Rick Whitlow
THE CASE FOR LIFE
August 30, 2015
Today we are going to discuss THE CASE FOR LIFE. The Case for life is actually a matter
of life or death. And each of us gets to make a life or death decision. In making that
statement I just made a truth claim: that the issue I want to discuss could involve someone
dying.
That should get most people’s attention. Each of us could decide if someone else lives or
dies. And if I have that kind of power, then it would only make sense that I know all of the
facts regarding that decision. And weigh them carefully.
Our constitution directs us to do that. It tells us that we, as human beings, are all created
equal, and are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That phrase should sound familiar. And notice that
the right to life comes first. Everyone is entitled to live, be free and pursue being happy.
I. Reasons to Celebrate Life
As a culture we put a very high value on life. We celebrate life. And we want to enjoy life as
fully as possible. We celebrate birth. It’s new life. We celebrate parenthood on days like
Mother’s and Father’s day. Here is a video that celebrates parenthood; mothering in
particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYukEAmoMCQ. But Dads, don’t feel bad.
There is a similar video for what Dads say. It’s much shorter. The lyrics are “Ask your mom.”
We really do celebrate life. And God also celebrates life. Because A. God celebrates
having us as His Children, and for one simple reason – He created us in His image. He
loves us and celebrates us because of who we are – not because of what we do. In fact, it’s
the DO’ing part that gets us into trouble. We chose to do things that violate God’s laws that
He has put into place for our protection. And doing that has terrible consequences for each
of us. We die spiritually. And we can’t undo that. But…here’s the good news:
B. Jesus can undo what we have done when we break God’s Laws for Life. Our spiritual
lives are restored. We use the term “born again” to express this new life that each of us can
experience. And that is certainly great cause for celebration! It’s the GOOD NEWS about
life from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. It all centers in God giving us new life.
But in our culture, there seems to be one form of new life that isn’t celebrated. Instead it’s
rejected, and often discarded. It’s the child in an unplanned pregnancy. For some, it’s an
uncomfortable subject. So, let me give you an uncomfortable statistic. The most recent
numbers I have for California indicate there were 325k live births in a year. But the number
of abortions were more than ½ that (183k). Nationwide there are about 1.3 million each year.
That’s double the next highest cause of death. And there have been over 55 million
abortions since it became legal in the US.
Many Christians believe abortion is wrong. Others are unsure, or would just like to avoid the
subject altogether. And most of us, if we are honest, don’t feel comfortable discussing it with
anyone. Even if we feel it is wrong, we don’t want to have to defend what we believe.
Primarily because we can’t. We only have feelings, not facts to support our position. And we
certainly don’t want to be labeled controlling or intolerant.
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For many years that was the position I was in. I would have told you, “Personally, I would
never be involved in an abortion. But I can’t say what’s right or wrong for anyone else.”
That seems pretty diplomatic, and even broad-minded, doesn’t it? But a wise friend
challenged my thinking to the core. He restated my position this way, “Personally, I would
never own a slave. But I can’t say what other people should or shouldn’t do.” “Personally I
would never kill a Jew, but I can’t say what’s right or wrong for Adolph Hitler to do.” His
challenge literally made me feel ill.
Here’s why: because I know Jews and slaves are people. And deserve to live and be free.
The way I’d been thinking all that time was flawed. The only way my tolerant and openminded thinking made sense is if babies are not human before they are born. But I was
personally opposed because I knew they are human persons.
So, here’s what I’d like to do this morning. If your position on the abortion issue is that you
are “pro-life,” but uncomfortable explaining why, then you should leave here feeling very
comfortable defending your position, and even speaking up for the life of the pre-born. If you
are pro-choice, then I would respectfully like to challenge you to listen to my arguments
opposing that position. I used to think like you do, and I found these arguments to be very
convincing.
II. The Case for Life
It’s true that the abortion issue is a difficult one. However, despite what you have heard, it
is not a complex one. (slide: (A) Abortion is not a Complex Issue. There is really one
simple question that must be answered to resolve if Abortion is right or wrong. There is no
question that an abortion removes something that is alive from the mother. (B) The
question that must be answered is, “what is it?”
The Supreme Court refused to answer this question in their famous Roe v. Wade decision.
They said the experts couldn’t decide, so neither will we. But legalizing abortion at that point
makes no sense. Suppose you are at a demolition site, about to bring a large building down.
The charges are set. You have the device to detonate the explosives in your hand. What
would you do if someone said, “We don’t know if there is anyone in there or not.”? (VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkIMTKemdh8 from :14 to :24 seconds). Set it off, or
wait to find out if there was someone in there?
I am not going to use graphic pictures, although I think there is a place for that. I am simply
going to spend a little time giving you a biblical basis for the pro-life position, and then a
simple approach that uses basic scientific facts and reasoning to answer the “what is it?”
question. Because if it’s not human – if it’s not a person, then we don’t need to justify
abortion. Do what ever you want. But if it is a person, then we can’t justify killing an
innocent human being. See? It really is simple - once we answer what it is.
As a matter of fact, every argument in support of abortion does one basic thing – it assumes
the pre-born are not human. Let me explain. How often have we heard that abortion should
be legal because the mother is too young, or a baby would be inconvenient at this point in
the parent’s life, or it would be neglected, or that the parents can’t afford another child? That
sounds very logical and compassionate, doesn’t it? But we don’t kill the homeless, or
toddlers just because they are unwanted, or inconvenient or expensive to take care of. Why?
Because every person in the US is constitutionally entitled to certain basic rights – the right to
LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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We know the homeless and toddlers are persons. So for the argument to make sense, we
could only rationally support aborting or killing someone before they are born if they are not
persons. So, (C) To justify abortion you must assume the pre-born are not humans.
But those that support abortion have never introduced any evidence to support that position.
They have never had to. And yet it is a legal procedure! The courts also got around it by
hiding behind a so-called right to privacy. But no one can legally kill a toddler, even if they do
it in private!
President Regan got it partly right when he said we are not sure what the pre-born are, so we
should give them the benefit of the doubt. I would have said Abortion should not be legal
until those that favor it PROVE they’re not human. But I am about to do more than that, and
demonstrate how easy it is to prove the pre-born ARE Human. I hope that sounds good. So
let’s get started.
First, God isn’t silent on this issue. Let’s look at a few of the many passages in God’s word
that demonstrate you are a person, and human from conception. And that…
III. GOD HAS BELIEVED IN YOU as a person FROM CONCEPTION
10You
guided my conception and formed me in the womb.
and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together.
11You
clothed me with skin
Job 10:10-11
13You
made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my
mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:13
(Both these passages show God is involved in making us who we are the moment we are
conceived)
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set
you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
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15 But
even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.
Galatians 1:15
(We begin being formed from the moment of conception. First, this tells us that God already
knew us at that very moment. He knows who we are because we are persons at that
moment. And it also says He sets us apart – He has a purpose for us before we are born.
Again, that confirms the pre-born are persons).
This is a prophecy regarding John the Baptist:
15 He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
(Only people can be filled with the Holy Spirit)
Luke 1:15b
Mary … greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her
womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, you're so
blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so
blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting
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entered my ears, the babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Luke 1:41-45
The babe jumped for joy. It had feelings and emotions. Clearly, these babies are persons.
But Abortionists like to call the pre-born “products of conception”. It sounds very medical,
and nothing at all like a person. So let’s re-read this passage that way and see how much
sense it makes.
Mary … greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the products of
conception in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,
You're so blessed among women, and the products of conception in your womb are also
blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of the products of conception (which I call
LORD) visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, the products of
conception in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
These are just a few examples, but it is clear that if you believe in God, and that the Bible is
His word, you can trust that He believes you were a person from the moment you were
conceived, and has been working in your life ever since.
Well, that may be well and good for believers,…
But (A) what about those that don’t believe? How would you go about demonstrating to
them that the pre-born are persons and entitled to the same protections the rest of us are?
Well, I want to teach you a technique I learned from Scott Klusendorf, a good friend of mine
who was once on the staff here at CVCHURCH. Scott travels the country debating with the
ACLU, Abortion Doctors and people from groups like Planned Parenthood, NOW and
NARAL. And he has never lost. In fact, they poll the audience and beforehand people are
split anywhere from 60/40 to 80/20 in favor of abortion rights. Afterwards, without fail, those
numbers reverse. So I am shamelessly cannibalizing from his book, “The Case for Life”(pic).
Let’s look at the facts: First, let me agree that the pre-born are different from those that are
born. And infants are different than toddlers, and toddlers different than teenagers and
teenagers are different than adults. But no one questions the humanity of any of these
groups, even though they are different. Because the ways they are different do not define
humanity or personhood. The same principles can be applied to the differences between the
pre-born and the rest of us.
There are just four material differences between us, and babies before they are born. And
none make you less than a person. So I want to give you a simple tool that will help you
remember what I’m about to say, and keep this from being “tough-sledding.”
(B) We use the acronym S.L.E.D. (on new line for each letter) “S” stands for SIZE. It’s
true that that we are bigger than the pre-born. And Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than almost
anyone.(http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/jimmyshaqsuit.jpg).
Fortunately that fact that we are smaller than he is does not give him greater rights to live
than the rest of us have. Size has nothing to do with whether or not you are a person. Now
let’s look at some pics of pre-born children. (pics of newborn, 6-8 ms., 3-5 ms, 6-8 weeks
here. I will talk about them in order). My 3-year-old nephew recognized them as babies. Why
can’t adults? And my nephew would call this last one a ball. You can see why. It doesn’t look
anything like us. But it is. Geneticists call it a blastula. It’s the very start of humanity! And
they would identify it as human. Just like any other human cell. Why? Because it has 46
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chromosomes, just like every other human being does. But it is unique from a skin sell or
any other cell. It’s unique because it has the ability to become an adult human. Just like a
new-born, a toddler, or a teenager. It just needs time, food, protection, love and care.
“L” stands for Level of development. It is true that the pre-born are less developed than
the rest of us. But children are less developed than adults. (pic of little girl & her mother).
A four year old girl’s reproductive system doesn’t function yet. But she is no less a human or
a person simply because she is not fully developed. Therefore Level of Development doesn’t
determine if one is a person.
“E” stands for Environment. It is true that the location of the pre-born is different that the
rest of us. But if I walk outside, or you walk into another room you do not cease being human.
Where you are has nothing to do with WHO you are. Likewise, an 8-inch journey down the
birth canal cannot change one’s humanity. And doesn’t it strike you as odd that a 6 month old
baby born prematurely is protected by the law, but the same 6 month old baby still inside its
mother’s womb can be killed for any reason or no reason? (comparison pics – of a preemie
and a 6 month old still in the womb) And our society is even more schizophrenic than that.
Do you recall the case of Scott Peterson – who killed his wife? She was pregnant with their
first child. Peterson was convicted of two counts of murder. Not one. You can’t murder a
clump of tissue. But you can murder a person. However, if his wife had wanted to abort their
son, that would have been legal. It seems the law considers it human if it’s wanted, but not
human if it isn’t. And that simply isn’t rational.
Last, “D” stands for Degree of dependency. Yes, the pre-born are very dependent upon
their mothers for survival. But so are young children. And older people on medications, or
dialysis machines, and those that have a pace maker are more dependent than others for
survival. An astronaut needs a space suit. A Scuba diver his air tank.(Show pics) Thankfully,
we cannot be killed just because we happen to be more dependent on something else, or
someone else for survival than most people.
All the differences one can come up with fit in one of these categories. Not one makes you
any less human. Even in the most difficult cases, such as rape and incest. Beyond the fact
that this category makes up less than 1% of all abortions, again, the argument assumes the
pre-born are not human. Show me any other case where we kill a person for the crimes of his
Father.
As I mentioned, Scott Klusendorf has never lost a debate using this line of reasoning. In one
debate his opponent was a University Professor. She sensed the support of the audience
had shifted to Scott. She was desperate, and a typical debate tactic is that if you can’t use
facts to win, then you personally attack your opponent, particularly if you can make them
appear intolerant. She suddenly said, “Mr. Klusendorf, are you a Christian?” Having nothing
to hide, he said he was. She continued, “Frankly, Mr. Klusendorf, I am tired of all of you in the
Religious Right, poking your nose into our personal business and violating our right to
privacy. I want you to stop telling me what to do, and forcing your narrow minded thinking on
us. You have no right to try to control me or tell me what to do with my body! Leave us alone
and stop forcing your morality on us!” Rather than demonstrating the pre-born are not
human, which is the issue, she reframed the argument to make him sound intolerant.
The crowd quickly swung back to her side. I love what Scott did next, and I wish I’d been
there to hear it. He said, “You just said that it would be morally wrong to force your morality
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on someone else. Correct?” She agreed. “With all due respect, you don’t believe what you
just said, and I will prove it to you!” The audience oohed and awed. She simply said, “That’s
not possible.” Then Scott said, “Alright, let’s assume the debate is over and you’re driving
home. As you pull into your driveway you notice your neighbor is violently beating his child,
and clearly the child’s life is in danger. Tell me, Ma’am, at that moment will you or will you
not force your personal morality into the situation and do something to protect the child?”
His opponent said nothing. “I’m sorry Ma’am but I didn’t hear your answer. Let me up the
ante then – just so it’s really clear. It’s not his child he’s assaulting, IT’S YOURS. Will you or
won’t you interject your moral position into the situation and protect the innocent child?!”
He then turned to the audience and simply said, “Men and women, that is what we who are
convinced the pre-born are persons must do. Speak up and stand in to protect the innocent
from being harmed when there are those that would try to hurt them. We must, because
every living person is entitled to the right to life, and to liberty and to the pursuit of
happiness.”
And men and women, every one of us here, can do that too. Simply by using what you’ve
heard to enter into the discussion and educate people who have never heard what you’ve
just heard. Up until now, they are only hearing how controlling and intolerant we are – but
you can see that we have a very strong argument to make. And we must speak up. Imagine
the outrage if ten 747’s crashed each day killing everyone aboard. Well, that’s about how
many people are killed in abortions each day in our country.
Let me summarize what we have discussed so far:
 The pro-life position makes a strong truth claim—that pre-born babies are persons, and it
is morally wrong to unjustly kill babies before they are born.
 While the abortion decision is difficult, it is not complex. Abortion kills something living.
The debate must answer the question regarding what it is that is being killed.
 Reducing the discussion to name calling—that we are intolerant, controlling and
insensitive does nothing to answer that one important question.
 All of the pro-choice arguments assume one thing—that the pre-born are not persons. But
the courts never required any evidence to prove this assumption.
 Those that are pro choice must prove that that the pre-born are not persons. We can
prove that they ARE persons.
 God says things like, “before I formed you I knew you…”, making it clear He knows us as
persons from the moment we are conceived.
 Scientific principles applied to fetal development can give us clear evidence that the preborn are persons from conception. From conception you had 46 chromosomes, which
defines a human being, and the ability to become a fully formed adult. All you needed was
enough time to get there.
 The pre-born differ from us in 4 just significant ways, and none of them define personhood:
 Size. Being bigger doe not grant one greater rights to life or protection.
 Level of development. Infants, toddlers, adolescents, and teens are all less developed
than adults. But all are entitled to the right to life.
 Environment: Where you are does not determine who you are.
 Degree of dependency. Depending on other things to live does not diminish your
humanity.
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Logically and scientifically we can make the case that the pre-born are persons entitled to the
right to life and to protection. And I expect that many of you now feel more comfortable and
confident discussing your personal beliefs about abortion.
But if I ended now, I would leave some very important things undone. You see, this is also a
heart issue. Joann and I are adoptive parents. Our daughter’s birth mother knew she
couldn’t take care of her, and almost aborted her. If she had, then we would not be parents,
or the grand parents of 3 wonderful kids. 4 invaluable people would be missing from our
lives. If they were here right now they would all say, “I’m glad I’m alive.” And given a choice,
they’d say, “I want to live!” But the pre-born can’t say that. So we have to say it for them.
I also know that some of us have an abortion in our past. And this discussion has made you
feel uncomfortable. I also know God’s heart about this. Jesus weeps for His children that
have been lost to abortions. And I know He weeps for anyone who believed the lies about
abortion, and was deceived into participating in an abortion. And, CVCHURCH exists to help
people heal, get whole, and experience God’s forgiveness and restoration. Remember
Moses, King David and The Apostle Paul? They all took lives of others unjustly. God
forgave them and did great things through them. We never want to leave anyone feeling
judged, hopeless, criticized or condemned. We can help you get through your feelings and
heal. So, I’d like you to hear from someone in our church who has been able to do just that.
(Betty) I would like to tell you my story of How God changed my Heart from Pro-choice to
Pro-Life. In my early twenties I got pregnant and decided to have an abortion. At the time I
thought I knew what I was doing. I felt I couldn't keep this baby financially and emotionally. I
decided to terminate the pregnancy. Over the years I would have crying times: I would be on
vacation and be very sad when I would think about the child I didn't have. As time passed I
open my heart to Jesus Christ. One day while I was sitting in church a lady speaker spoke
about pro-life like we are today. As I sat and listened I thought she was wrong because I had
an abortion in my past and I believed in Women's Rights and choices! I was so angry when I
walked out of that church that day. It was the beginning of the change that God did, because
of what she said and because I read God's words in the Bible.
My thinking towards
Abortion started to change. God changed my heart and I realized I WAS WRONG. So, I
chose PRO-LIFE. But that was just the start for me. I still needed to deal with what I had
done.
So, a few years ago I went through the Post Abortion Healing Seminar here at CVCHURCH.
It has brought me great healing for my wounded heart. It helped me overcome my feelings of
shame, condemnation, great sadness, overspending and many other insecurities. To be able
to share my story with you is an amazing miracle of God because for 20 years I couldn't talk
about it until I went through PAHS, the Post Abortion Healing Seminar. I would like to
recommend the seminar to anyone who wants to live in wholeness, healing and freedom and
forgiveness. (BETTY DISCUSSES CONNECTION CARD)
Or focus at CVCHURCH is always on life, recovery and restoration. We are all guilty of
breaking God’s laws, but here is the great news from Romans 8:1 Therefore there is NOW
NO CONDEMNATION for those in Christ Jesus! He doesn’t condemn you. We don’t
either. And here is the theme Bible passage for PAHS. Let’s read this together as our
closing prayer:
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Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great
compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me
from my sin.3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you,
and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.[a]
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For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
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But you desire honesty from the womb,[b] teaching me wisdom even there.
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Purify me from my sins,[c] and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than
snow.
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Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice.
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Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.10 Create in me a clean
heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.11 Do not banish me from your
presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.
salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
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Restore to me the joy of your
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God
who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that
my mouth may praise you.16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You
do not want a burnt offering.17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not
reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalm 51
You don’t need an excuse for what you’ve done, you need an exchange. Jesus Christ’s
righteousness for our sin, guilt & shame! Just tell him right now that you want to make that
exchange. Maybe you just have questions about what you’ve heard. Regardless, we want to
help. I’ve asked some men and women to be available right after service if you would like to
talk with someone further. They understand, and they have been through what you’re feeling
right now and can help you; what ever it is that you’d like to talk about. I will stay to answer
questions, too. Now, thanks for listening, and please, go out and “Make the Case for LIFE!”
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