A Letter to the Tallahassee City Commission Regarding Their Resolution Supporting Abortion

Below is a letter I am sending to the City Commission regarding their proposed resolution to support abortion (click here to read the resolution).  

You can send them an email too (it doesn't have to be a long email - just voice your opposition).  Here is the link to email them (and here are their email addresses: mayor@talgov.com; jack.porter@talgov.com; jeremy.matlow@talgov.com; curtis.richardson@talgov.com; dianne.williams-cox@talgov.com)  

The meeting is tomorrow (9/22/21) at 3pm. You can also sign up to speak "virtually" by clicking here, or you can show up at City Hall to speak (assuming there is space). 

Letter to the Tallahassee City Commission

Dear Commissioners,

This resolution claims to uphold fundamental human rights and dignity. I assert that it does the opposite for two reasons: 1. It ignores the dignity of the weakest members of society, and 2. It undermines the dignity of women.

Ignoring the Dignity of the Most Vulnerable

I am glad that you desire to affirm human dignity, especially of vulnerable ones. However, the resolution's central (yet unstated) premise is that the unborn human in the womb is of a different class of humanity and not worthy of protection when he or she is unwanted. 

We know that the person in the womb is a human (what else do human beings conceive?). We also know that from the moment of conception, this person is a boy or girl possessing his or her own unique DNA (it is not a part of the mother or simply a cell like a sperm or egg). So, why doesn’t this person have a right to life?

Here are some common reasons we think this person does not deserve the dignity of protection:

• Size – Yes, she is smaller than a toddler, but since when does size determine a person’s value?
• Level of Development – Yes, he is less developed than a newborn and a newborn than a toddler and toddler than a teenager. In none of these cases do we assume it is ok to end the person’s life. 
• Environment – Yes, she is in her mother’s womb, but since when does location determine a person’s right to life? She is exactly where she should be, much like an infant in the arms of her mother. 
• Degree of Dependency – We think that since he is dependent on his mother, she can choose to abandon him. But a newborn or toddler is dependent too (as is an adult under anesthesia or in a coma). We know it is wrong to abandon or kill people simply because they are dependent. 

So, while this resolution claims to promote the “fundamental right” of healthcare, we must consider the health of the woman AND the baby. Protection of life is not just a right for those who have power and a voice. We must open our mouths for those with no voice to defend themselves.

Undermining the Dignity of Women

This resolution undermines the dignity of women. Claiming that a right to end another person's life is necessary for a woman to possess dignity equal to a man is nonsense. In fact, it makes our whole society less loving. I have personally spoken with many women considering abortions who were coerced into it. Their partner, family, friends, and professors all essentially said, “Why are you making this so hard? Just get an abortion. And if you don’t, you should not count on our help because you chose not to have an abortion.” 

Reject Resolution No. 21-R-30 

I hope our national conscience awakens to the horrific injustice that abortion is – both against women and children. If we do, future generations will sit in judgment on resolutions like this. If you approve this resolution, your names, affixed to it, will stand as evidence that you actually encouraged oppression in the name of supporting the weak. 

Even if our country doesn't correct this grave injustice, there is a coming day of judgment. God, the creator of life, is the all-seeing judge. You might not like that, but your desire for human dignity shows that you live as if there is a God. Where else does the belief that all people have equal worth and dignity find its foundation? If it is just that you or I think it is right, what happens when someone or some nation thinks differently? The only unshifting foundation upon which human rights are built is the existence of a God who made us, from the moment of conception, in his image. 

I hope you will reject this resolution and resolve to help women and children maintain their dignity and rights.  

Respectfully,

Ben Khazraee 

A News Podcast Recommendation - The World and Everything in It

If you are looking for solid journalism from a biblical worldview, check out The World and Everything in It Podcast. I have been listening for well over a year and love it. It isn't sensationalized entertainment. It doesn't aim to keep listeners in a perpetual state of anger and anxiety. It is careful, factual reporting that focuses on many issues that actually matter from a biblical worldview. I listen most mornings on my commute. 

Resources to Help You Speak for the Unborn

The abortion debate is back in the national spotlight with a recent Texas law as well as a case that will be heard this Fall by the Supreme Court which directly challenges Roe v. Wade. We must pray for the injustice of Roe v. Wade to be overturned. 

But, we must do more than that. We must be ready to speak on behalf of the oppressed. The weaker and more defenseless they are, and the more irreversible the threat they face, the more responsible we are to use our voice. 

Proverbs calls us to this work. 

Prov. 24:10-12 says,

If you faint in the day of adversity,

    your strength is small.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

    hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

    and will he not repay man according to his work?

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, 

Open your mouth for the mute,

    for the rights of all who are destitute.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Here are some resources to equip you to speak for the unborn:

Why Can't Christians Just "Get Over" the Abortion Issue? (Blog)

This is a brief blog post outlining the logic of why abortion is a major issue that we must never stop fighting. 

Scott Klusendorf - Defending Your Pro-life Views  (Video)

A short 3 minute video on how to make the pro-life argument. 

Abortion Is Immoral: An Animated Roadmap of the Argument (Videos)

A four-part animated video summary of an essay by Patrick Lee (ethicist) and Robert P. George (Princeton Law Professor): “What Is Wrong with Abortion." This one deals with more details of the legal and philosophical arguments against abortion. 

Abortion: From Controversy to Civility | Stephanie Gray | Talks at Google (long Video)

Another approach to making the pro-life case in a world that lacks a biblical worldview. Stephanie appeals to the idea of heroism and our obligation to protect the weakest among us even when it is costly (she gave this talk to google employees). 

Meet Baby Olivia | A Never Before Seen Look At Human Life In The Womb (Video)

This is a short 3 minute, medically accurate video of a baby maturing in the womb. 

Lessons Learned about Ministering Outside an Abortion Clinic part 1 (Blog)

A short article I wrote that reminds us that as Christians we have a message for those considering abortion and those who have had them.