Abortion: Just Part of the Narrative
A few weeks ago, NBA player Udonis Haslem married his college sweetheart. It’s been over 10 years since they were in school, but now they are husband and wife. Their story has had many twists and turns, but now they are finally wed. The new Mrs. Haslem, Faith Rein, is also an athlete and was in college as a track star. Neither one is a major international superstar in their chosen sport, but the New York Times recently felt that their marriage was worth sharing with the world.
And there is no question why. Their story is a perfect one to share the newspaper’s unashamed support of abortion.
In fact, the way the paper presents their story, an abortion is just part of the narrative for this couple. Additionally, the abortion did not happen just a few weeks or months ago. It happened back when they were in college, over a decade ago.
In 2001, Rein became pregnant. Here’s how the Times shares the information:
Their first challenge took place the following spring when she became pregnant. It was her junior and his senior year, and he had begun training for the N.B.A. draft. Despite the pregnancy, she was busy with track meets and helping him complete homework. The timing was bad.
The article goes on to talk about how Haslem didn’t like the idea of abortion, but supported Rein in her decision. That showed her “he had a big heart and was the whole package.”
The article, then, shifts to their “next challenge,” which was when Haslem was not selected in the NBA draft, and had to consider playing overseas. After working his way up through the NBA’s summer system, he got to play for a few teams, and was finally signed by the Miami Heat, where he still plays.
When I was first told this story, I immediately went to the New York Times article. What was remarkable to me was this: the abortion was just presented as one in a series of “challenges.” It was equal to career struggles, injuries, and times of separation for Haslem and Rein. And, as you can see in the portions quoted above, the abortion is presented as one of the issues that brought this couple closer together.
This presentation is perfect for outlets like the Times. Not only do they fully support abortion for any reason, they do not really consider it an issue any more. They simply want abortion to be part of the story, and equal to any other “challenge” a couple might face. What the Times did not tell us in this glowing announcement was how selfish this decision was. Did you notice? She had track meets. She was helping Mr. Haslem with his homework, so he could do well in school. The Times tells us, “The timing was bad.”
So, what is the narrative we are being told? If a baby comes along and the timing isn’t right, don’t let that slow you down. Of course, I guess no one thinks about how much time was spent in the process of conception. If only a few moments, I guess the timing wasn’t too bad for that, but having a baby sure would mess things up.
That’s the society in which we live, and that’s the story we are constantly fed by our media. Babies are only to be “had” if they fit MY lifestyle. If the timing or the finances aren’t just where I think I want them, then be sure I keep things on the track I have laid out for MY life. And, then, our world will consider it all just part of MY story.
Instead of such selfishness and lack of consideration for life, we need to remember that children “are a heritage from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). They are not a nuisance. They are not something put in our way to keep us from reaching our goals. If we will keep control of ourselves, we will put sex where God did–in the marriage relationship–and enjoy the children that may be given to us as a blessing from the Lord.
Abortion ends life, and does so out of selfishness. There is nothing to celebrate there, and nothing to consider just part of a normal narrative.
QUESTION: What are some other subtle ways abortion is being passed off as normal in our media?
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Photo credit: CodyR on Creative Commons
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