[1]NEW ORLEANS (BP)–America’s largest Protestant denomination celebrated its missionary zeal in New Orleans on June 12 and 13. Ironically, as the Southern Baptist Convention gathered to proclaim the message of eternal life, across the Atlantic Ocean another group prepared to spread a very different message — a message of death.
“Women on Waves,” the world’s first “abortion ship,” is equipped and ready to sail “within weeks,” CNSNews.com reported June 5. Information concerning the departure of the vessel’s maiden voyage was not divulged. A spokesman indicated, however, that the crew planned to dock in Irish ports “very soon.”
The boat carries a fully equipped abortion clinic and will sail with a crew of approximately eight that will include a gynecologist, general practitioner and a nurse. The mission of the Women of Waves staff is to take abortion to countries where the citizens and governments ban abortion.
The abortion ship’s strategy is simple: spread the practice of abortion to as many women as possible. The goal is not only to terminate pregnancies, but to also disseminate propaganda asserting that abortion is not the “complicated and dangerous procedure” many people think that it is.
The abortion ship’s strategy to avoid prosecution consists of docking at a port where the procedure is illegal. Women will then board and the boat will sail into international waters where the abortion will be performed free from the laws of their land.
Adding to the irony of the abortion ship’s voyage is a full-page advertisement which appeared in USA Today on June 13. The promotion paid for by Priests for Life details the tragic reality of women who have died as a direct result of abortion.
[2]The ad states, “All over the United States, women have been severely hurt — physically, psychologically and emotionally — and many have died from so-called ‘safe and legal’ abortion.” Included in the announcement are the stories of three women, two of whom died.
In the past, when Southern Baptists have announced efforts to evangelize particular groups, they have been swamped with a tidal wave of criticism by members of the press as well as liberal theologians. However, the “abortion ship” sets sail and it barely makes a ripple in the mainstream media or society at large.
At the risk of overusing the word “ironic,” consider the incongruity of consequences. The abortion ship will result in the demise of countless unborn children. The possibility also exists that some women boarding the boat will experience physical and psychological trauma, and even death. On the other hand, the efforts of Southern Baptists, at the very worst, will offend a few people. At best, some will find a hope they never knew existed.
Abortionists spread their message with a missionary zeal that rivals that of Southern Baptists. There the similarity ends. The Baptists’ message is one of life eternal. The abortion ship proclaims only death. Interestingly, the Baptist boat has to maneuver the rough seas of controversy while the Women on Waves vessel enjoys smooth sailing. Ironic isn’t it?
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Boggs is pastor of Valley Baptist Church, McMinnville, Ore.