Many Christians in the United States have become conditioned to be one issue voters, that issue is abortion. Below is a brief list of reasons why I am not a one issue voter, and why you should consider not being one as well. This does not mean I do not value the life of the unborn, I do.

I am not a one issue voter because it would pervert my judgment, making me susceptible to any politician who claims to be pro-life, regardless of their character.

It would make me susceptible to someone who is a self absorbed narcissist, a compulsive liar, a con, a sexual predator, and potentially an authoritarian like Putin, or even Adolf Hitler.

I am not a one issue voter because the actual data proves that abortions can and have decreased, over time, when women have access to healthcare and the right to choose. There was a slight uptick in abortions in the years prior to the SCOUTS ruling in 2022, and since the SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the volume of abortions in the United States has increased.

The belief that strict abortion laws mean less abortions is a misnomer. Strict abortion laws often mean the intrusion of other problems such as increased maternal mortality.

A team of Tulane researchers found that states with more restrictive abortion policy climate have higher total maternal mortality, measured as a death during pregnancy or within one year following the end of a pregnancy.

I am not a one issue voter because it has become an inflammatory litmus test as to who is a Christian and who is not. No such litmus test exists in scripture.

Rhetoric such as “baby killer” is often hurled in a defensive and insulting manner towards others who support a woman’s right to choose. Rather than engaging in sincere discussions which encourages careful and thoughtful considerations, being a one issue voter fosters a lack of patience towards those with opposing views, and shuts down the critical thinking of the one issue voter.

I am not a one issue voter because it turns some christians into false witnesses. Those who are pro-choice are not out to kill babies, rather they are defending the rights of all women to have the say regarding their own bodies and health.

I am not a one issue voter because we now have physicians endangering the long term health of women because they are afraid of being imprisoned by the state if they perform an emergency surgery for the health and sometimes the life of the mother.

I am not a one issue voter because there are other important issues on the ballot that affect the daily lives of real people, such as affordable health care. Even as I write this the United States is in the midst of a health care crisis. Tens of millions of Americans are uninsured due to the policies of republicans who keep evangelicals under their thumb with the pro-life platform.

I am not a one issue voter because this one issue is not actually made into an issue in scripture. While there are texts that can be cited to make the argument that life begins at conception, those texts do not address the act of abortion.

The scriptures do not explicitly address abortion, though there are a couple of times in the Old Testament in which miscarriages are addressed in a manner that could help guide our thinking on the topic. Ironically, those texts are counterintuitive to the pro-life political position.

It might also be worth noting that abortions were happening in the Roman empire during the time of Jesus, the apostles, and the first century church. The New Testament is silent on the issue.

I am not a one issue voter because of the summation of the teachings of scripture. When God sent the Jews into captivity under the Babylonians, he commanded them to settle in and pray for the peace and prosperity of the cities they were being sent to.

In the New Testament, Peter writing to the exiles says, Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence. ~ 1 Peter 1:14-17

The people of God are first and foremost ambassadors for Christ. This world is not our home, our citizenship is in Heaven. We should pray for the peace and prosperity of the place we are residing.

Imagine if we cared as much about families who don’t have healthcare as we do about forcing our political pro-life Christianity on others who don’t hold to the same convictions as we do. Imagine if we cared for the unborn child seven years later (after birth) when a gunman was in the hall of his school, rather than rushing to defend our second amendment rights.

Imagine if our pro-life position was really pro-life, and not just “pro-birth.” Imagine, if we really cared for the well being of our already born neighbors and prioritized their needs in our voting. Wouldn’t that be an expression of loving our neighbor? We might even see the number of abortions decrease if we would love our democratic voting neighbors rather than demonizing them.

I am not a one issue voter because I find that it truly isn’t about saving babies. It’s about the control and corruption of power hungry politicians. For instance, Donald Trump refuses to release the Epstein files even though Congress overwhelmingly passed The Epstein Transparency Act into law nearly a year ago. Following the law would not only expose Donald Trump, but his corrupt billionaire friends as well. Unfortunately, the Epstein survivors have yet to receive justice, largely in part because of the allegiance to Donald Trump by the one issue voters.

If you are a one issue voter, and you believe that abortion supersedes all other issues, then that is between you and God, but do so in a manner that glorifies Christ. Be sure you are not giving permission to your carnal mind to be a false witness against others who don’t have the same view as you.

It’s time for Christians to stop being political pawns for politicians that hide behind this one issue, and use it as a shield for their corruption.