We know that the epic battle between life and death depicts the difference between the very essence of God and the enemy. Jesus doesn’t just bring LIFE, he is LIFE. [John 14:6] Conversely, the enemy is the one who comes to steal, KILL, and destroy. There are few social issues that exemplify this battle as does that of abortion.
The fact that every person is created with an unalienable right to LIFE is not true simply because the Declaration declares it to be. It is in fact a universal truth. From the very moment of creation, we as unique individuals are all possessed with a right that can neither be relinquished nor taken, the right to LIVE! Psalms 139 is a beautiful depiction of God’s heart for us even as we are being formed in secret. He numbers our days before the first one begins. The purpose and function of government is to secure our God-given rights, the right to LIFE being the first and most indispensable.
With those basic principles firmly established I want to tell you a tale of the City of Athens. No, not Athens, Greece, but a little country town in Athens, TX. As someone aware of the heinous history behind the rise of abortion in the United States, I thought I knew its roots. Most know the names Norma McCorvey, Dr. Nathanson, and District Attorney Henry Wade; we know the facts surrounding the initial case filed in Dallas County and the infamous and poorly reasoned ruling of Roe v Wade, Jan. 22, 1973. But how many know about Dr. Curtis Boyd or his abortion clinic in Athens, TX?
The fact is that before Roe took place in the metropolis of Dallas, there was a medical clinic hidden away in a sleepy country town about 90 minutes southeast. This quiet town, Athens, TX, is where Dr. Curtis Boyd was illegally performing abortions on women from around the country years before Roe. What is even more shocking is that this doctor speaks of his Christian roots, of having loved the Bible as “God’s truth revealed,” and of his grandmother, Mama Boyd, having declared to him that he “was a Prophet, called by God to a special service.” This was the same grandmother who had years before performed illegal abortions herself while acting as a midwife in this same community. Clearly this family was operating under the deception that taking innocent life was a blessing, not a curse. While Dr. Boyd admits to later having become a humanist, he also speaks of his early abortions being occasioned by his work with the “Clergy Consultation for Problem Pregnancy.” What is even more sad is his assertion that it was chaplains and ministers who were the ones referring women to him to kill their unborn babies, the very babies the Bible says are fearfully and wonderfully made. These are shocking roots, exposing the history of abortion in America to have originated in a rural, Christian community in Texas, encouraged at the behest of ministers, and lauded as a special service to God!
Fast forward to today, it must be more than coincidental that the roots of this battle are still raging in the exact same geographic location and still by those who declare themselves to be Christians. Texas’ historic passage of the Heartbeat Bill is nothing less than an answer to prayer for everyone who has ever prayed for an end to this heinous crime against humanity. In response, numerous communities across TX have been adopting ordinances outlawing abortions within their city limits and establishing sanctuary cities for the defenseless unborn. While the majority of constituents of the town of Athens would welcome the opportunity to support such an effort, in an unlikely twist of events, its scripture-citing Mayor has to date declined to place this ordinance on the agenda for a vote. Instead, she has opted to hide behind the legal advice of a city attorney who appears unwilling to align with the legislation both signed by Governor Abbott and supported by Attorney General Paxton. This city attorney for whom the mayor has just renewed his contract and the Texas Municipal League - a private corporation in Austin, TX are who the Mayor has chosen to stand with in direct opposition to state law, an AG Opinion, the will of her constituents, and even the Declaration of Independence.
Now if this were taking place in a liberal, urban area, it might be explicable. But when it is taking place in a conservative, Christian town in rural Texas, and by a Mayor who presents herself as a Christian conservative, then you know something bigger is at play. Whether the mayor is actively complicit with this insidious plan or simply oblivious, she is still standing in the way of representing her constituents and, more importantly, refusing to fulfill the proper function of government to secure the unalienable right to life. This article is a call to prayer for her, a call to prayer for the people of the city of Athens, and most importantly a call to prayer for an end to this epic battle that is still waging for the lives of the unborn.
For those who may be curious why I would spend so much time detailing and praying over one tiny city ordinance, please put the significance of this vote in the context of the bigger picture. Of all the towns in the United States that need to take a public stand against abortion, the tiny town of Athens holds a unique place. History makes it apparent that the spirit of death through abortion that has polluted our nation for over half a century has its roots in this tiny town of Athens, TX. A town whose namesake, the goddess Athena born without a mother, has exemplified the spirit of demeaning motherhood as being totally dispensable. This battle that is raging is a spiritual one, and whether the players in this game are aware or oblivious of their roles, they are nonetheless playing their parts down to the wire.
It is time for the axe to be laid to the root of abortion in America. While these roots are undeniably numerous and convoluted, a tap root appears to have finally been exposed and laid bare. Redeeming the blood-soaked ground of Athens, TX through worship and prayer, and claiming it for the purposes of God is the mission of a NIGHT FOR LIFE* Let us converge on the town of Athens spiritually and/or physically to worship and pray for an end to this spirit of death. We pray that the spirit of abortion must bow its knee to the name above all names, the name of the one who himself is LIFE!
Cynthia Dunbar is an attorney, constitutional scholar, former law professor at Liberty University School of Law, and Board member of IFA. To learn more about a NIGHT FOR LIFE* worship and prayer event from dusk to dawn on July 22, 22 in Athens, TX go to www.dunbarforamerica.com