By: Canon Georgette Forney

When you hear or read the word abortion, what comes to mind? 

Do you immediately think Democrat or Republican party platforms? Does your imagination center on the words of Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” 

How about the ACNA’s Title II, Canon 8, Sections 3 and 4 that read; 

• Section 3 – God, and not man, is the creator of human life. The unjustified taking of life is sinful. Therefore, from conception to natural death all members and Clergy are called to protect and respect the sanctity of every human life. 
• Section 4 – The Church is called upon to show Christ-like compassion to those who have fallen into sin, encouraging them to repent and receive forgiveness, and offering the ministry of healing to all who suffer physically, or emotionally as a result of such sin. 

Does the word abortion bring back memories of a friend or family member that had one years ago? Does it cause you to think about the child missing from your family portrait? 

Have you noticed how often we don’t use the word abortion, but instead rely on euphemisms like “reproductive freedom” or “reproductive rights” when we are actually discussing abortion? 

These two phrases have been especially embraced and used by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign during this election season, and if you watch any of her television commercials, both “reproductive freedom” and “reproductive rights” are touted as sacred values that everyone should be concerned about protecting. 

As Americans, we recognize that every freedom and right we enjoy in this country is rooted and established in our founding documents, such as the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. The brave members of the U.S. Military, since our nation began, have fought to ensure our freedoms (religion, speech, press) remain intact. 

But why are these two phrases referring to freedom and rights so popular with the pro-abortion community? 

For many people, when they hear the word abortion, it can trigger a visceral response. Is it because of what abortion is and does to a vulnerable, unborn baby that is growing within the safety of his or her mother’s womb? Abortion is a heinous action and while folks support it, the majority seem to prefer using other words in referring to it. 

When we use euphemisms like “reproductive freedom” or “reproductive rights,” we are allowing the awfulness of abortion to be glossed over and substituted with positive, good words like freedoms and rights. “Exercising my reproductive right” sounds much nicer than, “I chose to abort my baby.” 

This, once again, reminds us of the importance of words. When we use the wrong words to describe a despicable action, people can be fooled into thinking they support something good, when in reality if you support “reproductive freedom” and “reproductive rights,” you are supporting the dismemberment or poisoning of an unborn baby in the safety of the womb. 

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s word teaches us to affirm, protect and honor the sacredness of life. Acknowledging the value of life requires us to also recognize that anything that threatens an innocent life is evil. Abortion destroys a life with great potential, not a potential life! 

The value of human life is based in our creation by God and in our redemption through Jesus. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Our lives have value not because they are ours, but because they are His! For this reason, we must live our lives giving glory to God and living in His statues and honoring the gift that life is. In this way, Scripture contradicts the “my body, my choice” and “reproductive freedom and rights” slogans. 

Because our lives have value in Him, we as His people are called to protect and honor all life. The clearest evidence of this is in the commandment, “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) But even earlier, in the book of Genesis, God declares that the spilling of man’s blood is inherently wrong, due to our status as God’s beloved creation: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” (Genesis 9:6) 

Society, in general, believes that murder is wrong. However, Scriptures show that “valuing” life goes beyond avoiding the act of killing. Honoring the sacredness of life means serving those in need and sharing the love of God. Christ demonstrates how we should do this: “For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in…Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” (Matthew 25:41-45) 

Being a Life-Affirming Christian means more than opposing death— it means serving those who are hurting, lonely, and broken. It means caring for the “least of these,”— the unborn, the homeless, the single mothers, the elderly, and the handicapped. Because our lives are valuable to God, so theirs must be to us. 

Valuing life also means that we speak honestly with one another about the Sanctity of Life. This is especially important in this election season when euphemisms, misinformation, and outright lies are being left unchecked or incorrectly fact checked. 

Here at Anglicans For Life, we have decided to intentionally highlight the truth behind this election season’s favorite phrases, “reproductive freedom” and “reproductive rights.” We are featuring women’s testimonies from the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, that AFL is co-sponsor of, with ‘“reproductive freedom” and “reproductive rights” slogans in special videos that challenge the definition of these phrases. The goal is to help people see past the nice euphemisms to the reality of what abortion is and does, not only to the baby, but also to the woman involved. 

We encourage you to use the QR code below to access the videos and share them on your social media. 

We have also come up with a number of statements and questions that you can use on social media, that clarify what is meant when “reproductive freedom” and “reproductive rights” are used. You can find these on the right side of this page and the previous page. 

For example, reproductive freedom for a woman equals the death penalty for an unborn baby. 

My prayer is that as people read these statements, they will be challenged to think independently about the real meaning of the words and the truths being stated. My fear is that as long as abortion is available and legal, women will keep buying the lie that we are simply exercising our freedoms and rights. We have to help both the women who seek an abortion and also those supporting abortion to realize the words are a lie and killing our children is never the right thing to do. 

The next time you hear or read the euphemisms “reproductive freedom” or “reproductive rights,” I encourage you to ask for clarification. “You mean abortion and the dismemberment of innocent little babies who can feel pain by 14 weeks?”