An Open Letter to Paxton Smith

Dear Miss Smith:

This past Thursday, I learned about your valedictory address that went viral. While many people commended you for speaking against the new Texas law banning abortions as early as six weeks after conception, I have a differing viewpoint. Hopefully, you are open-minded enough to read this.

First, let me point out I’m a Christian who once leaned towards a pro-choice stance. Radical pro-life advocates who harassed and killed abortion practitioners repelled me from their cause. Then one day, I saw a picture of a little girl whose arm got cut off from an attempted abortion. The back of this flyer had illustrations of a fetus killed during an abortion procedure. That convinced me abortion is taking the lives of innocent human beings. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend watching the movie “Unplanned.”

Those in favor of abortion talk about “women’s rights.” What about the baby’s rights? It’s not the mother’s body cut to pieces during an abortion procedure. That fetus is a separate person. How would you feel if your mother had aborted you?

God forbid, I don’t want to see any woman raped. But every child has a divine destiny regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Did you know there have been famous people conceived in rape like Jesse Jackson and Ethel Waters? I once met a minister’s wife who was the offspring of a rapist. Jeri and her late husband Steve Hill traveled to numerous countries and impacted many lives.

Contrary to your claim, pregnancies are detectable within six weeks. One obvious sign is missing a period. If you ever have an unplanned pregnancy and not in a position to raise that child, you could choose life by giving him/her up for adoption. Again, think of the child’s life. Think about the couples who want children but cannot conceive on their own. Think of the blessing your unplanned child could be to them. Many adoptive parents would be willing to cover hospitalization and other expenses.

I wish you the best in your future. I pray the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the center of it.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” - Jeremiah 1:5