Martha was excited to finally set foot in the country where her grandparents had lived before immigrating to the U.S. She had traveled by plane, bus, and taxi and now stood in front of the house of a cousin she had never met. She recognized the house from pictures she had seen, and now with the anticipation of meeting someone for the first time, who was both a blood relative and a foreigner, she stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again, but still there was no answer.

Martha knew her cousin, Matilda, was expecting her today and would surely return soon, so she sat down on the porch to wait. About half an hour later, she noticed a woman walking down the road toward her. As the woman got nearer, Martha realized that this was not her cousin. This woman was carrying only a plastic bag. Her cousin, Matilda, had given birth only seven days earlier and would be carrying a little baby girl. So, Martha was surprised when the woman stepped out of the road, walked across the small yard, and said in accented English, with a big smile, "You must be Martha." Martha stood up, looked more closely at the woman, and realized this was the face she had seen in photographs. This was Matilda!

Although the two women had never met, they hugged warmly. As happy as Martha was to finally meet Matilda face to face, she was even more eager to see Matilda's new daughter, and asked happily, "Where's the baby?" Matilda immediately averted her eyes downward, glanced briefly at the plastic bag she had laid on the ground, finally fixed her gaze on the ground in front of her feet, and answered softly, "I really don't think I could have taken care of her the way she needed to be cared for."

In disbelief, Martha asked, "You gave her up for adoption?" Matilda looked up quickly and explained, "Oh no. There are thousands of homeless children living on the streets here already, and very few couples can afford to take in a child other than their own." Confused, Martha asked, "Well, where is the baby?" Matilda again looked downward and replied in a low voice, "I had her put to sleep."

Stunned, Martha barely heard her own whispered question, "You mean she's dead?"

Matilda stepped in between the plastic bag she had laid on the ground and Martha, to separate the two. She laid a hand gently on Martha's arm and began to explain with an apologizing tone, "Martha, I knew with you being an American you would probably have a hard time with this, so I tried to get home and bury her before you arrived, but..."

Martha was no longer listening. With horror, she now realized that the plastic bag on the ground contained the body of a tiny child.

Her brisk walk to the nearest neighbor's house with a telephone, her taxi ride from there to the bus station, her bus ride to the airport and her flight home took many hours, but when she finally arrived at her own front door, she was still in a state of shock and denial. She walked into her kitchen, picked up the phone and called her grandparent's house. Her grandmother answered and Martha cried as she told her what had happened. Her grandmother was saddened by the news, but tried to console Martha by reminding her what a poor country Matilda lived in, and how the government there allowed parents to terminate children up to ten days old, if they felt it was for the best.

Martha couldn't believe that a civilized country would allow such a thing to be legal and asked, "How can the government there, be so evil?" Her grandmother answered, "Well, when the Reformists came into power, they deemed certain members of society to be expendable." Martha tried to remember where she had heard of the Reformists. Then it struck her. She had heard her grandparents talk about supporting and helping elect the Reformists when they had lived in the old country. Amazed, she asked, "But Grandma, didn't you and grandpa vote for the Reformists when you lived over there?" To which her grandmother replied, "Well, yes, honey, we did. But you've got to realize, that from a financial point of view, they were the best party..."

Her grandmother went on, but Martha no longer heard. Her thoughts were now completely consumed by the realization that two people whom she loved very much, people very influential in her life, Christians, her own grandparents, had once supported an evil political party for the sake of money. The deep admiration and respect she had felt for these two people her entire life, was now completely hollow.

That morbid, depressing story is fictitious. It is told here because of the truth it represents. The foreign country in the story represents the U.S. Matilda, the woman who chose to have her own daughter's life ended, represents American women who have abortions. The political group in the story, the Reformists, represents American politicians who are pro-abortion. For over thirty years now, it has been legal in our country for a pregnant woman to walk into a clinic and have her blue eyed, brown haired daughter, who although unborn, is already sucking her thumb, removed from the womb literally in pieces. Planned Parenthood will perform this bloody procedure for $575.00 or less and it is completely legal because of liberal politicians and the judges they appoint.

The grandparents represent Americans who vote for pro-abortion candidates.

Have you heard their arguments for keeping abortion legal? What about women who become pregnant as the result of rape? What about the girl who becomes pregnant as the result of incest? What about the cases where the doctor tells a couple their baby is going to be born deformed or handicapped? Read Proverbs 6:16-17: "These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: ... Hands that shed innocent blood." Babies that are the result of incest or rape and babies that will be born handicapped or deformed are still innocent babies. Their lives aren't man's to take.

The baby's body in the plastic bag is a reminder to us that abortion is the murder of a real flesh and blood person, just as much a human being as you. When you enter the voting booth, what will your highest priority be? Tax breaks? Social Security benefits? Medicare benefits? Medicaid benefits? Unemployment benefits? The economy? Immigration? The war on terrorism? Will you vote for the party that your family has always traditionally voted for? What do any of these things have to do with your salvation? But listen to Proverbs 24:11-12: "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?" If we do nothing to stop the murder of babies in this country, we will answer to God for that.

When you enter the voting booth, don't violate Ephesians 5:11: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Don't fellowship evil politicians who will keep abortion legal, by voting for them. Instead, choose the candidates you will vote for based on your firm belief in Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people."