The seduction of anonymity

In a few weeks, voters in Missouri will be asked to weigh in on Amendment 3, a proposition that, if passed, would overrule the state’s current restrictions on abortion and effectively legalize the killing of unborn babies throughout all nine months of pregnancy. How will citizens of the Show Me State vote? If you conducted a poll based on the prevalence of yard signs, things would look quite promising for the pro-life cause. As a resident of Missouri’s second bluest county, I’ve seen about eight “No on Amendment 3” signs for every “Yes on 3” one. And while it would be a glorious thing if baby-defending voters outnumbered their abortion-supporting counterparts by a ratio of 8-to-1, the truth is, Amendment 3 is more likely to pass than not.

Why the discrepancy between yard sign enthusiasm and the actual polls? By way of comparison, consider what might happen if Missouri or any other state attempted to ban dating apps like Tinder. Those who have a fierce moral opposition to hookup culture would gladly speak against it, but many people who would want access to the app would remain silent because voicing your support for soul-crushing, meaningless sex makes you look like a loser and a creep. For example, men who want to look faithful during the day but also want the freedom to seek out affairs at night would never attend a “Save Tinder” protest. But they’ll vote to do exactly that at the ballot box when no judging eyes are around.

That’s how sinners are. We want access to the indefensible, but we also don’t want to be seen defending it. We want the freedom to indulge in sin in the darkness, but we also want to look righteous in the light. When the Apostle Paul says, “The evil I do not want is what I keep doing,” we sinners see that not as a lamentation but a goal.

So it is with abortion. Many people who are morally uncomfortable with destroying unborn life still want the right to do so should an unwanted pregnancy threaten to derail the lives they’ve envisioned for themselves or their children, but they don’t want to be associated with the shameless “Shout Your Abortion” crowd. Likewise, many churchgoers want access to something their pastors and congregations tell them is evil, but they don’t want to be seen wanting access to it. And so the secrecy of the voting booth provides them the perfect opportunity to surrender to the desires of their flesh while also keeping up sanctified appearances.

While it’s still my fervent prayer that Missouri voters will continue defending the unborn, it’s hard to see that happening when we establish our abortion laws in ways that incentivize us to act like a woman who boasts of her virginal purity during the day while trolling for trysts at night. Pro-lifers shouldn’t expect to notch many political victories when the Tinderization of the voting booth gives our sinful nature exactly what it wants.

We may find more success, however, by taking the battle a step further back and working to pass legislation preventing states from amending their constitutions through ballot propositions.

As Americans, we have agreed to a representative form of government, not mob rule. We should require ourselves to use it. While letting the masses make these decisions in the darkness may be appealing to feckless politicians who don’t want the abortion albatross tossed around their necks, anyone seeking or occupying elected office is someone asking to be a bird-wearer. Let him carry the weight.

If voters want to expand the legality of abortion in their states or restrict it, let them drag the issue out of the darkness and into the light of public discourse. Let them contact their representatives. Let their representatives draft legislation, debate over it, and vote for or against it. And let voters reelect them to office or boot them out if they disagree with the outcome.

Such a practice would also be better for the souls of Christians. While we have been given a new nature in Christ, our sinful nature still operates the same as everyone else’s. The more that we think no one is looking, the more we will do whatever is right in our own eyes like Israel in the time of the judges. Conversely, the more we place political guardrails around ourselves, the more likely we are to act according to our new nature—faithfully and soberly. We should use our influence to remove abortion laws from the realm of anonymity and unaccountability and place them into the realm where secrets aren’t so easily kept and where cowardice can’t so easily hide.

As Jesus said, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” On the Last Day, no one will be able to keep his votes for or against the unborn hidden in the darkness. We might as well stop hiding them now.