The Serpent's Whisper
It's not natural for women to kill their preborn children through abortion. Yet, difficult circumstances often cause us to listen to other voices rather than our own hearts.
The inestimable value of human life is a basic tenet of the Christian Worldview. Once you recognize that all human life exists to represent the image of God on earth (Genesis 1:27), the tragedy of abortion takes on new proportions. However, for many women who experience an undesired pregnancy, the concept of human life as sacred rings hollow, offering little tangible support for those considering choices in an abortion-friendly culture. The value of that tiny life growing in a woman's womb loses distinction amidst her own needs and circumstances. God’s universal message declaring His likeness in humanity is crowded out by other voices around her: family, boyfriend, job or school. If you listen closely to these voices, you may recognize an ageless and familiar utterance articulated in the quietness of a whisper.
A biblical account of this whispering voice is found in Genesis when another woman’s ear was tickled by a message contrary to God's. Her name was Eve, and her encounter with a wily serpent and subsequent choice to disregard God’s instruction altered the course of human history.
The opening verse in Genesis chapter 3 recounts the story: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" You can almost hear the serpent whispering in an enticing tone: "Did God really say…?" The whisper challenged what Eve knew to be true, as is often the case with pregnant women considering abortion. As women, we know intuitively that it's not natural for us to kill our children. The very act of abortion disconnects us from our instinct to protect — not destroy — our young. If we listen to our intuition and the truth that is written on our hearts, we know that abortion is not our first choice. Circumstances may appear to make it our only choice; however, to do so violates who we are as women and mothers. Abortion is contrary to what we know to be true.
Like Eve before us, we consider the serpent's whisper and the unthinkable acceptance of abortion that it promotes. The serpent offered Eve half-truths that paved the way to justify disobeying God. Once she realized the heartbreak that resulted from her choice, Eve confessed what she failed to see at the time of her decision: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
The bitter fruit of abortion leaves more than an unpleasant aftertaste with those who eat it. Complications with future pregnancies, substance abuse and deep emotional regret represent only a few of the unintended consequences awaiting us when we are deceived by the serpent's whisper. Women whose ears are open to this murmuring soft voice need tangible support to counter its appeal — support that is available through a network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers across the nation. The voice of truth will always silence the lies, if only we will listen.
Carrie Gordon Earll is the Senior Policy Analyst for Bioethics at Focus on the Family. She experienced an abortion in 1981.
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