Abortion is not just an American issue. It is a worldwide human rights issue that should not be sponsored by the US.
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven from Mount Olivet, He charged his disciples with being His witnesses not just in their home region of Judea, but also in “Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). For Christians, this means spreading the gospel and sharing God’s love with people beyond our home country “to the end of the earth.”
The universal issue of abortion, befittingly, has been battled in other nations this year through three of our president’s decisions.
Early into his term, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of their support of China’s forced abortion and sterilization policies. He also reinstated the “Mexico City Policy,” which declares that the United States will not give federal funding to international nongovernmental agencies that perform or promote abortions. Then last week, the president expanded the Mexico City Policy to cover all foreign health assistance funding, totaling approximately $9 billion. The new policy is called “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance.”
Although most of America’s pro-life efforts have been focused on defunding Planned Parenthood and abolishing abortion here, these decisions remind us of the importance of fighting for the lives of people in foreign nations as well. Abortion is a worldwide problem. It is prevalent in China with their now “two child policy” and in countries like Iceland, where 100% of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted. Statisticians tell us that an estimated 1.45 billion babies have died worldwide since 1980. The world today consists of almost 7.5 billion people. That means abortion has taken the life of one baby for every five people alive today.
Jesus charged us not only with taking the Gospel into the whole world, but also specifically told us that part of “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (James 1:27b, NKJV). Jesus cares for the weakest beings. It does not matter whether the unborn child is in China, Iceland, the United States, or any other country. All human life begins at conception and is worthy of our protection. Fighting to end abortion overseas is part of Christ’s work to offer compassion, hope, and help to the needy.
Here is our chance to spread light and love to this whole dark world, not just this dark country. By preventing America’s foreign aid from paying for the destruction of the unborn, our leaders reaffirm the dignity of every person, a necessary precondition to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, what good is the belief that Jesus loves everyone, no matter their actions if we support killing the weakest of our neighbors?
So kudos to the Trump administration for remembering the people of other nations. While he may not have been everyone’s first choice for President, Trump so far has remembered his promise to protect the weakest in America and in the rest of the world.
About the guest blogger: Tiffany Rose is a Care Net summer intern and studies Media Communications at Union University in Tennessee. She is passionate about the right to life and the dignity of all human beings and enjoys serving children and families.
