Selfishness

Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!” [1 Kings 3.27]

The proof of motherhood was found in the woman who wanted what was best for the child even when what was best for the child was not best for her.

Abortion reveals only what is best for one person (or even group of persons) without regard for the child. The true mother cared more for the life of the child than she did her own happiness.

However, it is pointless to argue with anyone who has no regard for life (or a "mass of cells" as it was recently referred to, as if a mass of living cells was not life). The reason for this is not found in science, but in selfishness. 

To deny the life of the "mass of cells," which is undeniably the life of a new human (not a tumor or some growth that could be any random thing), is to place one's own happiness and well being above another's. And, here is where the real divide is.

Until society has some reference point for whose interests are priority, there is little hope for common ground regarding an unborn child. The main reason babies are "terminated" is not because they are an "undetermined mass of cells," but because only the interests of another life (or lives) is placed above the undeniable life of the living cells which, from inception carry the genetics of a unique human life.

The kind of thinking that kills unborn children (selfishness), left unchecked, will eventually result in the killing of newborn children, senior adults or even handicapped people all for the same reason - the inconvenience they bring to another. It is no stretch of the imagination then to see that eventually excessively short people or really tall people (or any other physical variation) who require special consideration could be at risk for extermination so as to relieve society of the inconvenience. In fact, abortion is only the beginning of the extermination of the species through selfishness.

There is a book that speaks of the dangers of selfishness. That book is the Bible. There is only one remedy for selfishness and that is the exercise and practice of placing the needs of others above our own. The story of the two women in context of Solomon's wisdom reveals this clearly.

Abortion is, therefore, only one symptom of a much greater and ever more far-reaching societal problem: selfishness. Is it any wonder then that the Bible's star character demonstrated ultimate selflessness in giving His life for others? I think not.

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [John 15.13]

The true mother in Solomon's story was the one who laid down her desires (even the incomparable passion of being a mother) so the baby could live.

Abortion will never be effectively curbed until the root problem of selfishness is addressed. The problem is that modern society has placed "self" above all else. We are indoctrinated on nearly every front with mantras of self preservation and even self exaltation. In fact, even in the Church, Biblically baseless statements are made like: "you can't help others until you help yourself" which finds no correlation at all to Jesus' words in John 15.13.

Father, thank You for further revealing today the importance of combatting selfishness with selflessness.