Do Statistics Lie?

In the much anticipated political forum with Pastor Rick Warren, John McCain and Barack Obama, one of the most interesting questions was one related to abortion.

When asked when a baby gets human rights, Obama seemed to side step the issue by saying it "was above his pay grade". He went on to add that "abortions have not gone down over the last eight years".

Unfortunately, the statistics don't back this statement up according to an article published by Kathleen Doheny of US News.

Is abortion a critical issue for men and women of faith, particularly those in the Christian Church. As Obama said, it is a moral issue. I believe it is very critical. Does life begin at conception? Does it begin at birth? Where do we find the answers to such questions. I believe we can find them in God's word.

Certainly abortion is not the only major issue for those of the church, but it is one of the most important. If we can kill (abort) un-born children who are not wanted, then there is little to stop us from using the same logic in killing the handicapped, those in comas, those who are old, those battling cancer...or (as in some countries) those children who are not male....

As a father of three, I love my three daughters. As much as I love them, God loves them even more. The Bible teaches me that they are each a special gift from God, not an inconvenience to my regular routine and schedule. They are each made in the image of God with dignity and worth as a human. They are each one also sinners from birth who are in need of a Savior to rescue them from their sins. I have a responsibility to teach them, train them, discipline them, love them and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This began as I prayed for them before my wife and I ever conceived. It continued as they were being formed in the womb and will remain until God calls them home.

If we as a church truly believe in the sanctity of human life we must seek to preserve it from the womb to the grave...and also seek to rescue those born into this world by directing them to the One who came to bring life and to bring it more abundantly.