The Guilt of Abortion: A Biblical Reality That Cannot Be Denied
“Every abortion clinic should have a sign in front of it that says, ‘Open by permission of the church.’” – Francis Schaeffer
Guilt is a Biblical reality. It is not a feeling to be ignored, suppressed, or justified away. It is the just consequence of sin. There is a universal guilt that all humanity bears before God, and there is a specific guilt that the Church in Connecticut—and across this nation—bears for its failure to stand against the legalized slaughter of the innocent.
This is why abolitionists are so hated.
We remind people—especially Christians—of their guilt. We bring it into the open. We expose it. And that is why they attack us.
Biblical Guilt: The Two Realities
All Humanity is Guilty Before God
Every person is born into sin and guilty before a holy God. The only way for that guilt to be taken away is through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, all people remain under the wrath of God:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already” (John 3:18).
If you are outside of Christ, you are guilty. No excuses, no justification, no avoidance—you stand condemned before a holy and righteous God.
Christians Can Still Be Guilty of Sin
Even those who have been justified by the blood of Christ can still be guilty of sin. The penalty of sin is removed, but the presence of sin remains in the flesh (Romans 7). Christians still sin. Sometimes, Christians sin in ways that require Church discipline (1 Corinthians 5).
Sin is the violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). And as Christians, the law of God is written on our hearts in a greater way than the general revelation that all humanity has (Romans 1, Hebrews 8:10).
This means that when Christians sin, they know they are sinning.
And when they refuse to repent? God will hold them accountable.
The Wrong Response to Guilt
No one likes to feel guilty. No one likes to be shown that they are guilty. This is why when people—especially Christians—are confronted with their guilt, they respond in one of two ways:
They suppress it.
They ignore it, justify it, excuse it, or find a way to dismiss it.
They avoid those who remind them of it.
They say, "You're too harsh. You're judgmental. You're extreme."
They attack those who expose it.
They lash out at abolitionists.
They call us arrogant, divisive, or unkind.
They slander us, reject us, and work to silence us.
This is nothing new. This is what the prophets faced.
This is what John the Baptist faced.
This is what Jesus Christ Himself faced.
And this is what modern-day abolitionists face when we confront the Church with its guilt over abortion.
Abortion: The Guilt That Cannot Be Suppressed
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion has not ended. Instead, it has been handed back to the states, the churches, and individual Christians to deal with directly.
And what has been the response?
The vast majority of churches, pastors, and Christians in Connecticut have remained indifferent, apathetic, and complacent. Many even actively work against abolition by calling it divisive or too extreme.
The guilt of their inaction is pressing upon them. And as abortion expands, thrives, and continues, they will be unable to suppress that guilt much longer.
Because it is their failure that has allowed abortion to continue.
Pro-Life's Guilt Denial: A Case Study
The pro-life movement offers a clear example of how professing Christians avoid dealing with real guilt.
Instead of calling women to repentance when they murder their own children, the pro-life movement tells them they are victims. Instead of naming their guilt, they say, "You were coerced. You didn't know better. You were lied to."
This is a lie. And it is not how the Bible speaks about sin.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
The Bible tells us to name sin for what it is, call people to repentance, and point them to the only means of forgiveness—the blood of Jesus Christ.
“And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” – Isaiah 1:15
Only repentance and confession can wash the blood off our hands.
But instead of leading women to the cross for true forgiveness, the pro-life movement denies their guilt entirely.
The Church’s Guilt: Silence and Excuses
Churches, pastors, and Christians also avoid their own guilt in the same way.
Many pastors claim abortion is just a political issue and that the Church should stay out of politics. But those same pastors rarely preach the Gospel outside the comfort of their church walls.
Instead, they hide behind videos, social media posts, and carefully curated words—never taking the Gospel into the streets, never confronting sin face-to-face.
But God is moving.
He is moving through the Christians who take the Gospel to the streets—in front of abortion clinics, at state capitols, and outside apostate churches. These are the modern abolitionists who refuse to let the Church suppress its guilt.
The Call of the Abolitionist: Agitation
The Bible commands us to cry out against evil.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14
The abolitionists of old called this agitation.
“I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation. No! no! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen—but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present.” – William Lloyd Garrison
The abolitionists of slavery suffered persecution—not just from the world, but from the Church itself.
Now, modern Christian abolitionists are called to the same prophetic ministry—confronting the world and the Church for its guilt.
How Are You Responding to Your Guilt?
I have spoken with many abolitionists—and I have confessed my own guilt publicly.
I do not say this to glorify myself. I am deeply ashamed of my past sins, my past indifference, and my present laziness and cowardice.
But this is the only way to deal with guilt—to acknowledge it, to repent, to humble oneself before Christ.
God has raised up modern-day prophets to confront the culture and the Church.
My question to you is simple:
How are you responding to the reality of the guilt of abortion?
Will you suppress it?
Will you attack those who expose it?
Or will you repent?
“I am in earnest—I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD.” — William Lloyd Garrison
In Christ,
Norman Harold Patterson Jr.
Director, Connecticut Foundation to Abolish Abortion
www.AbolishAbortionCT.org