Abortion Is God's Work? Controversial Christian Doctor Believes Terminating Life Can Be 'God's Work'
Can someone both be a Christian and an abortionist at the same time? Dr. Willie Parker, who describes himself as a black feminist living in the South, would like to believe so.
In his new memoir called "Life's Work," Parker has shocked many by writing that helping women terminate their pregnancies is carrying out the will of God, according to the New York Times.
"I believe that as an abortion provider, I am doing God's work," he says. "I am protecting women's rights, their human right to decide their futures for themselves, and to live their lives as they see fit."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Parker says he grew up believing that abortion was wrong. During the first half of his career as an OB-GYN, he adamantly refused to perform abortions. But he had a change of heart during what he claims was a "Jesus moment" when he witnessed a baby suffer a painful death because the mother insisted on giving birth.
The fetus had Potter syndrome, a condition in which the lungs do not develop. Because of her religious beliefs, the woman refused an abortion. A baby girl was born full turn, only to die because she could not breathe.
"In this case, an absolute reverence for life led to a situation that, to my eyes, consisted of nothing less than pure cruelty," Parker wrote.
Parker agrees that a fetus is indeed alive, and even an egg and sperm are alive as well. But he believes that life does not begin at conception. "Life is a process," he wrote. "It is not a switch that turns on in an instant, like an electric light."
Not all Christians share Parker's views. In fact, an overwhelming majority of the evangelical community believe abortion is wrong. Evangelist Franklin Graham even wrote in an earlier issue of Decision Magazine that abortion is a "non-negotiable issue" in the eyes of the gospel, and that it equats to "the murder of unborn children."
"Abortion is wrong. It is the murder of unborn children, and no law of the land and no party platform can ever legitimize it," he stressed.
