Wielding the Power of Love

Kirt Wiggins, President, Caring Network

Many vocal advocates of abortion seem to doubt the good intentions of those who help unexpectedly pregnant women to choose life for their babies. It’s not clear what these antagonists believe motivates people who spend their lives working for life. It is clear that they have little understanding of selfless love, agape love.

Love is driving our effort at Caring Network to save lives and it motivates us in the face of strong headwinds. Let me describe the daunting environment in which we work for life in Illinois:

Abortion is widely available in Illinois, perhaps the most abortion-friendly state in the country. In the last year, more than 90,000 babies were aborted, making it the greatest cause of death in the state.
The life of an in-utero baby is devalued, dismissed, degraded, and unrecognized, with no human rights.
Sexual activity outside of marriage is unquestioned and generally assumed, but leaves pregnant women more vulnerable than ever.
The church’s influence is waning and commonly is no longer consulted when a woman is considering an abortion
In Illinois, taxpayers are forced to help fund the abortions of women’s traveling to the state from more restrictive states, and the government is committed to stopping pro-life efforts. Pro-abortion public officials widely outnumber pro-life representatives.
In the City of Chicago there are 18 abortion facilities to 6 pregnancy resource centers.

Deeply entrenched cultural vices are difficult to unearth. Nowhere do we see this more than in the effort to eliminate abortion in Illinois and in our nation. In this seemingly impossible environment, the most important thing that advocates for life do is wield the power of love. Unselfish, unlikely, unimaginable, unlimited, unexpected, and unconditional–love transcends everything.

This doesn’t seem possible for many who have not experienced God’s love in their own lives. They don’t believe that the actions of people to help others for no other reason but love could be real. They really can’t understand. In a fallen world there are a lot of reasons for healthy cynicism. In the realm of the redeemed, there is a lot of reasons to believe in the power of love.

Mother Teresa comes to mind because love so thoroughly compelled her to action. It was not enough for her to tell the truth. She lived it. When Mother Teresa spoke about abortion at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in 1994, she said: “Abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace today.” She went on to ask, “How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion?” “As always,” she answered, “we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts.”[1]

Mother Theresa’s words ring as true today as it did when she spoke them.

We want our laws to protect the vulnerable unborn, and there have been solid gains in recent years (and some setbacks). At the same time, changing abortion laws are not enough. The law of love is our marching order. We must love women back to life when they may feel as if their lives are ending. So much of our culture has worked against them being mothers or seeing pregnancy as a gift of life.

At Caring Network, we say “we love you” to these women in many ways:

We love you enough to equip you to choose life. It’s the core of what we do through our women’s clinics.

Wherever you live in northern Illinois, there is a supporting women’s clinic nearby. Our women’s clinics and telehealth care make sure women have confidential, judgment-free, expert care. We are advocates of what pregnant women need. We are prepared for significant conversations about the challenges of motherhood and the help that is available. Ultrasounds are essential because they provide a first look for expectant mothers at their growing babies. It rejects the lies that they hear about the “bundle of tissue” that is in them.

We love you enough to equip you choose a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

In gratitude to God for the life that is within us, we look for opportunities to share God’s love with the women we serve and to explain God’s provision available through life in Christ.

We love you enough to help you find a connection with a supportive group and a church.

Our Connections groups act as the hands and feet of Christ, coming as a group alongside a woman who is experiencing unexpected pregnancy. New moms need more than diapers: They need a support network that provides practical help, give relational support, and even celebrate by throwing a baby shower when the time comes.

We love you enough to provide resources and find the means to support a solid life for you and for your baby

It’s hard to perceive the value of bringing new life into this world when you don’t how you’ll pay the bills. We’re all suffering from higher prices. Our ministry partners understand the mindset of a young woman in poverty, not quite making ends meet for herself. Supporting a baby may seem impossible to her. It’s the time to get them resources. It means walking with moms for a lifetime–longer-term support to help moms get on their feet with housing and jobs and transportation and child care. Churches are in many ways safe havens for women who didn’t plan to be pregnant and now are in need.

Abortion-rights advocates often say that those who advocate for life only care about babies before they are born. While they live in a sea of lies, that one is the chief among them. We act in the power of love, before and after birth.

We love you enough to maintain a relationship with you. You are part of our family.

When women visit our women’s clinics, they become not only clients but also new friends with lifelong relationships that are cemented by truly sacred conversations, first looks at your baby, ongoing support, and a listening ear whenever you need one.

We act as a life-minded community. It is a place for women and children and families in their times of need. That’s the power of love. It is formidable!

[1] https://aleteia.org/2021/09/04/when-mother-teresa-dared-to-tell-a-u-s-president-that-abortion-is-murder