There was a time when the mantra for abortion rights sounded like this: “Safe, legal, and rare.” My, how the times have changed.

The new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Mandy Cohen, said, “…we will support however we can the work that’s being done across the government to support women in their reproductive health.” She called access to abortion one of her “priorities” and melded the idea together with her support for birth control as if the two were the same.

Why is it that people now argue for expanded access to abortion as legitimate health care?

I want to point to two references from Scripture. The first is the story about the Tower of Babel.

They said, “Come, let’s build a city for ourselves and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

Over time the people of that region shifted their focus. God was no longer the center of their universe – they were. They wanted recognition and permanency. For them, this was heaven. This was to be an enduring monument to who they are and what they have accomplished.

When you drop God out of the picture, and all you are left with is what you can do for yourself, this is the kind of thing you do. You crave respect and maybe even the fear of others. You want to be the god of the land and the lord of your destiny.

That brings me to the other reference:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the road to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Proverbs 14 presents a series of contrasts between how God’s people viewed things and how others viewed things. God’s people live for something far more significant and enduring than anything that can be created for life in this world. God’s people in the Old Testament spoke of a resurrection (Job 19:25), a day of judgment for a continued afterlife (Daniel 12:2), and an eternal existence (Psalm 139:23-24).

At some point in history, the people of Babel determined they did not want what God promised. Instead, they wanted to use their flawed reasoning to make their plan for heaven on earth.

Those advocating for abortion do not have in mind the things of God but the things of this world. They have imagined for themselves an existence where they make the rules. They decide what is right and wrong and, ultimately, who lives or dies.

We need God-fearing, Bible-believing people in high places to reflect a different religion than what we have now, the old religion of the world, where you do what you want and get what you can get, and too bad about the consequences. This requires a heart change, and that means the Gospel – the true antidote to abortion on demand.