Many of us in the pregnancy help community watched the election results closely as they rolled out over several days and now that Nov. 3 (wasn’t that the day we were supposed to get definitive results?) is more than a week in the rearview mirror, here’s three things I know, and three things I think:
Three things I know:
It’s hard to write a column about elections right now
I usually write my column on Tuesdays and it appears on Thursdays here at Pregnancy Help News. As I write this, I don’t know whether the president will concede by the time you read this. Or, whether lawsuits will be clear and convincing, calling into question results in several states.
So, I know I don’t know. And by the time you read this, things may still be muddy. Or clear. Or muddy to some and clear to others. Which makes definitive conclusions impossible.
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Pro-life gains are real
There are two major political parties in the United States (I’m guessing you knew this). One party (Party A for our purposes) has a pro-life platform, the other (Party B) opposes the protection of innocent human life. The media (don’t get me started) told us Party B would take Party A to the woodshed in this election year.
Ummm, no. In the House of Representatives, Party B took losses, primarily because of Pro-Life (Party A) women on the ballot.
Same thing is likely happening in the U.S. Senate. Party A was supposed to lose the Senate but, pending results from Georgia on Jan. 5 (or whenever they get around to counting), Party A will have 50-52 votes. They need 51.
Conclusion? Pro-life is a winning issue - if one is unapologetic, honest and forthright about these views.
The election will be over one of these days
Obvious, right? Regardless of final results, at some point the election will be behind us. For life-affirming pregnancy help organizations, this means our supporters will focus on the question, “What shall we do?”
We can’t let election results derail us or lead us to complacency. We must focus on our next steps. And for now, as our friends ask us how to interpret election results, we need our messaging to be clear: No matter the political climate, we are the ultimate answer to empowering moms and dads to choose life, building families and one day, making the idea of ending a pregnancy unthinkable in our community.
Three things I think:
First, we unite
If we—the pregnancy help community—are the ultimate answer to making abortion unthinkable, we must stick together. Let’s always assume the best about our fellow laborers. For instance, when one of us is attacked by the media or by those who oppose us, let’s avoid the “We don’t do that at our ministry” defense, as this automatically implies the accusation is correct.
We don’t defend the indefensible, certainly. But we should always wait for all the facts to come in before making any defenses or judgments.
Uniting also means we find ways to come alongside each other, offering assistance and connecting as often as we can. We truly are in this thing together, regardless of our denominations, backgrounds, or approaches to pregnancy help. If we remain committed to sticking together, nothing can pull us apart.
Second, we encourage
Along with the first point, sticking together means we must encourage each other—as often as possible. This week is Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week, where we at Heartbeat International emphasize this by celebrating all of those serving on the front line.
We must always be asking ourselves one question: “Who did I encourage today?” If each of us encourages one other person in this community each day, we’ll be stronger and more effective in our work.
On a personal note, my goal is to be a better encourager in the coming year, and I’ll be offering more encouragement, tips and ideas to any who want to be included. Email me at
Third, we love
Don’t stop reading after this headline. Let’s resist the urge to say, “Sure, we love. Basic stuff. We’ve got it. Thanks for the reminder.”
Nope. None of that. Here are the facts: The early church grew exponentially primarily because the new believers loved each other so well, the outlying community took notice and joined them (see Acts 2:47 where we’re told the early church had “favor with all the people”).
There is no reason why we can’t do the same today. None. So, let’s love each other well. Our clients and potential clients will notice. And many of our perceived “enemies” will notice, too. We can bank on it.
Three things I know, three things I think. Let’s keep the faith. We’ve got work to do and victories to be won.
