I once got a call from a group polling only the woman of the house.  She asked me my opinion on a woman's right to choice.

    "You mean killing babies?"

    "Well, I guess I know where you stand," and she hung up.

My little Chiya was about six years old and overheard my killing babies question.  She asked me about it and I told her that the caller wanted to know how I felt about mothers killing their babies before the babies were born.

Chiya got the most horrified and sad look on her face and cried, "Someone is making mothers kill their babies!"  I had to explain more than I wanted to. The look on her face and the sound of her voice as she asked about this tragedy was very painful for me.

When I was teaching childbirth classes, I always advised parents that pregnancy, birth, and the early days of caring for a baby are not good times to decide on lifetime birth control.  I believe that the appeal of having it cheaper after birth is used to convince fence sitters.  Many mothers that have been unhappy or regretful over the operation are the ones that did it then.

It is an emotional subject.  It is such a sacrifice for many women to bear children.  It is difficult to find the resources to raise them.  Men and women might find it easier to make permanent decisions about birth control during the pregnancy because they are faced with the big birth bills, and the physical pain of the pregnancy.  However, many of them would feel different if they waited until year or two after the birth.

When I taught the classes, the one thing that bothered me the very most was that nearly every couple I taught felt it important to explain to me either that their child was planned or that the child was not planned but still wanted.  Society now screams that children should be planned.  Before that pressure a couple did not need to defend bringing a child into this life.  Now  couples feel a need to make it clear that theirs is not an unplanned pregnancy or that if an accident, the child will be still be loved and accepted.  Most babies really are loved, even the ones the mothers choose to give to someone else to raise.  How dare the opponents of life put us in such a defensive position!

Part of the influence exerted upon the parents to end their reproduction ability, is the fear of having a baby unplanned.  We are in a society where every conception must be tried for to have true value.  I am often asked if we are trying to have another.  Our response that we never try not to, often begins conversations on personal family planning.

I have found that the couples that are most happy with ending their childbearing ability are the ones who knew through spiritual means that they have had their last child.  The couple who together feel inspired to end their reproduction ability are the ones that are most at peace over the decision over the long term.  This is especially true if they would have been willing to take another child if the contrary message wasn't so clear.

I have found over the years that in the movies or especially the television series, a pregnancy never occurs without some form of the discussion of,  "Is this baby wanted?" or "What are you going to do?"  There is no doubt that this social feeling of having to defend one's pregnancy is related to the abortion trauma this country is experiencing.

Some people have confused the truths about free agency and the laws of a nation.  They feel that in order for there to be true free agency, the laws must allow free access to sin.  This is not so.  There are two categories of judgments.  One is the judgment that falls upon an individual.  This is where free agency comes into play.  The individual has the agency to follow Christ and his commandments or to not follow him.  There are specific consequences linked to personal disobedience.

A nation however, is required to follow Christ's laws or fall under a different sort of condemnation.  A nation is judged by its laws.  Individuals are judged by their personal sins.  When a nation's laws are such that sin is encouraged or rewarded then all in that nation suffer the judgments of God.  This cannot be covered or rationalized by saying that people must have no laws to be truly free agents.  The scriptures are clear that a nation and especially America must serve God or perish.  Again, the nation is judged by its laws and that judgment comes upon all within that nation.

The Lord extends his love and hand in readiness to cleanse the individual.  Abortion, as serious as it is, can be repented of and washed clean.  It is a painful process but one that will heal the individual.

It is so much harder for a nation to turn from its ungodly laws than it is for an individual to turn to Christ.  There are some examples in the scriptures of a nation turning from its wickedness and being forgiven.  However, there are many more examples when the consequences of national sin bringing about the wrath of a just God.

Waiting for the best fruit off of the best tree requires patience.  It requires endurance and the commitment to allow the Lord's timing to prevail in our life plans.  Sometimes that timing is short, the early rain, as it were.  In other things, the timing seems endless, the falling of the latter rain.  The Holy Spirit draws close to us and whispers patience to our heart.  We are reminded that all things are before the Lord and that the good things which we long for will be ours in his own season.

Willingness is a power of Heaven.  It is that inner commitment to do all things.  Perhaps we are unable to do them in the time we have available but we would if it were possible.  Oh, how we would if only!  The cry of Mothers in Israel who have never been able to have children is that they would!  The Lord pierces the willing heart with His promise.   "You will!"