While browsing Facebook this week, I came across an article posted by a friend of mine. “When Is a Royal Baby a Fetus?” by Owen Strachan. Posted on the website, “The Atlantic,” this blog highlights the revelatory nature of language and the moral foundation inherent in humanity. To read the full blog post, click here. What I think that article does, and what I wish to do with this one, is provoke thought.
If you live on this planet and have access to the internet, or have friends who have access to the internet, you are probably aware of a new life added to the masses: Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son. I join the media in excitement over this event, and have followed some of the coverage myself. Maybe babies excite me because I’m female, but I rather think they excite us because we’re human. I also think that society has an insatiable appetite for other people’s business, but that’s a rant for a different day.
Isn’t it interesting that major, secular networks (The New York Times and The Washington Post for example) use the phrase “Royal Baby” in reference to the unborn child? While these secular organizations don’t claim to be Christian, or even pro-life, the seemingly innocent phrase “royal baby” points to the sanctity of human life and the inherent value of humans made in the image of God.
Why, for instance, do the headlines promote “royal baby” instead of “royal fetus.” For one, the latter sounds inhuman. Of course, it’s meant to. “Fetus” is meant to imply a “clump of cells” rather than a human being grows inside a woman’s body during gestation. The clump of cells doesn’t truly become a baby until birth. Personal note: humans are ALL clumps of cells, even after birth. Additionally, what is the definition of “birth?” Is it when the cord is cut, separating the child from the placenta? Is it when the child takes his first breath of air? Is it not until the child makes it out of the NICU in good health?
In his oft-cited book “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis writes,
A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line… Consequently, atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.
Solomon notes a similar phenomenon in Ecclesiastes when he writes that God has set eternity in the hearts of men (3:11). In this passage specifically, Solomon is highlighting the incomparable and unsearchable nature of God in all His complexities. Yet, each of us continues to search for meaning because God Himself has given us the yearning to. We ascribe meaning to life, that’s part of what it is to be human. We make sense of things, we have an inherent sense of morality. We know that this cruel and chaotic world is not right, it is crooked, it is not the way it’s supposed to be. To have this sense of dissonance, as C.S. Lewis notes, proves that we at least have an idea of resonance. The only way we can label a line crooked is by comparing it to a straight line.
But, I digress, back to babies. One of the foci of Vision of Hope’s ministry is unplanned pregnancy. While it is not as well-known as our other ministers, VOH offers an adoption ministry. The adoption ministry at VOH works by matching women with potential adoptive families, as well as offering counseling for both the mother and the adoptive families from the initial contact all the way through adoption. Vision of Hope believes that every unborn child is a gift from God, and is just as human inside the womb as outside.
In this sense, no one is “going to have a baby.” You either have one, or you don’t. The Pro-life/Pro-choice debate is a sticky one, but that’s not an excuse for thinking about it and talking about it. It is important to do your own research, study the scriptures, and talk to trusted, wise friends to develop your beliefs and stance on the issue. You never know if/when God will give you the opportunity to minster to someone and point them to Christ by speaking with them about adoption vs. abortion.
The Adoption Ministry at Vision of Hope supports a wide range of choices for each adoption and believes that each situation is as unique as the individuals involved. Adoptions coordinated through the Vision of Hope Adoption Ministry can be open, semi-open, or closed depending upon the preferences of both the birth mother and the adoption family.
If you are pregnant and considering adoption but you are not a Vision of Hope resident, please complete the Birthparent Information Forms and the Adoptive Couple Request. When mailing or faxing those documents back into the Vision of Hope office please also include a 1-3 page cover letter explaining your reasons for believing that adoption is your best option.
If you or someone you know is pregnant and confused about what to do, please call Vision of Hope at 765.447.5900, or email voh@vohlafayette.orgfor help.
