Will the desire to murder babies decide the US Presidency?
US citizens will head to the polls on November 5 to select their next president, but for many Christians in the US, their vote will be determined by whose policies are best in alignment with Christian principles.
Abortion has been one of the hot-button issues on the campaign trail as Kamala Harris hopes to become the first female president and deliver on promises her Democratic party has made to make the killing of the unborn legal in all states. Republican candidate Donald Trump has not been as firm in his stance against abortion as he was in his first term of presidency when he selected a slate of Supreme Court judges who eventually overturned Roe v. Wade precedence and made abortion unconstitutional.
According to overseas-based Jamaican Delroy Lingo, Christian voters are at a crossroads and should, as a matter of priority, consult God before casting their vote. Lingo, a gospel music producer and radio host currently residing in the US, said it is very clear that one candidate is far more vocal and in support of abortion than the other.
“It doesn’t matter what party I may want to support; the whole thing about abortion from a Biblical perspective is nothing that we support; it is against everything that we believe,” said Lingo, who is also coordinator for the Diaspora group under the Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM), which comprises media workers and owners in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the diaspora.
Harris has a star-studded roster of supporters, including Beyonce and Michelle Obama, helping her to herald the push for what she terms “reproductive rights” and the possibility of a national abortion ban. Some D
emocratic strategists believe that Harris’ focus on abortion could lead to victory on Nov. 5.
Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control and abortion. However, Trump has been inconsistent in his message to voters on these issues and has constantly shifted his stance or offered vague and, at times, contradictory answers to questions on the issues. His wife, Melania, who has rarely expressed political views in public, declared recently that she is a passionate supporter of a woman’s right to control her own body – including the right to abortion.
Lingo said he is not surprised that some Christians are conflicted in their decision on who to vote for. On the one hand, there are those who really do not have a personal relationship with the Lord and are not as committed to Godly principles, but to a lesser extent, there are other considerations at play when both candidates are assessed.
“There is supposed to be two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. The church in itself would be more aligned with the Republican party for what it stands for, but the thing is that everyone is saying there is no longer two parties, there is the Democrats and there is Donald Trump, so that is where the breakdown comes, and you find that she (Harris) gets a lot of support, not because they support the Democratic party, but because they are American and they want to see the party come back,” Lingo stated before adding, “There is this saying, two evils; which one are you going to support?”
The nail-biting election is being closely monitored by pro-life advocates in Jamaica, including the president of Doctors for Life, Dr. Doreen Brady-West. For her, the candidate who best represents Christian values is clear. The Democratic National Committee, she noted, is even more vocal now than ever about its support for abortion, which is against God’s agenda.
“It is a spiritual matter in my opinion, and it is a key component of their (DNC) platform. This right to what they call abortion. The aspect of it that I look at, too, shows me what I would unequivocally and unapologetically say is the demonic impulse behind it, the wantonness of it, and also the deception in it. You hear talk about reproductive freedom. That is a funny kind of phrase to use, “reproductive freedom,” when what they are promoting is license and so-called rights of a pregnant woman not to reproduce,” said Dr. Brady-West, a medical doctor.
“What is also clear to me is that one cannot sit on the fence on this matter because the DNC candidate has made it clear that there ought to be no exemptions,” she declared.
Dr Brady-West said she is concerned that the Republican Party is changing its tune on the matter of abortion. This reality she noted cannot be overlooked; however, she believes this move is a political one.
“In my opinion there is a clear choice between someone who is advocating, pushing, demanding, imposing this as a right and as a central core of their platform than the other side, which is compromising, yes, but is not going at it the same way,” she said.
Like Lingo, she is hoping that Christians will go with the choice to safeguard lives.
“If Jesus is Lord, then I don’t see how you can hold two mutually exclusive and contrary views at the same time. That is to say, Jesus is Lord, God rules, and then you support an organisation that promotes and imposes what God prohibits. It is not a vague issue, or an undecided issue, or a controversial issue, or somewhat unclear,” she said.