Funny that such a rough road could lead me to a terrific pro-life resource.
I’d seen a passing slur from a pro-abortion site, badmouthing a new video that (we were told) was all about men trying to “control women.” I had meant to look it up but did not. Today I saw an allusion to “The Apology” on the Catholic News Agency website.
It’s only a little over four minutes long…and wow!
Every time NRL News Today writes about men and abortion, we say we don’t talk enough about the oft-times critical role of men in whether or not a woman takes the life of their unborn child. One of my resolutions for 2015 is that we don’t make that oversight.
“The Apology” is built around the abortion experiences of three men all of whom are now Christian believers from different faith backgrounds, one of whom is a pastor. So, point number one: the Christian community—or any faith community—has to deal with members of their flocks on this issue because some/many may have been part of an abortion.
The men say, “I had [x number] of abortions.” To the pro-abortion mind this is just men trying to control the women in their lives after the fact, so determined to control them they actual say they had an abortion.
But it’s not. The three are confessing, not “bragging” or trying to put a guilt trip on anyone. They are confronting, head-on, what they were a party to. That just as these women did not become pregnant on their own, in a real sense they did not have the abortion alone: the men have failed them by failing to support a decision for life.
Speaking of (and to) his child, one man put it this way: “I should have manned up and should have fought for you…but I didn’t….I didn’t.”
Another said when his girlfriend became pregnant he adopted a “passive/aggressive stance—I was neither here nor there, so I never even fought for the opportunity to save the child.”
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The pastor says, “I conceded to an abortion. And even as a pastor, that decision still haunts me today. What would that child look like? Would it be boy? Would it be a girl? Their first steps, saying ‘daddy,’ watching them grow – but those are just dreams, and dreams which often leave me heartbroken.”
The video is filled with “I’m sorry for” or “I’m sorry that” remarks. For example, “If you have had an abortion, I am so sorry. I am sorry for not taking a greater stand in this area. Someone should’ve been there to rescue you,” one man said.
None put blame on the women, all are reflections of where the men fell so terribly short.
But then “The Apology” turns a corner. They have reason to hope that today’s generation will not make the mistakes they did.
“As someone who had been on both sides, I am telling you keep contending for life,” one man said. “That is my hope – it is my hope to see a generation who will stand up and say ‘no more.’”
Since this video is by and about Christians, its answers to dealing with guilt and remorse and regret are rooted in God’s forgiveness and mercy. The pastor eloquently ends by talking of the need for repentance and confession which can and will lead to a cleansing.
Take 4 minutes and four seconds of your time and watch “The Apology”
LifeNews.com Note: Dave Andrusko is the editor of National Right to Life News and an author and editor of several books on abortion topics. This post originally appeared at National Right to Life News Today.
