As a member of Generation X, abortion has always seemed to me to be simply an ugly aspect of America—something that has always existed in the back of my consciousness, but not something that weighed on my heart. Now my outlook on defending pre-born lives is changing.
On Oct. 4, 2014—the 10-year anniversary of when the Justice House of Prayer was established in D.C.—I participated in my first Silent Siege, standing for one hour in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
- An hour of praying and worshipping—silently.
- An hour of people looking at us, as if we were a tourist attraction.
- An hour of engaging God.
The experience impacted me more deeply than I had expected. To stand for a full hour in silence, praying—for our country, for the ending of abortion, for revival—shook me to my core.
How often do we grow weary of pressing into God in prayer after 5, 10, 15 minutes? As I went deeper, I believe I began to sense the Father’s heart. For so long I had turned my eyes away from the issue of life, but no longer.
If the Baby Boomer generation allowed Roe v. Wade and abortion-on-demand to be established, Generation X has passively accepted it as “the way things are.” However, in the past few years, I’ve really been challenged by the millennials I’ve encountered to begin to question, to confront and to advocate for change.
In fact, a new Marist Poll released this week (commissioned by Knights of Columbus) asked a representative sample of over 1,200 Americans their views on abortion. The survey results reiterate what we saw at the March for Life: 59 percent of millennials believe abortion is wrong. They are advocating for a change I personally never expected to see; yet, today, there are signs our lawmakers and our nation are moving in that direction.
While pro-life issues may not have always been my focus, I have become very concerned by divisions I see within American society—divisions becoming deeper, broader, seemingly ever-more-impossible to bridge and to heal. Everywhere we look, we can see a culture of death manifest in our nation, from school shootings to riots in Ferguson, Missouri.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, Moses challenges the children of Israel saying: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
The United States is facing the same choice: life or death. I have come to believe that the issue of abortion is the root of this culture of death, and a key to widespread cultural change is the end of abortion in our country.
This year, as we mark the 42nd year since the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, pray with me that our lawmakers and our judges would choose life so that our nation may turn from a culture of death to a culture of life.
For over 17 years, Tasha Troy has worked as a cross-cultural communications educator and now also serves as a leadership coach certified by the John Maxwell Team. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and blogs at Bridging the Divide.
