Photo Credit: Evan Vucci
Last year’s election was a huge point of contention in the abolitionist movement. There are well-meaning, thoughtful brothers on both sides of the fence in the 2024 election. When I say “both sides of the fence” I mean voting for Trump or not voting. I want to lay out my case for why I voted for Donald Trump in 2024, and how this does not violate my continued convictions as an abolitionist, nor should it yours if you find yourself in the same boat. To start, I am advocating for voting for Trump in the 2024 election specifically. I am not a die-hard Trumper, though I do like him in some respects, were there a better option last year that would have effectively made some change, I would have gone that route. In the abortion abolition movement, there is a sentiment that those who voted for Trump, knowing his stance on abortion and his goal to federalize funding for IVF, have compromised on child sacrifice and have sinned. I disagree with both charges for a few reasons, which I will lay out in this article. If we are to be consistent, I think a vote for the Republican candidate last year was more in alignment with our stated convictions as abolitionists. But again, I reject the premise that either stance of voting for the orange guy or withholding your vote was sinful, per Romans 14, I believe this is a matter of conscience.
Partiality To The Children In The Womb
Deuteronomy 1:17 “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great.“
First, let’s talk about partiality. We in the abolitionist community rightly point out that God tells us to show no partiality in our judgments, this is one reason that I believe a vote for Trump last election was more consistent with my convictions, rather than refusing to vote. In the context of ancient Israel, the Jews would sacrifice their children to Molech after they were born. In the first century, the church would rescue children who were left out to be exposed to the elements for death in Rome. (Note, even the pagan Roman Empire would at least have the children before they murdered them, that says a lot about our culture.) My point is this, both the fatherless inside and outside of the womb should be held equal in our hearts, as they are in God’s, and we should seek justice and protection for both of them, as was the context of ancient Israel sacrificing their children, and the early church saving others. We make this exact case in our bills of equal protection. Child sacrifice is the greatest evil of our nation today, but the fight against it should not stop when a child exits the womb. And because we embrace this charge from the Lord to show no partiality to any human being, we cannot then turn around and deprive justice from the fatherless that lives outside of the magical birth canal, to seek to bring justice to the fatherless child on the other side. The actual case of showing partiality would be to deny justice to the one for the sake of the other. A vote for Trump last year did not do this, because abortion was not on the ballot. There was, however, a myriad of other issues on the ballot that we did vote to bring an end to, I’ll get into those specifically in the next section, but unfortunately, abortion wasn’t an option last year. I believe it would be consistent with the command of showing no partiality in judgment to all made in the Imago Dei to vote to end these things. Because the child in the womb is equal to any other human being, they should not be placed above others who are also facing injustice or being led to the slaughter. There is a tendency when you are a part of abortion ministries to become fixated on that single thing, I think that’s what happened last year when some of us decided, “I am going to withhold my vote for the guy who will bring justice to the Image bearers walking around right now, in an attempt to bring some future justice to the Image bearers who can’t walk yet.” No one came out of this thing spotless, it was a win-some, lose-some situation, unfortunately, no matter what you did. To quote the official song of Arminianism; Freewill by Rush; “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice”.
Equal Justice Under The Law
Deuteronomy 27:19 “Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
Just as we may not show partiality to the 6+ week old with a heartbeat, and allow human beings younger than that to be slaughtered, we also cannot show partiality to the fatherless or the widow, at the expense of the sojourner (which, about our own nation’s border, includes fatherless children and widows). Lady justice must be blind indeed. The command in Deuteronomy expects all of these people to be held equally, not one or the other. Our nation has not only allowed, by government enforcement, our borders to remain wide open, but it has also incentivized and facilitated the sojourner to come in illegally and be shuttled around. We’ll fly you in, and give you a cushy room at the Hilton, $5,000 in your pocket, and a cell phone. We won’t even lock you up when you commit crimes against our own citizens (where is our own people’s justice when they are victimized, by the way?).This has not only incentivized people, including fatherless children and widows, from all over the world to travel or be sent here for a chance at a better life, but it has also put a target on them by those running the other side of the southern border, namely satanic, drug smuggling, murderous, pimps known as the cartels. Who, by the way, are now considered foreign terrorist organizations. These sojourners are used as mules and prostitutes, and killed or left for dead by those who see them not as Image bearers of the Living God, but as suitcases, dollar signs, and pieces of meat. Where is their justice? Are we not allowed to deliver justice and protection to the sojourner, regardless of how old or what gender they are (cuz partiality), because someone over here is not getting justice as well? Of course not, because we believe in equal justice under the law for all humans. Since this issue was within our scope of actually bringing justice to these fatherless children, these widows, and these sojourners, we have no right as Christians to deny them that when it is within our grasp. The fact of the matter is, God has judged our nation with two wicked options for rulers. Under either Trump or Harris, more innocent children in the womb would be murdered, and only one of those two choices was going to be elected. Just as we refuse to show special rights and protections to babies with heartbeats in the womb, over those who don’t yet, we must refuse to show special rights and protections to children when they are in their mother’s womb, above others. Considering the whole counsel of God, refusing to seek justice for the sojourner for the sake of the fatherless in the womb is showing partiality or favoritism. All humans are worthy of protection. Electing a president who will do justice for those who also need it, (not “for cheap eggs”, or whatever), is not. Sadly, as I’ve said, the children in the womb weren’t on the ballot the last election, so no, I have not compromised on abortion. However, justice for the sojourner was on the ballot. As was justice for our own children being mutilated on our dime, the innocent neighbors in Israel and Gaza that we’re funding the destruction of, and the Ukrainians we’re paying to be canon fodder on our behalf, where is their justice if we refuse to vote? Are they not equally important to God? We were able to do some of that last year, at no extra cost to the fatherless in the womb, and perhaps less to them in one of the two options we were given. Though they undoubtedly will continue to be massacred on our soil, heaping judgment on our nation, that was going to happen regardless of who was elected. Proverbs 18:5 tells us to not show partiality to the wicked as well as not to deprive the needy of justice, we don’t get to pick and choose. Isaiah 1:16-17 tells us to correct oppression and bring justice to the fatherless, as well as plead the widow’s cause, not just one thing at a time to the exclusion of others.
Inconsistency Is A Sign Of A Failed Argument
Romans 3:8 “And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.”
In our fight for total and immediate abolition of abortion, and criticizing the pro-life industry, we point out that we cannot use evil means to accomplish good ends (Romans 3:8). I will do as Paul exhorts us and imitate him. In the letter to the Roman church, Paul anticipates arguments that will arise against him. Here’s mine; “If you vote for Trump, who is compromised on abortion, why wouldn’t you support heart bills or any other unjust law put forward by the pro-life industry? They also claim to be doing good where they can, helping some babies, etc. Don’t you call that ‘doing evil so good may come’, Jay? You big fat hypocrite!” Well, first off, don’t call me fat, buddy. When we vote for a president, a governor, or anything where there is 1 vote and 100 issues to consider all wrapped up, it is much different than voting directly for a single piece of legislation. I didn’t vote on a heartbeat bill when I voted for Trump because it wasn’t on the menu, nor would I under any circumstance, for the very reasons that were just hypothetically thrown at me moments ago. None of us could be held to that standard with a candidate, as opposed to a singular bill, lest we never vote again, because no one is going to 100% align with you in every single piece of legislation in their entire political career. This would simply immobilize us, and I thought we believed in people not being punished for other people’s sins? I believe not voting is a wasted opportunity to be salt and light, especially in a two-party system, where a vote for one is effectively a vote against the other. On the contrary, if we are throwing around the “doing evil that good may come” accusation, is that not what you would be doing by ignoring the Image bearer over here, to help the Image bearer over there? I.e. withholding our vote and not delivering justice to fellow Image bearers right now, to leverage our power to tell the Republican Party; “If you want our vote, you must change on this issue in 4 years, while more babies are killed in the womb and more of our neighbors outside the womb suffer in the meantime”. I do not believe either side has done evil or sinned in voting or not voting, because neither of us voted on a piece of legislation that would bring about evil so that good may come of it. I am simply trying to keep us consistent in the standards we use, lest we fall into slandering and bearing false witness against the brethren.
Be Wise As Serpents
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
The Lord has sovereignly ordained our place in history. Just like with Joseph in Egypt with his divining cup, and Daniel in Babylon serving the pagan kings, the Lord puts His people under rulers sometimes for their judgment, their good, and His glory, but He does not condemn them for having to operate within that system. Might I add, while we are talking about it, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, praise be to God! I posed this question to some abolitionist friends who disagreed with my vote last year and generally got the same response. I asked them; “Do you think it is sinful to adopt children who have been created and then frozen from IVF clinics? Would that not be us giving money to and incentivizing a wicked industry to continue?” After all, if no one outside of the church adopted these children, and only Christians did ever again, wouldn’t that just tell the false gods of the IVF industry that they are always going to have customers? The answer I generally got was “No, these children have already been created, and as Christians we should show them mercy and love by adopting them. We must work within this evil system to help as many people as we can, as we continue to work for its ultimate abolition.” Yes and amen. I agree, and I believe it to be consistent with my case of voting for the orange man. But, hang on, wouldn’t that be us participating in this evil system to work some good? IVF at its best is human trafficking, at its worst it is genocide. Aren’t we doing evil so good may come? Of course not, we are living where God put us and seeking to glorify Him and love our neighbors while working for the ultimate end of this evil. This is the political world and time God has placed us, and we must think biblically, under the full counsel of God to do the best we can in loving the Lord our God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We find ourselves providentially in a den of snakes, so in the words of Christ, we must be as wise as serpents. With laws being weaponized under Biden, such as the FACE Act, where old women were being arrested simply for being at murder mills, and the ever-expanding restrictions of our free speech online, we need to take a step back and consider the future of our fight for the total and immediate abolition of abortion in this nation. Would we have had the freedom to hit the streets and advocate for our unborn neighbors in 4 more years? I have very serious doubts, but I am neither a prophet nor the son of one. All we can do is consider what is happening around us politically and make an educated vote on the matter. If we can’t go to the mills anymore or even speak freely in public, let alone online if every dissenting voice is considered “hate speech” (defined by the ear of the beholder), how are we going to fight? Another very serious thing to consider is this; there was an obvious scheme from the Democratic Party to fill swing states with as many illegal aliens as possible, to the detriment of their citizens, to secure more democratic butts in the seats of the House of Representatives. Does anyone truly believe that people were being let into the country illegally out of love and compassion for them? Well, probably some do, but they also don’t know what boys and girls are. We saw this playing out already before the election. Since state population determines the amount of seats for reps. in the House (regardless of citizenship), these warm bodies were being used to leverage more democrat representation, solidifying a blue majority for key states. The idea is; to bribe people with free stuff or scare them with the reality of deportation should they lose the election, and it will generate more democrat voters. If the border remained open, more illegal aliens received amnesty, and the majority was perpetually colored blue, why would we expect any of our efforts to advance, or even continue for that matter? Granted, the average Republican rep has the stance on abortion that Dems had like 10 years ago, they are more inclined to listen to us to continue receiving our support in the future. After all, that is the very reason behind withholding our vote in the first place, because we must work within the system God has placed us. There are some very wise and crafty serpents amongst us, brethren.
Ultimately…
I voted for Trump, I am not extremely happy about that, but he was the option the Lord put in front of me that I was able to do some good with. Were it a different election, I may not have, but to repeat the old cliche, this was the most important election possibly ever, (I can hear your eyes rolling into the back of your skull from here). You show me the last American election we had where we were actively funding multiple potential world wars at once, our borders were completely open with already 10’s of millions of invaders here that we’re also paying for, which include terrorists, and criminals with enough Fentanyl to kill Hunter S. Thompson again. Where we were paying for little kids to be mutilated and lied to and porn peddled to them. Actual lawfare against political enemies, the list goes on. All at once. My conscience is clear for my decision last election, and yours should be too, my fellow abolitionist. And when my brothers and sisters in the abolitionist movement silently lay in their beds at night and have a sigh of relief that Kamala Harris didn’t get in and potentially stop our fight in its tracks, you can thank us who you otherwise throw under the bus when you wake up and hit X, (the artist formerly known as Twitter), to complain about us and tell us we’re in unrepentant sin.
