My HEART for Amendment 26

As most of you know, I was given the opportunity to take a new job that allows me to work from home and travel to various school districts to use my education degree and my passion for educating children in a different way. When God answered this prayer for me, it was my goal to use time that was given back to my life to be a better Christ follower, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. When I was in the classroom, I never had time to do the things that could make me a better person, especially a Christian! So, the one thing that I have taken the time to
do in the recent months is research this Amendment 26. I have read and listened to both sides and have seen points for both sides, but in my mind I decided it had to be a heart/moral issue for me. And if you know me at all, you also know that I can’t keep my opinions to myself, so I am going to share my thoughts. I don’t write this post to cause controversy or to make enemies, but for you to hear my heart. I hope that is what you hear when you read this, and if you haven’t made a decision to vote yes, maybe this will help you. I am in no means here to judge you, that is not my job….thank goodness. I just know what I have struggled with and the kinds of
thoughts that I have had over the past couple of months.


I feel strongly about the following verse….why? Because it is God’s word, and when all other words have crumbled around me or turned out to be false or have failed me, one thing that does not fail me is God’s word. I have learned the hard way….after listening to the world and the world failing me, the one thing that has not….is GOD’S WORD!

Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the
rights of all who are destitute."

I should say, at this point, if you are reading this and are pro-choice, then we have a fundamental difference in beliefs. You will probably not agree with anything I say. I write this more for the "pro-life" proponents who are against this vote. To make it clear, the actual wording of what we are voting on is as
follows:
"Initiative 26 would
amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word 'person' or 'persons', as
those terms are used in Article III of the state constitution, to include every human
being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."


That's it. This particular vote is as simple as a matter of what you believe. When does life begin? Does it begin at the moment of conception? As a follower of Jesus Christ and a believer in the inerrant Word of God, I need to look no further than scripture itself to determine my vote.

Psalm 139:13 "For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:15-16 "My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began."
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Isaiah 44:2 "This is what the Lord says-He who made you, who formed you in the
womb, and who will help you..."
Isaiah 44:24 "This is what the LORD says-your Redeemer, who formed you in the
womb..."

It absolutely breaks my heart to hear friends, "pro-life" voters, and fellow followers of Christ believe the lies surrounding this issue. First of all, the vote is on how this amendment is worded. It is to protect the precious lives of unborn children, and that is it. This is not a vote to ban birth
control or IVF. It is a vote to ban abortion....the murder of the voiceless and innocent. I am not naive to the possible repercussions to this amendment. I realize that some forms of birth control may eventually be affected. Do I believe that at any point Mississippi will actually do away with
all birth control? No. I think that is HIGHLY unlikely. This bill could change the methodology by which IVF is done. It might mean that fewer embryos are harvested, resulting in fewer and fewer unused embryos. Again, it is highly unlikely that IVF will ever be banned.

I have heard several arguments claiming this vote will criminalize mothers who miscarry. This is so very ridiculous that it does not deserve the dignity of a response.


Another area of concern for several voters is abortion in cases of rape or incest. While situations like this are unimaginably difficult, TRUTH does not change in hard circumstances. Please hear my heart... and this is my heart! I am, in no way, trying to take away the pain and difficulty of a woman faced with such. I cannot even begin to comprehend. But I do know that God alone is the giver and sustainer of life. And I fully believe that no child and no pregnancy is an accident. Even the times when it is so hard to understand, God still values that precious life. He GIVES life…nothing else…not rape, not an unplanned pregnancy, not a petry dish, not even sex! GOD GIVES LIFE! And why can't adoption be an option in a case like this. I have friends that would give their right arm for a baby to love, raise and call their own!

These are probably some weak, arguments on reasons to vote yes. But for me personally, and anyone who is a child of God, the scripture is our final authority. And the Bible is very clear. God gives life, and He is the only one with the right to take it away. God values life, and because of that, so should we. If we say we are pro-life, how can we not vote to save it? If you believe
in the Word of God, then you believe life begins when you are "formless." There is not much shape to a little person at conception, but God is "knitting him together" and "planning his days before a single one of them began." God alone knows what is going on inside of a womb. He
alone sees it. He alone plans it. Who are we to say that life is not worthy?

I answer to God alone for my vote, as do you. I will vote for what I know to be right, and
trust our loving, good, and infinitely wise Father for the outcome. Isn't His plan always best? Because of that truth, we need not fear any possible repercussions from voting yes.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths
straight."

All my love,

Sara Whitten