Voiceless Daughters
Have you ever been to the aviary at the zoo? It is one of my favorite places. You walk into this artificial tropical dome fulled with plants and stunningly beautiful birds, and there's no barrier between you and the loveliness. You're allowed to walk through there and drink in the peace. There's also a sort of noisy silence inside the aviary. I say that because it isn't quiet in there at all, but there's a still, almost holy feeling when you step inside. You can spend as much time in there as you'd like, listening to the exotic calls of unseen birds and waiting to catch a glimpse of the ones who decide to show themselves.
You could say the same thing about the aviary at the zoo. So what? It's just a bunch of random plants and some birds you can barely see. On the contrary, God chooses to reveal himself in both places. Show up, and pay attention; you'll see him there.
I've mentioned John and Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating in the past. The book is all about women's hearts and how those hearts are an essential part of God's image. They say that women are a unique expression of God's beauty and vulnerability, something that makes every woman both powerful and captivating, while simultaneously making women a target for all that's evil in the world. I thought about all that yesterday during our Bible class discussion because our lesson was, in part, about abortion.
Let me anticipate your thoughts, "She lured me in with images of lovely birds, peace, and holiness so she could ambush me with an anti-abortion rant!" Um. Yes and no.
Tomorrow is the fortieth anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision,which more or less marked the end of the legal question about abortion in the U.S., which is why our Sunday school lesson brought the issue up. Let me be frank. As a disciple of Jesus, I believe that all human life is God's gift. Consequently, I think all unborn babies should be entitled to the same protection afforded to all innocent human beings. On the other hand, I don't foresee the legal decision made forty years ago ever being overturned, so that's not a issue I want to write about today.
I do want to share two things with you: an insight and a concern.
When I told you my Bible class talked about abortion, I don't know what you imagine that conversation was like. I guess it depends on how much experience you've had among Christians and what those experiences were like. I'll admit that I was a little cautious myself last week when I read the lesson study materials. Abortion is a tough issue, one that people get passionate about. I thought, "Hmmm...this should be interesting."
The conversation was all I'd hoped it would be. We openly talked about the pressures young women face. We all agreed that no young woman could ever take the decision lightly and that our hearts broke for the women faced with such a choice. We ended our talk, not with a renewed resolve to condemn or publicly shame those who had chosen abortion or faced it as realistic alternative to delivering a baby into the world, but with a firm decision to love and support other women even more in every possible situation.
While we talked, another concern was brought up.
Back during the summer, I listened to a Freakonomics podcast about gender-selective abortion. The Stevens were interviewing a woman named Mara Hvistendahl about her book on the topic called Unnatural Selection. The news that people in certain cultures were choosing to deliberately abort baby girls in the hopes of having a son instead shocked and saddened me. Apparently the practice has gained traction in some communities, particularly in Asia. A researcher named Amartya Sen has been studying the unbalanced gender ratio in areas of the world where sons are preferred for several years. In an update to a previous study Sen says--
Even if you set aside the faith-based arguments about the sanctity of life and shift the focus away from a nationally determined "woman's right to choose," this glaring global issue remains.
I'm sitting here now not sure what to write next. Until the last year, I didn't know about the world-wide war on unborn baby girls, and now I do know, but knowing really isn't enough. When I look back at the past, I want to smack some of our ancestors in the face for allowing terrible things to happen, for not doing anything about it. Then I think, "In 100 years, that's how people will feel about us."
Think about the unintended consequences of this kind of gender selection. Who will be wives to this generation of sons? Women won't be able to live freely because they will become a resource, a necessary object, something to fight over.
Thankfully, some countries like India and China, have outlawed gender-selective abortion. Laws are great, and they help. But the only true way to combat any evil in the world is through changed hearts.
The most celebrated people in history have been those who reached out at great cost to offer themselves as a voice to those without one. People like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, whose legacy we're celebrating today, put themselves at risk for others. All of us have the opportunity to do the same. We can speak up for the voiceless daughters around the globe.
Back before the holidays, I was playing a word game with some of my students called Apples to Apples. One player paired together the adjective eternal with the noun women, and the pair won. One of the teen boys said, "How did that win? That's stupid. Women aren't eternal." Just then another boy piped up, "No, man! Think about it. The world would be totally sucky and boring without girls!"
If you take the birds out of an aviary, it isn't an aviary anymore. It's just an empty dome with a bunch of plants in it. Let's not let that happen.
"May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace." (Psalm 144:12 ESV)
Image Credit: domerama.com
I'm reminded of the aviary on Sunday mornings when my ladies' Bible class meets. On some mornings, every woman wears a different color, and every week I'm struck my by the different beauties each woman brings. One brings her practical love for serving others. One grows roses. Another brings her particular love for children. Another is concerned for the elderly. All are united in a passionate love for Jesus. If you walked into our classroom, you might think you are just coming into a plain room in a simple country church. No big deal, right? I think you'd be surprised. You could say the same thing about the aviary at the zoo. So what? It's just a bunch of random plants and some birds you can barely see. On the contrary, God chooses to reveal himself in both places. Show up, and pay attention; you'll see him there.
I've mentioned John and Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating in the past. The book is all about women's hearts and how those hearts are an essential part of God's image. They say that women are a unique expression of God's beauty and vulnerability, something that makes every woman both powerful and captivating, while simultaneously making women a target for all that's evil in the world. I thought about all that yesterday during our Bible class discussion because our lesson was, in part, about abortion.
Let me anticipate your thoughts, "She lured me in with images of lovely birds, peace, and holiness so she could ambush me with an anti-abortion rant!" Um. Yes and no.
Tomorrow is the fortieth anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision,which more or less marked the end of the legal question about abortion in the U.S., which is why our Sunday school lesson brought the issue up. Let me be frank. As a disciple of Jesus, I believe that all human life is God's gift. Consequently, I think all unborn babies should be entitled to the same protection afforded to all innocent human beings. On the other hand, I don't foresee the legal decision made forty years ago ever being overturned, so that's not a issue I want to write about today.
I do want to share two things with you: an insight and a concern.
When I told you my Bible class talked about abortion, I don't know what you imagine that conversation was like. I guess it depends on how much experience you've had among Christians and what those experiences were like. I'll admit that I was a little cautious myself last week when I read the lesson study materials. Abortion is a tough issue, one that people get passionate about. I thought, "Hmmm...this should be interesting."
The conversation was all I'd hoped it would be. We openly talked about the pressures young women face. We all agreed that no young woman could ever take the decision lightly and that our hearts broke for the women faced with such a choice. We ended our talk, not with a renewed resolve to condemn or publicly shame those who had chosen abortion or faced it as realistic alternative to delivering a baby into the world, but with a firm decision to love and support other women even more in every possible situation.
While we talked, another concern was brought up.
Back during the summer, I listened to a Freakonomics podcast about gender-selective abortion. The Stevens were interviewing a woman named Mara Hvistendahl about her book on the topic called Unnatural Selection. The news that people in certain cultures were choosing to deliberately abort baby girls in the hopes of having a son instead shocked and saddened me. Apparently the practice has gained traction in some communities, particularly in Asia. A researcher named Amartya Sen has been studying the unbalanced gender ratio in areas of the world where sons are preferred for several years. In an update to a previous study Sen says--
But another more important and radical change has occurred over the past decade. There have been two opposite movements: female disadvantage in mortality has typically been reduced substantially, but this has been counterbalanced by a new female disadvantage—that in natality—through sex specific abortions aimed against the female fetus. The availability of modern techniques to determine the sex of the fetus has made such sex selective abortion possible and easy, and it is being widely used in many societies. Compared with the normal ratio of about 95 girls being born per 100 boys (which is what we observe in Europe and North America), Singapore and Taiwan have 92, South Korea 88, and China a mere 86 girls born per 100 boys. (British Medical Journal Dec.2013 )If you will, pause for a minute and think. Unborn girls are being targeted simply because they are girls, nothing but undisguised misogyny. Does that realization not cut to your heart? It does mine. It brings me to tears.
Even if you set aside the faith-based arguments about the sanctity of life and shift the focus away from a nationally determined "woman's right to choose," this glaring global issue remains.
I'm sitting here now not sure what to write next. Until the last year, I didn't know about the world-wide war on unborn baby girls, and now I do know, but knowing really isn't enough. When I look back at the past, I want to smack some of our ancestors in the face for allowing terrible things to happen, for not doing anything about it. Then I think, "In 100 years, that's how people will feel about us."
Think about the unintended consequences of this kind of gender selection. Who will be wives to this generation of sons? Women won't be able to live freely because they will become a resource, a necessary object, something to fight over.
Thankfully, some countries like India and China, have outlawed gender-selective abortion. Laws are great, and they help. But the only true way to combat any evil in the world is through changed hearts.
The most celebrated people in history have been those who reached out at great cost to offer themselves as a voice to those without one. People like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, whose legacy we're celebrating today, put themselves at risk for others. All of us have the opportunity to do the same. We can speak up for the voiceless daughters around the globe.
Back before the holidays, I was playing a word game with some of my students called Apples to Apples. One player paired together the adjective eternal with the noun women, and the pair won. One of the teen boys said, "How did that win? That's stupid. Women aren't eternal." Just then another boy piped up, "No, man! Think about it. The world would be totally sucky and boring without girls!"
If you take the birds out of an aviary, it isn't an aviary anymore. It's just an empty dome with a bunch of plants in it. Let's not let that happen.
"May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace." (Psalm 144:12 ESV)
Image Credit: domerama.com
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