“No abortion. No exceptions.”  It’s a common statement among pro-lifers. At face value, it makes sense. Or does it?

Exceptions to what, exactly?  When people say the word “abortion,” not everyone means the same thing. Before Roe v. Wade, abortion meant any termination of pregnancy accompanied by or resulting in the death of the embryo or fetus, which would include miscarriage and stillbirth.

Since Roe, the term “abortion” has come to be understood by most people as induced abortions only, thus excluding miscarriage and stillbirth. There is no distinction between procedures performed to save a woman’s life and those done only for convenience. All are abortions.

Many pro-lifers, however, insist that an abortion necessary to save a woman’s life is not an abortion. Perhaps it makes them feel more bold. Regardless of why it is said, saying “no exceptions” is confusing and disingenuous. We must be clear about what we mean, and it’s important that we use correct definitions.  Otherwise, we will be misunderstood, at great cost to our own credibility and our cause.

The general public understands that the treatment of an ectopic pregnancy is, by definition, an abortion. Whatever other words you might assign to it, that procedure is the immediate cause of the child’s death.  Therefore, the procedure necessary to save the mother’s life is an abortion.

When many states drafted laws restricting abortion in the wake of Dobbs, the focus became what, if any, exceptions would be allowed.  These debates quickly devolved into false accusations that pro-lifers wanted to ban medical care for miscarriages and let women die from ectopic pregnancies.  Nothing could be further from the truth, but we saw many pro-lifers talking past our opponents because they were unwilling to use the correct definition of abortion, and therefore clouding the definition of exception.

Our new sign quotes almost verbatim from Tennessee House Bill 883, which states that abortion is not criminal if the termination of pregnancy “was necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”  TN HB883 goes on to explain that threats of suicide or self-harm or any reason relating to mental health do not qualify.

So, how would this policy be applied?  Here are three commonly raised scenarios:

• If the complication arises early in pregnancy (e.g. an ectopic pregnancy), unfortunately, nothing can be done to save the child’s life. If no action is taken, both mother and child die. The only pro-life response is to save the life you can.
• If the complication arises later in pregnancy (after about 24 weeks), the mother can deliver prematurely, and appropriate efforts will be made to save the child.
• If the mother has uterine cancer, she may act heroically to carry the baby until the age of viability, even if the growing cancer imperils her own life.  However, such a sacrifice cannot be required by law.  She must be allowed any medical intervention necessary to save her own life.

Medical professionals must act in good faith when making medical judgments.  Even if laws with exceptions were not properly applied, however, we would still oppose a legal solution that denies women legitimate life-saving medical care.

Pro-abortion advocates wish to label our side as uncaring toward pregnant mothers with serious medical problems. By clarifying the life of the mother exception, we affirm the value of both mother and child.

We are delighted to introduce our newest staff member, Caleb Johnson! Now some of you may be thinking, didn’t they just introduce him last summer? And you would be correct! Caleb interned with us last summer and it was such a fulfilling experience for him that he decided to join us full time. We are so thankful!

Caleb grew up in a godly family but says, “I only became experientially pro-life after the bloodguilt of supporting an abortion destroyed everything in my life. I became actively pro-life after I was saved and delivered from my guilt.” God healed Caleb and then showed him that he needed to reach others with the truth.

About a year after Caleb was saved, he was struck by stories in the Old Testament in which God warned the people of Israel that they would be held responsible for the innocent blood shed in their land. Caleb couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Israel in the days leading up to that judgment and the current state of our own nation. In ancient Israel, it wasn’t just the directly guilty parties who felt God’s judgment. Ezekiel, Daniel, and others were innocent and yet they were exiled along with all the rest.

This is when Caleb realized he needed to actively fight abortion or there would be some very serious consequences not only for the preborn, but for himself and our country as a whole.

This is not the first time Caleb has fought for his country. He served as an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps for four years, including two combat deployments in Iraq. No stranger to confronting evil, he has now sacrificially committed himself to yet another war here at home.

Caleb started his pro-life activity by ministering outside an abortion center. However, he quickly realized that his success rate was very low. He wanted to find a way to reach people before their hearts were hardened, but sidewalk counseling was the only thing he knew to do. In what Caleb describes as an answer to prayer, his dad told him about CBR. As soon as Caleb heard about the Genocide Awareness Project, he signed up for our mailing list. When we next put out the call for volunteers, he joined up!

Wanting to be sure before quitting his existing job as a personal fitness trainer, Caleb decided to participate in our Summer Internship in 2023. At the end of the summer, he felt God was calling him to full-time work to end abortion. We are so very glad he is with us.

In his new role as Community Outreach Coordinator, Caleb will be training local pro-life leaders to be more effective by using CBR tactics and resources. Welcome aboard, Caleb!

Even more stories from our outreach at Kent State University.

Not everyone was rude. Angela stopped to tell volunteer Pam, “I am a pre-med student, and my textbooks confirm exactly what you are saying about human development.” She returned later in the day with a friend and they both began enthusiastically defending the preborn.

They even thanked us! Lisa boldly stepped between us and the protesters and proclaimed, “Thank you for being here.”  She encouraged each of us with her sweet demeanor. We always appreciate it when students express their support, but it’s even more inspiring to see when the campus environment is particularly hostile.

While some were truly touched… One young woman stood at a distance and stared at the photos for a long while. Eventually, she approached CBR staffer Amanda saying, “Wow, this is so graphic.  I have never seen anything like this before.  This is so sad.”  They spoke for a bit, and it was clear that she was very deeply moved by what she saw. Finally, she walked away, still pondering in her sadness.

Others remained hard-hearted. Unfortunately, not everyone was as open. A male student briskly walked past the display and gruffly said, “Give me a coat hanger.  I’ll do it any day!” We hope that one day his heart will be softened toward his preborn brothers and sisters.