Are There Any Exceptions?
Still, people like Efrud, Lockett, Allred and others who speak up for the preborn are often accused of being uncaring and disregarding the extenuating circumstances that might force a mother to choose death over life. What about rape? What about incest? What about an in-utero diagnosis of birth defects like Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18? Is abortion still murder then?
When Lisa Smiley was 23, she got pregnant with her firstborn. She was thrilled, until doctors spotted a life-threatening heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Only half of the baby’s heart was developed. Doctors suggested an abortion.
“We were stunned,” Smiley says. “While I was crying and devastated to hear this, they took my husband to another room and explained to him the gravity of our decision. We had already told them we are against abortion, no matter how serious our son’s condition was, yet they were not satisfied and thought we were being idealistic.”
Smiley admits that she had absolutely no idea what she and her husband, Jim, were getting into. She knew they were not prepared for the challenges ahead. But long ago they had made a decision that abortion was wrong, under any condition. The Smileys chose life. When baby Ezekiel was born, he was put on life support. He had his first open-heart surgery at 1 week old, his second at 1 year old and his third at age 5.
When Ezekiel went into cardiac arrest in 2014 and died, Jim performed CPR while waiting for the paramedics, who revived Ezekiel. He was left with a brain injury and was completely paralyzed and mute. Doctors said he was in a vegetative state and would eventually die, suggesting they cut off all life support.
Once again, the Smileys would have to live out their pro-life convictions when presented with the option to passively euthanize their son. With intense daily therapy for the past year and a half—along with vital prayer and encouragement—miraculously Ezekiel is learning to eat, walk and talk again.
“Thinking back, I am reminded of the option we had before Zeke was born to abort him—the warnings doctors gave us about all the complications that could happen, and did happen. Many may wonder, would I choose differently?” she asks. “Raising him has, no doubt, been hard, heart-wrenching and stretched us beyond anything we have done. Just as surely, our lives have been filled with joy and happiness by having Zeke in our family.”
Still, some women choose to abort, only to regret it later. About one in four women in America have had an abortion. For women who have had abortions, Allred says the Lord offers forgiveness, not condemnation.
“Some of the strongest voices for life are women who are post-abortive,” Allred says. “As I’ve ministered on this topic, women come up to me with tears streaming down their faces—some in their 70s—who have been carrying this and have never told another person, not even their spouses, that they had an abortion as a young woman.
“There are thousands and thousands of women in the church pews who are wounded, who have never confessed it and never gave themselves permission to grieve. I would say to them that there is no condemnation, and God will use even the darkest night of your soul for His glory.”
Hope for Life
This Christmas season, pro-life advocates have never been more hopeful about a sea change in the abortion industry. For Frank Pavone, national director for Priests for Life, the Planned Parenthood controversy has helped “expose abortion for what it is—a destructive reality in our society.” Given heightened public awareness about the real nature of abortion, Pavone says he’s more optimistic than ever that the number of abortions can be slashed: “Right now, we’re at a crossroads, and either enough people across the country are really going to wake up and do something about it, including things like the protests we’re seeing across the country or not.”
The big question is whether Roe v. Wade can ever be overturned. Pro-life advocates say this can’t occur until the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court is changed by presidential appointment.
Cheryl Sullenger, senior vice president at Operation Rescue, says she is encouraged that many of the candidates running for president are addressing abortion. “We have never been able to communicate on a national stage to the extent that these videos have allowed,” Sullenger says. “We have never seen presidential politics focused on abortion to the extent they are right now.”
Lockett believes abortion has a divine deadline. On the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, following a 21-day fast and persistent prayer, he felt the Lord declaring He has a timetable for Roe v. Wade. Lockett says the Holy Spirit showed him how “dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 11:1) and that the U.S. has been using deceptive and dishonest weights in its scales so that it cannot accurately weigh the value of human life. “I’m absolutely convinced that Roe v. Wade‘s days are numbered,” Lockett says. “While public opinion is changing, there are court cases that are moving through the system, and some of them will be hitting the Supreme Court. That’s ultimately where it has to go, and that’s where we have to focus our prayers and our activism to continue to see the culture shift and to see the courts reflect that.”
Lockett is praying on many different levels and suggests others do the same.
“I pray for the young girl who is in the most difficult situation of her life,” Lockett says. “I’m praying that she would encounter the Lord and have the support from the church that she needs. I’m praying for elections, and I’m praying for the minds of judges who directly have the power and ability to change the laws of the land.”
This Christmas, as people attend pro-life events and gather around empty mangers outside abortion clinics, the clock ticks toward this divine deadline.
“Abortion will continue to diminish over the next 10 years, and then with lower abortion numbers, we’ll see more abortion clinics closing because they won’t be able to stay in business because there is not enough money to go around,” Sullenger declares. “I think that will happen before Roe v. Wade is overturned. You have to have all the stars align.”
But that’s what happened 2,000 years ago after Mary chose life and Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matt. 2:1-2).
This Christmas, let’s do more than remember Jesus is the reason for the season. Let’s do more than sing Christmas carols. Let’s be thankful for Mary’s courage and pray that women making decisions about unexpected pregnancies will choose life. After all, they may not be carrying the Son of God, but they could be carrying a world changer and a history maker.
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma, director of Awakening House of Prayer, a senior leader of New Breed Revival Network and author of many books, including Mornings With the Holy Spirit. Visit her online at jenniferleclaire.org.
Troy Anderson and Ben Johnson contributed to this article.
Watch Pro-Life Action League’s seventh annual “Empty Manger” Christmas Caroling at five Chicago abortion mills at emptymanger.charismamag.com.
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