Iowa, Abortion, and the Fundamental Right of Women

Sasha Ingber reports (NPR),

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bills into law on Friday.

The so-called “heartbeat” legislation bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions are made in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency.

She quote the dissenting perspective:

“This unconstitutional bill is nothing but a thinly veiled attack on Iowa women’s most basic rights and freedoms — every woman deserves the fundamental right to make decisions about her own body with her doctor,” Democratic National Committee women’s media director Elizabeth Renda said in a written statement.

Our U.S. Constitution recognizes natural rights for humanity, including all women. We have a fundamental right to make decisions about our body, whether male or female. Harm to another human limits this fundamental right since the human who would be harmed also has natural rights. If one thinks the baby in the womb is not yet human and therefore does not have natural rights, then say it. Say, “every woman deserves the fundamental right to make decisions about her own body with her doctor when pregnant because the fetus in the womb is not yet human.” Say it out loud. Assert the reason why you think pregnant women legitimately have the natural and fundamental right to decide to abort the baby in her womb.

Stating “every woman deserves the fundamental right to make decisions about her own body with her doctor” without referring to the baby in the womb misses the point of the debate and confuses the issue with a slogan.

God creates human life. Humans, born and unborn, pregnant and not pregnant, are made in his image. God gives them the gift of life and offers all humans the gift of eternal life received by trusting in Jesus Christ who died for sinners and rose from the dead.

In this bill, God is caring for unborn babies and their mothers who would be making a grave mistake in aborting their unborn babies. All Americans (and humans) should be thankful for God’s care in the legislation because it is fundamentally right.

[tweetthis]All Americans (and humans) should be thankful for God’s care in the legislation because it is fundamentally right.[/tweetthis]

Dear Non-Christian Friend, where can we find true freedom?

Some of you reject Christianity because you think it’s an ethical straightjacket that inhibits personal freedom. Who wants to believe and live by a book that is at least 1,923 years old in 3 languages no one speaks today? “It’s so outdated and primitive!”

Response: It is true that we trust and obey all that Jesus Christ says in all of the Bible rightly interpreted.

But we believe this is true freedom. The truth is that even you who aren’t Christian are enslaved to something. Whatever your highest value is becomes your functional master (Money, a friendship, political ideology, family, career, popularity, etc.). No one is truly “free” in a sense.

[tweetthis remove_twitter_handles=”true”]Whatever your highest value is becomes your functional master. No one is truly free in a sense.[/tweetthis]

The difference for the Christian is that our master dies for our sins and suffers the condemnation and curse we deserve so that we can be forgiven and restored to God and one another. Will your master do that?

Even one of your philosophers, Katy Perry, has sung:

Turn it up, it’s your favorite song
Dance, dance, dance to the distortion
Come on, turn it up, keep it on repeat
Stumbling around like a wasted zombie
Yeah, we think we’re free
Drink, this one is on me
We’re all chained to the rhythm