This week I’ve been writing about how my pro-life convictions affect daily decisions, where I spend my money, and what I do with my time. Recently I found a new area of life where I essentially had a choice about seeing where a lot of money went, actually a whole lot more than I had: my medical care.

A couple weeks ago I had major surgery; it was routine but major. This year I have been blessed with great insurance—essentially meaning “my” money wasn’t very involved. Or was it?

Where I live there are two major health systems. One is Catholic and takes a staunch pro-life stance. Founded by nuns and enjoying a rich history of Life, there are no abortions, embryonic stem cell research, or other unethical practices performed there. The other system does do “therapeutic” abortions and has a documented history of connection to human embryonic stem cell research. In my case, it was without question where I would choose to have my surgery done. All I could think of was that if I went to the other system, thousands of dollars would be given, essentially in my name, to a place that does the very practices I live my life to prevent.

I spent part of my career working in a hospital, and I know that patient services, especially those expensive ones with insurance, are important to hospital finances Ultimately, I got great surgeons, highly skilled surgery and the same access to health care and technology as the other system, but I know any profit made off my medical procedure will go into a place that stands for Life. That helps me sleep at night.

Like not patronizing Starbucks (see yesterday’s post), I know my decision doesn’t stop abortion. These decisions may not have even save a life, to be honest. Though it occurs to me that the profit they made off me might have gone into lifesaving prenatal health care for a poor woman another might encourage to abort. I may stand before the Lord and see a picture of a document with my name attached to money designated through heavenly channels that saved a life. Is that a stretch? Or is it too hard to see through natural eyes but possible in Heaven? I don’t obviously know that, but I like keeping options like that open.

These and all the other “little” decisions every day matter. It turns out I had some complications which needed some extra  (expensive) tests and more services—that basically insurance will pay for since I will have reached my small maximum out-of-pocket. As I walked through the hospital each time, as I saw even the displays and letterhead, I saw Life. I saw Catholics who have stood for Life for years, while others have maligned their strong stance. My money (because they are getting it because of my patronage, whether I had all those thousands of dollars or not) has gone into a place that values, saves and preserves the dignity of life from “conception to natural death.” That helps me sleep at night even if I can’t see how it directly affects anyone else right now. I think it probably affects the Father’s heart.

Lou Engle talks about voting as a prophetic act. He notes that the solution is not to vote for the lesser of two evils, but to vote righteously even if a righteous candidate doesn’t have a significant chance of winning. We act before God based on His Bible, not on the bottom line. That goes against some good political reasoning, but it stands strong in heavenly reasoning.

When we meet Jesus we will not be asked if we chose the lesser of two evils but what we did with our lives to stand for righteousness.

Unlike coffee, medical care isn’t always discretionary, I understand, but most of the time we have a choice in whom we see or the choices we make. I have a friend who texts me when she takes her son to the doctor and they try to convince her he needs a vaccination. She wants to be sure every time that she is giving him one that doesn’t use aborted fetal cells in its construction (as the majority of common required vaccinations do). She has had them order special pro-life ethical vaccines and made special trips back and paid out of her own pocket for what insurance would not cover in order to have them. Does she hold up the doctor’s office a bit and cause some inconvenience? Maybe. Does she know she has kept her son from something that she hates? Absolutely.

This column isn’t to tell you to do exactly what I do, but to give you a glimmer into the ways I try to look at situations in my everyday life and make proactive pro-life choices as a result. 

We live in a society that has legalized and even funds abortion. It’s the very reason our actions are so crucial—we are members of a culture that will be judged. We are eternal, but this nation is not—and God clearly says He will judge a land that sheds the blood of the innocent. However, there are areas where we can make choices about where to put our money. One of the best words of advice for this is based around the word discretionary. When we have a choice, when we have options, and when we know the truth—which way will we choose? The Word of God sums that mandate up pretty well.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deut 30:19