“I’m pregnant…now what?”  Many young women every day are faced with an excruciatingly difficult decision to keep or end their baby’s life once they discover they are pregnant and are unprepared to be a mother.  The circumstances are usually complex with multifaceted obstacles.  These mothers appear to be in a hopeless situation.

Here is an example that was posted in an online forum last week: “I am a 22 year old college student. I am close to graduating with only a year and a half left and I am now 8 weeks pregnant. The potential father of this baby is no longer in the picture…I feel so ashamed, but…my parents want me to get an abortion.  Part of me wants to keep the baby, and I just found out there may be 2 babies not just one, but the other part knows my life is going to change completely.  I am financially unstable and my parents will not support me if I decide to keep these babies.  I’m scheduled to get an abortion tomorrow using the abortion pill, but I’m afraid I’ll hate myself forever. I just don’t know what to do.”

This young woman’s agony is tangible.  It pierces my heart.  Clearly torn over the monumental decision ahead of her, and scared of taking any action at all, she resorts to asking a group of strangers online to help her make the decision.  My heart breaks for women in situations like this.  And, unfortunately this is not an isolated example.  Even just spending a few minutes searching online through forums you will find dozens of similar stories.

How should followers of Christ respond to real-life situations like this?  Offering token advice won’t help here.  Remember, “I’m scheduled to get an abortion tomorrow…”  No doubt this woman has already considered the option of giving up the children for adoption.  But, this probably feels like a distant, unknown, ethereal solution that doesn’t exactly fit her real-life dilemma.  I believe what she needs is a tangible hand extended to her in this moment of crisis.  She needs someone to say, “Stop!  I’ll take your babies.  I’ll welcome them into my family and give them a great life.  Whatever the cost, whatever we have to do to make it happen, your babies are worth it.”  This kind of action puts feet on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He intended.  I believe we need to move the battle of defending the unborn into the realm of action rather than mere talk.

That is exactly what my wife and I did with this young woman.  We pled with her to keep the babies and let us adopt them.  We explained how we would raise the children in a loving home and gladly welcome them into our family.  Sadly, she did not respond to our pleas, and we can only assume that she went through with the scheduled abortion.  Honestly, it was devastating.  Imagining these two precious children being torn from their mother’s womb was almost more than we could bear.  Putting the Gospel into action requires us to invest ourselves, our hearts and emotions, into the lives of others.  But, I believe it is absolutely worth it.

Christians, we need to stop standing by and watching as millions and millions of lives are literally thrown away.  The words from Psalm 82 are such a strong call for action: “Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.  Rescue the weak and needy…”  As God is challenging me to move off the sidelines in issues such as abortion, I invite you to do the same.

The headline of this article reads, “Stop!  We’ll Take Your Babies…”  We truly mean that.  If you are pregnant and considering abortion, I plead with you to reconsider.  My wife and I will gladly adopt your precious child.  Your child is worth it.  Your child is precious.

Forever.  Really, I’m serious.  Just don’t go through with it.

Contact Mark Baker at [email protected].