Why We Cannot Give Ground on Abortion

Last week I published an episode of my podcast discussing the dangers of godless conservatism. While I do not intend this post to be a commentary on politics, the background is helpful. The general sense of that episode was a bit of a critique on the current direction of conservative politics in America. Historically, conservatism has been based around one core principle, namely the reality of a transcendant God from whom natural law and the rules of society flow. In other words, there is objective truth that is knowable in the universe. Historically conservatives have rejected moral relativism, and instead have believed that there is a fixed understanding of right and wrong. All other principles that have historically defined political conservatism have flowed out from this simple idea.

The challenge conservatism is having currently is that it is increasingly moving away from this first principle and embracing more and more moral relativity. One reason for this is that the conservative movement has become a common ground for a wide array of people who are discontent with current mainstream woke ideology, whether or not they agree with the first principle stated above. While all is not lost for conservative minded individuals, the seams are beginning to show, and there is perhaps no greater topic where this is evident than on the topic of abortion.

Abortion is front and center in the current political discussions in our country. The Christian conviction, rooted in the Word of God, is that children in the womb are a precious gift from God, fully human from the point of conception, and worthy of all the rights and dignities offered any other human being. Praise God, with the miracle of modern science that can study the child in the womb, we have discovered a treasure trove of data and images demonstrating the precious life of a child in the womb. For many years, Christians thinking conservatively, have felt quite comfortable knowing that the conservative movement held firm to this belief as a matter of objective truth.

Today’s conservatism, and the larger political/theological discussion is shifting though. While liberal politics have embraced abortion as a cornerstone of their movement, many conservatives have shifted quite dramatically into a more middle territory. In 2016 and 2020, the Republican Party Platform had a lengthy section on abortion. In it they wrote, “Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” This the obvious perspective of conservatism’s first principle, and despite many flaws within the Republican Party, a Christian could find strong alignment with these words.

The current Republican Party Platform has changed its tone though. The 2024 platform has only one short paragraph on the topic which reads, “We proudly stand for families and Life. We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights. After 51 years, because of us, that power has been given to the States and to a vote of the People. We will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).” This new platform is very different from the old. The new platform only directly opposes “late term abortions” and states that with the overturning of Roe, the states can decide what to do with the rest. This is moral relativism. It is a direct departure from the first principle of conservatism.

Secondly, that new party platform discusses making sure that women have access to IVF (fertility treatments). IVF is an entire separate but related moral discussion, that at the very least is morally complicated and needs careful consideration. Through technology, IVF essentially allows an egg to be fertilized by a sperm in a lab, and then implanted in a uterus for pregnancy. The most notable moral challenge with IVF is what to do with the additional embryos which are created but not implanted. From a Christian standpoint, conception has taken place, and these embryos are indeed souls, who will endure for eternity, and whom civilization is called to protect.

My point here is not to handle the often complicated and emotionally charged discussions on IVF treatment (as a Pastor, I have had the privilege of providing biblical counsel for a number of couples over the years asking these questions). My point is simply to demonstrate the current “conservative” platform, is actually not really conservative on this point. It has now assumed a position of moral relativity, and rejected its historic first principle.

This shifting of the tide within conservatism to make abortion an issue of state’s rights and to only oppose “late term abortion” is still a whole lot better than the effort on the other side to enshrine a national “right” to an abortion. Nevertheless, it is a large shift worth noting. And as Christians, I do not believe we should be content to just give ground on this topic. Abortion is an evil. It is a stain on any nation’s moral fiber. One day I do pray that our nation will view abortion through a similar lens to how we now view slavery. We will look back and wonder how we ever allowed such a travesty to be perpetuated for so many generations. But between now and then, Christians will need to hold their ground. The new morally relative position cannot be our position.