“’The unborn’ are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn… You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.
Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”
Dave Barnhart
J. Ruth Kelly 
It took me a while to see where you were going with this. I’ve had two other experiences that made it less clear for me. First, a friend who prays for her descendants (future, obviously). And I was also thinking about the Native American seventh generation concept of personal responsibility. It was a bit of a puzzle at first, but I saw your meaning by the end. Nicely written!
I agree, Angelica. It’s very nicely written but it’s not written by me. 🙂 Dave Barnhart wrote this. This post is in quotes and his name appears at the end with a link to the actual post of these/his thoughts on Facebook.
I liked how he cuts through to the total convenience of championing the unborn and how easy it is to do that and then turn around and abandon the actual living/born who are in need.
I don’t know if you realize it, but the Bible speaks of the sins of the father being visited on a family “unto the seventh generation.” I have tremendous respect for the reverberating power of our choices. I find, though, that we can often eventually find that our good/better/loving choices can create some painful and even destructive ripple effects in ways we never saw coming at us. This whole idea of certainty of the karmic impact of our choices is something I find unreliable. But I do live to facilitate and hopefully embody love’s impact on my world.
I like the thought of praying for our descendants. 🙂
Oh I didn’t realize it was someone else writing. Thanks!
Huh, I’d forgotten about the Bible quote. I was thinking of this: https://www.mollylarkin.com/prophecy-of-crazy-horse/
It was surprisingly hard to track down that quote, if I didn’t know it existed, I’d have thought it was a legend only. Lovely words.
Thank you for posting this, it definitely inspired thought!
I don’t think Jesus would actually recognize them . . .
But like him, we must forgive them for they know what they are doing.
…I initially read your comment as Jesus’ words on the cross when he said “Father, forgive them, for they know NOT what they do.” though you left that word out (possibly on purpose, possibly not) and then you say “them”, in the part “we must forgive them” and I realize that could mean “them” the unborn, or “them” the women carrying the unborn, or “them” the people who so easily champion the unborn. And my only reaction to this in the context you speak it is that Jesus’ utterance on the cross applies to all of us, all over the world, Muslim, Sikh, Jews, Christians, Hindus, etc., given the spirit of the words themselves. And then to address your actual statement (intended or not) there are times when we know what we do. And if that’s what you actually meant to say, given your typing, I can only say that given what the Bible reveals of him, Jesus would likely approve of your statement. Forgive them, whether they know what they do or not. (not that this espouses my beliefs at this time, these are just my observations and responses based on my own exposure to the words and exhortations of Jesus as translated in what we know as the Bible) In any case, none of this is about forgiveness for me specifically. I hear and receive these words as a clarion call to see more deeply into the motives of those claiming to care.