The Atrocity of Abortions Among our Teens: It is Our Job to Protect Our Children
The atrocity of abortion is not a new problem. I have written much about the problem of accepting abortion by our worldly society; but it should not be a part of our Christian world. This study is not about if abortions are wrong or right. We as Christian women know abortion is wrong and against the teachings of our Lord. This study is to give Christian nurturers facts about teen abortions that they can share with their own children and those children in their lives.
“Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. “ (Isaiah 5:20).
Premarital sex is a common practice and is socially acceptable by our society. Teenage pregnancy is a major concern all over the world. The mass media portrays sex as being the normal way to express desires. Most teenagers are lacking the maturity and understanding of real fulfilling intimacy. Along with mass media is peer pressure. The practice of unprotected sex leads to teen pregnancies and then to teen abortions.
There are 13% of teens have had sex by age 15, most initiate sex in their later teen years. By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 female and male teens have had intercourse. (Abma, 2010)
These are statistics that include the worldly and Christians. There is no studies done that would indicate who were Christians. Do not fall in the trap thinking this is just the worldly teens that have not had a religious upbringing. It is our responsibility to make sure our children are informed on the facts and consequences of having sex before they are married.
Women aged 15–19 had 192,090 abortions in 2008. The 2008 teenage abortion rate was 17.8 abortions per 1,000 women. This figure is the lowest since abortion was legalized and 59% lower than its peak in 1988. There are differences in birth and abortion rates across racial and ethnic groups. The birthrate in 2008 for black and Hispanic teenagers was more than twice the rate for non-Hispanic white teenagers. The abortion rate among black teenagers was four times the rate for non-Hispanic whites, while the rate among Hispanic teenagers was twice the rate for non-Hispanic white teenagers. (Kost, 2009)
The reasons teens most frequently give for having an abortion are that they are concerned about how having a baby would change their lives, cannot afford a baby now and do not feel mature enough to raise a child. (Dauphinee, 2006)
There are 59% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds in 2008 ended in birth, and 26% in abortion. (Kost, 2009)
Fewer babies were born to teenagers in 2010 than in any year since 1946. If the teen birth rates observed in 1991 had not declined through 2010 as they did, there would have been an estimated 3.4 million additional births to teens during 1992–2010. This rate is attributed to pregnancy prevention that is directed to teenagers. The CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, released data that has shown the increased use of contraception at first initiation of sex and use of dual methods of contraception (that is, condoms and hormonal methods) among sexually active female and male teenagers. These trends may have contributed to the recent birth rate declines. (Hamilton, 2012).
The questions facing a teenager who is pregnant is an extremely difficult decision for all that are involved to make. Raising a child is an extremely challenging and demanding task not only for the teenage girl but also for the boy and both family members involved. The question as to what is best for the unborn baby is one asked by those involved with this challenging situation. Alternatives to abortion would be adoption, raising the baby together, raising the baby by one or the other parent.
Teens facing an unplanned pregnancy choose abortion for similar reasons as women throughout history have. They ask the same questions: What will my parents or friends think? Is abortions against the LORD God and in my case will He understand? Do I want this baby? Can I afford to raise a child? How will this impact my life? Am I ready to be a mother? Can I continue my education? This decision is usually influenced by religious beliefs, her relationship with her parents, influence of her peer group, where she lives, educational level, even the socioeconomic status.
This is where we come into play in aiding the teens in our lives make the best decision for them as well as those others who are involved. We, as Christian women, need to be educated and knowledgeable in dealing with the decision making process. Our doors of communication must be open and we must provide a nonjudgmental safe environment for the teen. We must be ready to offer other solutions other than an abortion which does not always just sweep the matter under the rug.
Teens need to be aware of the fact that there are consequences after an abortion. There is no such thing as a “safe” abortion. There is a lingering physiological shame involved with the killing of a defenseless innocent baby. There are also the physical risks involved with an abortion. It is reported that legal abortion is the fifth leading cause of maternal death in the United States. These deaths are caused by infection, embolism, hemorrhage, anesthesia, and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies. (Howe, 1989)
There are at least 19 percent of women who have had abortions suffer from Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS). The symptoms include anxiety attacks, irritability, outbursts of rage, sleep difficulties, flashbacks of the abortion experience, reactions of intense grief on the date of abortion or the baby’s due date, nightmares about the abortion, and drug or alcohol abuse. (Bazelon).
Thousands of unborn children die every day from abortion. Innocent, yet unloved, these children will never be cuddled, loved, or even be remembered. Some of these innocent unwanted babies will die because of fear, selfishness or just a lack of caring and ignorance. Most of them will die from abortion without even having a name and alone. This is an atrocity that speaks to our humanity. Only we can make sure the number stays low by stepping up and informing our children of the right and wrong in our humanity. There is no accidental pregnancy and there should be no unwanted pregnancies.
If we can provide better sex education for our youth, better contraception, even improved adoption laws and stricter laws for abortion then we would be on the right tract for reducing the need for abortions. Make sure lines of communications are open for the teens in our lives and make sure they understand the repercussions and consequences for all our decisions. We must also be armed with the facts of the temptations by the worldly that are pledging our children today. Our children are living very stressful lives with more peer pressure than what we have seen in our growing up. The social pressure is part of the cause of wrong decisions facing our children.
We live in an imperfect world where the influence of the worldly effects our live and the lives of our children. We cannot condemn the actions of the worldly because it is their lives and there morals are different than ours. We do have the responsibility and obligation to discuss with our children the morally and correct aspects of following Jesus. We must inform our children with our moral convictions. The worldly share their condemnations we must share our acclamations with our youth.
There has been much discussion about abortion it would not be complete without discussing forgiveness. There is no sin that the LORD God cannot forgive. The Bible is clear that the LORD God will forgive sin, and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for that sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9-10).
References:
Abma JC et al.(2010). Teenagers in the United States: sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, National Survey of Family Growth 2006–2008, Vital and Health Statistics, 2010, Series 23, No. 30.
Bazelon,Emily . (2007). Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?, N.Y. Times.
Dauphinee LA. (2006). Guttmacher Institute, New York, personal communication.
Hamilton, B. and Ventura, S. (2012. ). Birth Rates for U.S. Teenagers Reach Historic Lows for All Age and Ethnic Groups. NCHS Data Brief No.89. April 2012.
Howe, H.L. et al., (1989).”Early Abortion and Breast Cancer Risk Among Women Under Age 40,” International Journal of Epidemiology 18(2):300-304.
Kost K and Henshaw S, (2012). U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2008: National Trends by Race and Ethnicity. Guttmacher Institute.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “The Atrocity of Abortions Among our Teens: It is Our Job to Protect Our Children:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1833,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, January) “The Atrocity of Abortions Among our Teens: It is Our Job to Protect Our Children:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1833,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “The Atrocity of Abortions Among our Teens: It is Our Job to Protect Our Children:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1833, (accessed).
