Kay Adams (See Meditation #458, A Lesson from Mama), along with her work for two presidential administrations, has been active in the Pro-Life movement. She has spoken and debated in many different settings, and oftentimes the crowd has been unfriendly.
Once during an abortion debate, a woman in the audience angrily told Mrs. James she was so obviously middle-class she didn’t have a clue about real African-American life. “If you understood what these women were going through, you would realize that abortion is their only choice.”
Mrs. James then asked the woman to consider a poor black mother on welfare. She already has four children and an alcoholic husband who has all but abandoned the family. Now she discovers another child is on the way.
“How would you counsel that woman?” asked Mrs. James.
“I would say that the most compassionate thing she could do for herself and the children she already has is to have an abortion,” the compassionate woman responded. “If she brought that child into this world, it would have a very poor quality of life.”
“I have a vested interest in your answer,” said Mrs. James. “The woman I described was my mother. I was the fifth of six children born into poverty. And in case you’re interested, the quality of my life is just fine.”
–Adapted from the October 1993 issue of Focus on the Family
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Isaiah 41:10 — So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 139:14-15 — For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Job 10:12 — You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
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Make me remember, O God, that every day is Thy gift and ought to be used according to Thy command, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Samuel Johnson
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O Lord God, grant us always, whatever the world may say, to content ourselves with what you say, and to care only for your approval, which will outweigh all worlds; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
–General Charles Gordon