It has made national news: Indiana is at the brink of cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. Politically, for Daniels this is a dangerous bill, as the NPR story points out. Financially, it results in $4 million in medicaid monies lost. Morally, it raises some big questions.
Christians have the responsibility of addressing every one of these facets of public life. Politics, finances, and morality are all issues which the Bible prophetically calls the Jesus follower to stand firm on. But on whose side is the believer to stand?
On the one hand, there is a call in the Bible to care for those who are unable to speak out for themselves. One would be hardpressed to prove that an unborn child doesn't fit that description. On the other hand, a consistent ethic of human life should lead one to consider that all lives, born and unborn, are sacred in the eyes of God. All people are made in God's image, regardless of their stage in development, old and young, born and unborn.
This ethic carries over into the areas of financing and politics. While politics is not the manner in which Christ's kingdom will be established, one must, if they choose to do so, vote for candidates whose political philosophy meets this ethical requirement, among other things. The groups one supports should be groups who seek the good of all mankind and not simply their own profit. They must seek to advance human rights and dignity, and not just the movement of some volatile political issue at the expense of the people most effected by it.
Financially, one must be careful to be a good steward of the monies one is entrusted with. This means, for the politician, using that money to fund groups who support human life and dignity.
For the issue at hand here in Indiana, all of this becomes mired in political rhetoric from both sides. On the one hand, if Gov. Daniels vetoes this bill, the social conservatives of Indiana will be very angry. If he signs it into law, he may ensure his re-election or be given strength for a presidential bid, but at what expense?
The cost of signing this bill will be a huge loss to monies used to provide medical care to the poorest people, particularly women, in the state. Yes, this would be a victory for babies being born, but at the expense of the resulting children. These will be babies possibly raised in abuse and neglect. They will also be placed on Medicaid, adding a further strain to the system that just lost $4 million. The cost to support these children would most likely far exceed the loss. Is Indiana prepared for this?
This isn't to say that abortion is an ideal alternative. All children deserve a chance at life. But this chance at life should not come at the expense of one of the only organizations whose attention is focused purely on women's health. Planned Parenthood is one of few organizations who promotes and provides measures for women to prevent pregnancies in the first place, among the many other services they provide (including adoption).
A bigger issue is this: is the church ready for this? If this bill becomes law, what is the church poised to do about it? What services is the local community going to offer these women and children? With an office right here in Mishawaka, are the area churches here making preparations to provide counseling and access to adoption and medical services for underprivileged women? If not, than what right has the church to stand in the way of those who do?
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