November 2018 – Article 1:   

We all have defining moments in our lives. Usually they are moments marked by the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a new job, a move to a new state, and so much more.

One of my most defining moments can be said in two words: “Kunta Kinte.” For some of you that will immediately bring to mind an image of a young LeVar Burton in the television mini-series “Roots.” While others may not be familiar with that show, for me it was—and will forever be—heavy on my heart and in my mind.

I loved learning about history in 4th and 5th grades. People’s life stories and how they impact nations and the world have always captivated me. And even though not a Christian, the value of each soul was impressed upon my heart in a profound way.

I had learned about slavery, of course, as I studied American history and while it impacted me, the reality of it did not hit me until 1977 when I watched Kunta Kinte’s story in Roots. His story, and the lives of other slaves and slave owners would forever impact my life. The images that I tried so hard to erase still haunt me to this day.

Even as a young girl, I sat there in disbelief that any human being could justify in any way treating other human beings as if they were not human. It made no sense to me, truly no sense at all. I had learned the sick rationale that was used to enslave people, but I could not wrap my mind around how anyone could go along with something so clearly evil. I also wrestled and wrestled with the fact that we enshrined this sin in legislation making the abhorrent practice legal.

Fast forward to my college years. Jesus reached down and saved my undeserving soul. I initially saw Him merely as fire insurance, so to speak, and did not really start following Him and engaging in a vibrant relationship with my Savior until my mid-twenties.

At that point I knew that being pro-choice, which I had been in college, was wrong and I immediately said I would never vote for a Democrat again and would always support Republicans since I knew they generally vote pro-life.

However, outside of voting I did very little to show any evidence that I was against abortion. I was pro-life in word, but not in deed. I realize now that anyone would have been hard pressed to know that I was actually pro-life.

It was not until my husband and I found ourselves facing three top doctors at a top hospital in Illinois that my eyes were truly opened to the reality of abortion in America and how much it is a part of the very fabric of our nation.

I remember it clear as day; as if just yesterday. That feeling of utter horror and shock that overcame me. How could people in medicine not only suggest – which is bad enough – but also insist on parents killing their child, simply because the child is sick? Since when did being sick become a crime and, even worse, a crime worthy of death?

Horrified at the suggestion, we took a bold, yet kind stand against the idea that our child was not worthy of life. Because of our faith in Jesus, today we have a beautiful, kind beyond measure, 20-year-old daughter who lights up every room she enters and impacts lives with her kindness.

But the education about abortion God was revealing to me did not stop there. I was about to learn an even bigger lesson about a community I had always viewed as truly pro-life, just as I had about the medical community.

I was shocked to learn that even in the pro-life community there are factions of people who are not as pro-life as they claim. Why? By supporting exceptions for rape, incest and poor in utero diagnosis, they are no different than the medical community in agreeing that some lives are not worth saving.

It was the same kind of life changing moment I experienced watching Roots. I was stunned to learn that some professing followers of Jesus are willing to discriminate against classes of children and support that they can be discarded.

Just like believers who supported slavery, today we have professing Christians willing to approve the killing of some children. Sin is never the answer to whatever problem the world faces. I praise God for those who had the courage, and who were willing to be hated, to put their lives on the line, to accept no compromises, and to fight for the complete end to slavery.

The pro-life community needs the same courage today. Pro-life legislation which includes exception(s) is no different than when our nation made compromises allowing for only some free states!

I am so thankful that Georgia Right to Life stands strong against the sin of abortion and will not compromise on exceptions. May God continue to guide and guard us.

 

Suzanne Guy

Georgia Right to Life Cherokee Chapter Leader

Save the 1 speaker and blogger