I saw them again today.
If you drive along Woodruff Road, a major artery here in Greenville, during the week, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the elderly couple protesting abortion. They usually walk the sidewalk in front of Applebee’s and sometimes as far down as Chick-fil-A.
(Just to be clear, to my knowledge there are no abortions actually taking place in Applebee’s, and I’ll vouch that Chick-fil-A is in the clear here as well.)
These people are there nearly every day walking around with signs that say “Stop Abortion Now.” Sometimes the man carries a baby doll in a baby backpack and the lady is pushing a baby doll in a little plastic stroller. To me that seems to add more strangeness than poignancy to their activity.
I always want to ask this couple a question:
What are you trying to accomplish here?
Listen, I’m 100% supportive of their cause. I believe abortion is a heinous form of murder and Roe v Wade should be overturned. But, I think their methodology is dumb ineffective. Forgetting the fact that we live in one of the most conservative parts of the country, I just don’t know that seeing this couple with their signs and dolls walking up and down a congested highway is going to evoke a change of mind or heart in anyone.
I admire their passion for the cause, but couldn’t it be put to better use?
Is there a better approach?
Wouldn’t it be more effective to devote their time and energy to volunteering at a local crisis pregnancy center? They could invest themselves in recruiting volunteers, counseling hurting young moms-to-be, cleaning the floors, doing whatever needs to be done.
As evil as abortion is, I think the best Christian response is to seek to care for those in the grips of the kind of internal conflict that leads them to consider that course of action. A Christian response should also seek to care for the orphans and the kids that other people don’t want or simply cannot care for.
I think we should absolutely be involved in using our opportunities to vote and advocate for these issues, but I think the primary expression of activism should be to take a pro-active role in letting hurting young women (and men) know that there are life-affirming alternatives and helping make those alternatives increasingly available.
What do you think?