I join many Kentucky Baptists in praising God for faithful men and women who have dedicated much of their lives in the defense of the unborn. Because of God’s blessings on their efforts, we live in a state where medical elective abortion is banned. Because of the hard work and prayers of many, the EMW Women’s Surgical Center, our state’s primary abortion clinic, was shuttered in 2022 and Planned Parenthood is no longer able to list abortion as one of the services it provides in Kentucky.
While we rejoice in these herculean wins, we grieve that our lawmakers and law enforcers have been unable to prevent Mifepristone, more commonly known as the abortion pill, from being mailed into our state — in effect making every home a potential abortion clinic. It is likely that just as many abortions are being performed today as before the trigger law went into effect — just at different locations.
Being consistently pro-life requires that we tackle the continuing human rights atrocity of elective abortion by recognizing the rights of the unborn and codifying those rights into state law. While there are many complicated issues to be considered in recognizing the rights of pre-born children, it is time to make that move legislatively. Here’s why:
1. Because it is a biblical position: The Bible consistently recognizes the personhood status of the pre-born. John the Baptist leaped in the womb when his mother heard the greeting of Mary (Luke 1:41). King David referenced his preborn personhood in Psalm 139:13 when he penned the words, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” The prophet Jeremiah joined the chorus of those proclaiming their humanity before exiting the womb when he quoted God as saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” The personhood status of the pre-born is clearly established in Scripture.
2. Because it is a logical position: Less than two years ago, Kentucky Baptists went on record affirming the rights of the unborn and calling for equal protection under the law. At the 2023 Annual Meeting of Kentucky Baptists a resolution was passed that said in part, “RESOLVED, that as Kentucky Baptists, we, by the authority of God’s Word, will engage, with God’s help, in establishing justice for preborn children through equal protection of the law and call upon pastors and leaders to use their God-given gifts of preaching, teaching, and leading to speak with one unified, principled, prophetic voice to abolish abortion.” The next logical step in the pro-life movement is to see equal protection for the unborn established in Kentucky law.
3. Because it is a consistent position: The Kentucky Baptist Convention Mission Board staff operates within the parameters of a robust policy manual. These policies are reviewed every three years. One of our policies has to do with expressions of sympathy provided for team members who experience the passing of a loved one. We will soon be revising that policy to include an expression of sympathy to be sent when a team member loses a child to miscarriage. It only makes sense that if we believe the preborn child is a person, then we will want to honor that person’s life.
4. Because it is a defensible position: The entire pro-life movement is built on the foundation of the personhood of the preborn. Every pro-life leader argues for the protection of the unborn child. Therefore, it only makes sense that the pre-born child deserves legal protection in our state law. The easiest positions to defend are those that make the most sense, and extending legal protection to preborn children makes sense.
5. Because it is the right position: Because of the courageous work of brave and convictional men and women in our country, the shameful practice of chattel slavery was abolished in America. The only way elective abortion—chemical or otherwise—will ever be abolished in Kentucky and in America is for the brave elected and religious leaders of our day to work to establish the God-given personhood rights of the unborn in law.
I am asking Kentucky Baptists to join me in praying for our elected leaders to work together to establish personhood rights for the unborn in Kentucky law. Proverbs 31:8 exhorts leaders to, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Will you join me in this prayer?
Dr. Todd Gray 