Complimentary Story
As many of you know from reading my past articles in Wisconsin Christian News, my area of expertise is Bible prophecy, not abortion. So why did I decide to write about abortion in the first place? The catalyst took place in a hotel in Albany, Oregon. I was holding a weekend prophecy seminar nearby. During some free time in my hotel room, at the suggestion of a friend, I listened for the first time on my iPhone to an audio recording of Dianne Wagner sharing her story of having two abortions, as reported in Part 2 of this series. Immediately after Dianne spoke, her ministry partner, Antionette Duck, told her own story of being rescued when her own mother planned to abort her. Through the intervention of others, her mother chose life, and kept her baby. These two courageous women now work together in a ministry called “Mafgia” (a Hebrew word for “Intercessor”) that stresses the value of human life and reaches out to post-abortive women. After hearing their stories, I was deeply moved.
That same weekend, on a Saturday night in that same hotel room, I opened my laptop, went online, and searched the Internet for information about abortion. Clicking around, I unexpectedly stumbled upon a pro-life website showing some very graphic pictures of aborted fetuses. Should people view such pictures? The debate rages. As to their effect on me, honestly, I was so horrified by what I saw, I broke down and wept. Kneeling on my bed, I prayed a prayer I have never prayed before. “Dear God!” I stumbled through salty tears, “How can we humans do such horrible things? I’m ashamed to be a part of the human race! Get me out of here!”
I admit, it was an intense emotional reaction. But honestly, that’s how I felt, and still do. Here’s another tidbit of information. My wife Kristin and I are the parents of two precious children, Seth (age 10), and Abby (age 7). Like countless other moms and dads, we love our kids. No doubt you’ve heard the famous saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” It’s the truth. In Albany, Oregon, after looking at those pictures of aborted babies, I was floored. Again, should people view such photos? Some think not, but I’m inclined to think that purposefully avoiding them can easily become a convenient way of shielding our slumbering consciences from unwelcome facts.
Pictures are powerful. Ask any professional photographer who snaps pictures at birthdays, baby dedications, weddings, anniversaries, or graduation ceremonies. On the darkest side, think about the Auschwitz and Dachau death camps set up in Germany by Hitler’s Nazi regime during World War II. Today, Holocaust museums have been erected in many locations, as reminders of the past, and -- hopefully -- to help prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future. “The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators,” states the official United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website. In 1983, I visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. It was very eye-opening. What makes that museum so impacting?
The skin-and-bones photographs of victims.
Ask any Jew whether it is right to look at those pictures.
“They’re tough to behold,” most will admit, “but people must see the truth.”
Exactly. It’s the same with the wonders of fetal development, and the abortion nightmare. Pictures are so life-changing that reports are that 78% of women who aren’t sure whether they should have an abortion or not, who then actually view ultrasound images of their tiny babies, choose not to abort. It’s easy to understand why. When a woman actually peers inside her own body and sees what is developing in her womb, her perspective often changes quickly. When the expectant mother’s eyes become fixed on the monitor, then she suddenly realizes that what lies within her isn’t just “a clump of cells,” “a glob of tissue,” “the contents of her uterus,” or “the product of her conception,” but an amazingly real -- although tiny -- living human being.
The same is true with aborted babies. When a person actually beholds with their own eyes -- as I did in my hotel room in Oregon -- actual pictures of little severed arms, tiny hands, tinier fingers, small legs, smaller feet, bloody toes, or crushed skulls, its a heartbreaking sight not easily forgotten. One woman who found a similar website with graphic images of aborted babies testified:
“I have been a pro-choice believer my entire life until someone shared your website with me. I was first shocked then sickened by what I saw. God, how could I have been so misguided my entire life? I actually believed it was not a baby. I actually believed a first trimester abortion was fine. Boy did you open my eyes. I believe that God worked with me today to show me the right way. I have often wondered if I was wrong but always dismissed those thoughts until I saw these photographs.
In Oregon, I wasn’t particularly “pro-choice” at the time, but such pictures had a similar effect on me. Now that I’ve seen them, burying my head beneath the sands of ignorance like the proverbial ostrich, is no longer an option.”
Too much is at stake. It’s time to tell truth.
To be continued …
Steve Wohlberg is the Speaker/Director of White Horse Media. His newest pocketbook, Hidden Holocaust: Discover God’s Love in the Abortion Nightmare, is now available from White Horse Media. Only $1 each. Quantity discounts. To order, call 1-800-782-4253.
