysitting.

So, we also believe in family.

Patty was in danger of losing her life during one pregnancy, bleeding from placenta previa. However, between Dr. Rayhill’s loving and competent care, the diligence of the hospital’s staff, and our God and Savior Jesus of Nazareth, all turned out well. (They all worked together from my perspective.) Dr. Rayhill was not about to choose between the two — mother or child — rather choosing to wait as long as possible to give the baby the best chance at life without losing his mother.

So, we also believe in the expanded family of Mankind.

We also believe in the Social Sciences, Science — verifiable facts, and solving problems. We believe as individuals, as family, as Humanity, as a Society, and as children of the loving God of the Bible.

Recently I posted a brief essay on the topic and cited a research paper by the Guttmacher Institute searching for the reasons women choose abortion. It was a rather lengthy study and technically difficult for me to understand the standard practices utilized. (For people like myself who have never done a research project to that depth and breadth, that ignorance is just a simple fact.) Besides my shortcomings, the realities uncovered in the research were easily understood. The discussion of their findings were also direct and reasonable.

Any person who has the slightest bit of empathy or sympathy or compassion for their neighbors will open their hearts and minds to the real situations in life and the difficult decisions and the choices confronting any woman’s pregnancy.

So, we believe in compassion.

Maternal deaths are less than 1% in this country (cdc.gov). However, there are many other health complications: “The number of pregnant women affected by chronic diseases such as epilepsy, hypertension and thyroid disease is rising, and in [one study] 15 % of all pregnant women had a chronic disease in 2016. Chronic disease increase the risk of complications during pregnancy such as preterm birth and caesarian section, while children born of mothers with chronic disease have an increased risk of low birthweight, prematurity and birth effects. Moreover, pregnant women with chronic disease have an increased risk of post-natal depression and report higher rates of anxiety during pregnancy…” See, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03511508

So we believe in reality.

Thus, pregnancy is not a cake walk, and any man who has been in the hospital room with the mother — whether a birthing room or a surgical room — knows that for the mother, it is no “walk in the park.” Besides all that, if we men were the ones getting pregnant, we would have a much better perspective and a very different attitude on this subject. Truth?

So, we also believe “everybody needs a little help sometimes.” (Shannon Noll)

It seems to be something completely foreign to some people to seriously ponder these difficulties and for those who insist on parading their hostilities without hesitation and thereby making the situation worse. (ponder — def. — “to weigh in the mind; to think about : reflect on” and “hostility — def, — “deep-seated usually mutual ill will” — both definitions fromMerriam Webster)

So, we also believe in introspection, stability, and peaceful accord.

A part of the Guttmacher Study was the conclusions from their research. One paragraph reads, “In contrast to the perception (voiced by politicians and laypeople across the ideological spectrum) that women who choose abortion for reasons other than rape, incest and life endangerment do so for ‘convenience,’ our data suggest that after carefully assessing their individual situations, women base their decisions largely on their ability to maintain economic stability and to care for the children they already have.” That seems more warmhearted to me over the more dispassionate approach many publicly display. Of course, neither side has political absolution. Neither side is pure as the new day sun.

So, we also believe in respect.

Rights to life include mothers’ rights to life, childrens’ rights to life, adults’ rights to life, the elderly rights to life. When the passion stops and the lifelong caring stops at some arbitrary point, how can one side be called “pro life?” When responsibility stops at another arbitrary point of the right to have control over one’s body regarding sexual encounters …well …Choice has consequences.

Rights should always be accompanied by responsibilities. Actions have reactions, but none more important than the consequential result of pregnancy.

So we believe freedom is not always free.

All issues have solutions. However, we will never arrive at them if we stubbornly choose to butt heads. Rather we ought to be breaking bread together — which is “a way of describing a shared meal. If a person eats alone, he does not need to break the bread,” (This reference is from the Greek and Hebrew understanding of Bible words found at https://www.compellingtruth.org/breaking-of-bread.html)

So, we believe in reaching out, not turning our backs.

Biblically, then, “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, NIV), and “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6;22–23, ibid). Consider too that the Greek suggests “…if you are clear eyed…” you will see things clearly, but if your eyes are heavy, you won’t be truly awake and aware and able to see the whole picture.)

So we also believe in Jesus and the words of the Bible.

Jesus gave sight to the blind. It would do the world good to realize that.

So we believe in understanding exactly what Jesus was telling all of us.

Patty continued saying, “Perhaps what is necessary for real change is honesty asking ourselves, ‘Do we genuinely have regard for all human life — in whatever state or condition they are in?’ Is our priority attention and regard for things that really do not help or change lives?”

That made me think that for the most part we live within a small circle and only occasionally look outside of it. We barely even look at ourselves! We seem truly concerned enough and love deeply the people in our circles. It seems to me that God wants us to look harder, look wider, and look higher.

We believe all life matters to God, because He created all of Humanity.

We believe everyone should read what Jesus said two thousand years ago.

We believe everyone should and desperately need to seek Jesus’ personal presence in their personal lives.