Benjamin Cremer
... X
11h • ©
Why I believe advocating for women's rights and seeking to reduce abortion do not contradict each other, but go hand in hand.
In today's cultural climate, few issues expose our polarized, binary thinking more than abortion. We are told we must either be "pro-life" or "pro-choice," as if the complexities of life, faith, justice, and care can be distilled into just two rigid boxes. As a public writer, this is one of the most common responses I receive daily on everything I write. So I wanted to address this here.
But what if that binary is deeply insufficient?
What if the way Christians think and talk about abortion actually says more about our commitment to power than our commitment to people?
The Bible doesn't allow us to stay in our binary thinking:
Scripture consistently portrays the unborn as sacred, not through legal definitions, but through relational, emotional, and theological ones. The pain of barrenness expressed by particular women in the Bible is a repeated theme of lament, and the joy of conception is seen as divine blessing:
"When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive..." (Genesis 29:31)
"When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive..." (Genesis 29:31)
"God gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 113:9)
"Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 'The Lord has done this for me, she said." (Luke 1:24-25)
The longing for children is deeply tied to hope, legacy, and divine faithfulness for many.
Christians rightly see this as sacred.
Yet the Bible does not treat the unborn identically to those already born when it comes to legality. In Exodus 21:22-25, if a pregnant woman is injured and the baby is lost, a fine is imposed, but if the woman herself is harmed, the punishment is "life for life." This passage, among the most direct legal statements on fetal harm, suggests the ancient world did not ascribe the same legal personhood to the unborn as to the mother. The command "you shall not murder" was not applied the same way to a miscarriage caused by a third party.
As a local Rabbi told me, it is precisely because of the Torah that even some of the most conservative sects of Judaism are pro choice politically today.
This doesn't mean unborn life is meaningless. It means the Bible recognizes complexity. It means the sacredness of life doesn't always equal simple legalism.
This doesn't mean unborn life is meaningless. It means the Bible recognizes complexity. It means the sacredness of life doesn't always equal simple legalism.
Consider Mary, the mother of Jesus as an example. A young, unmarried girl with no proof of her virginity, she easily could have been accused of sexual sin and punished severely.
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 mandated death for such cases. And yet... she was not dragged before the elders. She was not stoned.
Instead, Joseph was described as "a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace." (Matthew 1:19). Then an angel intervened. Even Zechariah, the priest and enforcer of the Law, chose compassion towards Mary rather than the letter of the law.
Mary's story reminds us: even when laws demanded retribution, God invited compassion.
How this relates to real-world Impact of extremism today:
Extreme abortion laws today do not reflect this kind of grace. They do not save lives, they put them at risk.
In Texas, Idaho, and other states, women are being denied care even in emergency situations.
Pregnancies with lethal complications have become traumatic ordeals where doctors fear prosecution for helping.
We must ask: is this really the goal?
Despite these bans, abortions increased in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute. If the goal is to reduce abortions, bans are clearly not the answer.
And let's look at the facts:
-7 in 10 women who have had abortions identify as Christian, according to Lifeway Research.
-Over half of women who seek abortions live below the poverty line, a rate that has doubled since the 1990s (Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy).
-Maternal mortality is rising: Idaho (where I live) saw a 121.5% increase between 2019 and 2022, and it ranks highest in the nation for postpartum depression.
The biggest predictors of abortion? Poverty, lack of healthcare, domestic abuse, and fear. If we truly want to reduce abortion, we must address these realities, not criminalize women. Also, notice how men's responsibility in creating a pregnancy is not focused on at all in most abortion laws? This is an intentional byproduct of an inherent negative bias towards women.
Jesus declared his mission was to bring "good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). Are we following his lead?
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