Imagine That!

Abortionists are, in more tragic ways than one, getting away with murder.

As I described this story on the blog: "Abortion will always be an extremely dangerous and dirty business - no matter how clean the facilities, how conscientious the employees, or how competent the doctor. But, of course, it is for the very reason that abortion is such a dangerous and dirty business, that it attracts the absolute worst the medical profession has to offer..."

And I finished the blog entry with this “point to ponder:”

…"Just imagine what it would be like if abortionists had to undergo the accountability that other physicians experience."

And, yes, I freely admit that I do imagine such things. For instance, I also imagine state officals finally passing legislation that protects women from such incompetent, uncaring clods. A nice beginning would be for state health officials to enforce the health and safety rules against abortuaries that are usually in place already! I imagine these places being visited by officials requiring a strice adherence to building codes, OSHA standards and the Americans with Disability Act requirements which, as you can guess, rarely happens. But I can still imagine. So sometimes I imagine the police intervening when abortionists hinder a pro-lifer’s freedom of speech by means of physical harassment or water sprinklers. I imagine abortionists being as carefully scrutinized by the IRS as are small businesses. And I imagine trial lawyers finally going after abortionists with even half the zeal used when they go after other “cash cows” like insurance companies, car manufacturers, or restaurant chains.

Oh yeah; I’ve got quite an imagination.

And, in certain well-lit moments of my day, I can truly (if only momentarily) imagine the world running right. If it did, all the above items would be but regular practice. But I’m not done imagining just yet. Want to join in for a few moments?

* Can you imagine with me Planned Parenthood being denied your tax dollars? Or even an occasional “60 Minutes” or “Dateline” program examining Planned Parenthood’s continual posing as a a charity even when they make (citing 2002-2003 figures) $766.6 million annually? Or a New York Times expose' of Planned Parenthood’s distribution of the least effective condom (out of 24 evaluated by Consumer Reports in its February 2005 edition)? Or how about a congresswoman or civil rights leader de-crying the radical racism which motivated Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger?

* How about imagining doctors and pastors telling people the truth about the terribly mis-named birth control pill? The truth is that all such pills on the market are abortifacients, having a backup mechanism for when “breakthrough ovulation” occurs. That mechanism shrinks the endometrium of the uterine wall from a healthy 5 to 13 millimeters to 1.1 millimeter! That endometrium is where the oxygen and nutrients for the baby’s survival is “stocked.” Without such a safe, hospitable place in which to live for the next 9 months or so, the little guy or girl dies -- alone and unmourned. This is abortion. Can’t you just imagine the huge difference it would make if physicians made these scientific facts clear and if pastors emphasized these critical truths in their premarital counseling sessions?

* And then let’s imagine together the impact on the culture were Christians to turn up en masse for prayerful protests at abortion centers. Or if Christian pregnancy centers could expand their office hours and hotline phone services which would undoubtedly happen if more women volunteered their time. Or Christians establishing more biblical priorities in their finances so that there would be more generosity for “big ticket” pro-life educational efforts like billboards, television spots and events featuring famous spokespersons to draw in the crowds.

Getting the hang of it? You know, you’ll discover that once you start imagining, there’s almost no end. Here’s a few more of my favorites: More kids living chaste lifestyles… More hospitals and scientists refusing to participate in embryo-destructive research… More voices raised against euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide… More emphasis in the Church on the service of worship rather than on the worship service… More Bible study… More missionaries, especially those trained in medicine, agriculture and engineering…. More investment in the excellence of Christian education, including home schools… More light shed on the evils of evolutionary theory, of consumerism and of false religions… More devotion to biblical orthodoxy in word and in deed…

More prayer. More faith. More hope.

John Lennon, in his most famous song, imagined no heaven and no hell. He believed that by banishing thoughts of an afterlife, men might begin to make a better world in the here and now. John Lennon was completely wrong. As I presented in last month’s LifeSharer letter, the only genuine foundation for the greater flowering of beauty and truth in our present world comes from a joyful embrace of the all-too-real existence of the next. So, as believers in Christ whose inheritance includes the magnificent glories of heaven, let’s do the thing right. # 1) Go ahead and imagine, but always according to the Scripture’s revelation. # 2) Pray. # 3) Act. And # 4) Repeat the process until the Lord calls you to “higher” duties...

The above paragraphs were excerpted from last month's Vital Signs Ministries' LifeSharer letter. The full version can be read right here.