When I was a child one of the things that excited me was the prospect of
getting a little plastic toy out of a vending machine. Years ago it was more
common to enter a store and be greeted by a row of machines where you could
put a coin in with the hopes of retrieving the “treasure” that you wanted.
Looking back now I see these machines as purveyors of disappointment because
you never received the toy you wanted but something considerably more lame.
In such instances it was typical for a child to start to whine (not me of
course….I was so much more composed and mature…yeah right) and the
parent would dutifully fork over another coin. Of course the same result
occurred and the whining turned to crying and in some instances a good-ole
full blown tantrum ending with the child being dragged (or carried) away
while looking longingly at the coveted prize that remained behind. What is
interesting to note is final resting place of the toys that the child did
receive. They inevitably were thrown on the ground (in the midst of the
aforementioned tantrum) or placed in a trash can because they were clearly
not what the child wanted. It can be argued that these machines were rigged
to produce misery because the coveted prize was so elusive. With children we
might expect such reactions over a twenty five cent prize that didn’t meet
their expectations. At that time in our life the idea of throwing away or
leaving behind the object we didn’t want was part of our simplistic
reasoning and limited emotional make-up. The idea of “I wanted that one so
this one stinks and I am throwing it out” was common place at the site of
There has been a movement underway for years now that has at its center
something much more valuable than a twenty-five cent plastic toy. What is at
stake is a human life. The debate that is raging is over a practice known as
“Sex-selective abortions”.The issue at hand is that some are arguing that
it should be the right of the parent(s) to abort their child if they learn
that it will not be the sex they were hoping for. Wanted a girl and getting
a boy? Throw out the boy by ending his life. Wanted a boy but getting a
girl? In the trash she goes. I’m sorry if that description sounds harsh or
crude but I did not come up with the idea or the practice. The idea of
sex-selective abortions is growing in popularity in the United States. If
some have their way, the vending machine phenomenon described above will now
show itself in the realm of pregnancy. “But I wanted a toy!” could one day
be replaced by the widespread cry of “But I wanted a boy!” or vice-versa if
Perhaps you think that such a practice of aborting a child based purely on
the parents preference for gender could never happen in the United States
but legislation and court battles reveal that some people want this practice
to become permissible by law. I read an article recently where one doctor
who was in favor of the practice said, “Forcing pregnant women who do not
want a child of one sex or the other to give birth could harm both the baby
For years now pro-choice lobbyists have paraded just about any reason in
front of us as to why babies are disposable but this one seems particularly
appalling because it opens the door to the extermination of life for no
What is this notion of sex-selective abortion? It is the latest by-product
of godlessness, wickedness, foolishness and darkness that emanates from
sinful hearts. Let us pray that those who want such a practice would come to
see it for what it is…the tossing away of human life as if it were a cheap
For Him,
Rob