Focus on Life: Vision for an Abortion-Free America

A heavy snowfall can be blinding for a driver even at low speeds. A vehicle will drift wherever the driver's eyes are focused. If focusing on on-coming traffic, a vehicle can drift into the other lane. The only place to focus during a blizzard is the reflective white line just in front of the right tire to keep the vehicle on the road going in the desired direction.

Like that snowstorm, many politicians get lost in the blinding battle over preborn babies. Many may have genuinely started on a journey of wanting to end abortion. But after years of focusing on what the other side was doing, they can now quote the other side’s arguments better than their own. They can tell you how awful the other camp has become more than what they are doing about it. Able to articulate what is downstream from public opinion, they've lost vision of changing public opinion. In ministry, we call that mission creep.

To prevent mission creep, we must focus on where we are going. What is our vision. Where are our eyes focused. How is what we are doing today getting us closer to that vision. What is it we are doing right in front of us. It’s not enough to just want a desired outcome; we engage in actions that will result in the desired outcome. If focused on traffic going in the other direction, we risk collision, spinning off course, or getting stuck.

To guard against mission creep, we keep reminded of our vision. And we examine the steps the Lord is calling us to make to get there. Afterall, His Word is a lamp unto our feet just like the headlight of a car shining on the white line in front of our right tire. As the body of Christ, we are each called to "rescue those being dragged to slaughter" and "speak for those who cannot speak for themselves". We are commanded to have just laws that are fair for victims and hold perpetrators accountable. We are commanded, "thou shalt not murder." We are called to true religion which is to help widows and orphans in distress. We are called to love God with all we are and love our (born and preborn) neighbor as ourselves, treating others (born and preborn) like we want to be treated.

An abortion-free America is one where all children and mothers are protected from the devastation and deaths of abortion. A society where parents are expected to care for all their children beginning in the womb. A civilization where the medical profession works to preserve all lives instead of intentionally destroying them. A nation where drugs intended to kill human beings are illegal to manufacture, transport, sell, possess, or ingest. A community where businesses profiting from the mutilation and deaths of children at any stage go out-of-business.

Because it will be illegal to intentionally mutilate or kill any child – including children in the womb – mothers will know it is illegal and will be much less likely to be deceived, coerced, or inclined to kill their babies. Because it will be illegal for any adult to kill a child at any stage, women and men will think again about the activities they engage in that could result in the creation of a child. Women may think about the natural outcome of pregnancy and men may think about child support.

When abortion is no longer an option, pregnant mothers will look for other options. If it would create a crisis to become pregnant - and abortion cannot be a back-up plan – women may not give their bodies to men until they are ready to become a parent. For those who do, pregnancy care centers will be needed more than ever.

When abortion is off-the-table, there may not be such a shortage of babies to adopt in the United States. With a potential for more babies available to adopt, it may become more affordable for adoptive families.

Infertility caused by abortifacients can decrease the need for fertility treatments. Renting or selling body parts through surrogacy and sperm donations could end, preventing the deaths of newly alive human beings in the process.

When facing storms along the way to an abortion-free America, we can focus on what is right in front of us. We can focus on the lighted path that Scripture gives us. We can focus on what we can do in this moment in faithful obedience.

During a snowstorm of misinformation swirling about the abortion issue, we can focus on what is true and hold out truth so others can find it. And if we find ourselves turned around, we can repent and go in the other direction toward perfect Light, Life, and Love, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. We can ask God to give us the faith to know that with Him all things are possible. We can ask God to forgive us for simply not caring enough to do anything about the child who will die tomorrow. And the sixty-six children dying every day in Colorado. We can do as Scripture tells us to make sure we keep going toward the destination where all children are protected and valued by those of us who are already born.

“Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Make a level path for your feet,

and all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:23 -27, NIV)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, …. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)

Faye Barnhart is a Life Affirming Specialist and Co-Founder of the Colorado Life Initiative. She was a women’s advocate for 19 years, served four pregnancy care centers in two states, including CEO of the largest pregnancy care center in the United States geographically. A prelaw student who interned at the state Capitol and in media, she graduated with honors and pursued master's work in Organizational Leadership and a career in Communications for international ministries. She began in the prolife cause in the 1980’s, raised her children as a single parent, and is now married with an adopted special needs son and enjoys each of her grandchildren, including a grandbaby who needed life-saving surgery at birth. She accepted Christ as her personal Savior and Lord as a small child.