Why I Will Cast My Ballot

By the end of Tuesday evening when I'm curled up on the couch prepared to dually watch an episode of The Middle and This is Us, our nation's fate and the end of the presidential elections will be at hand. Though this election season has proven to be one of those nightmares where I want to sit in the corner and watch through my fingers, I have decided to cast my ballot on 8 November with the rest of the nation. Well, most of the nation.

It seems a large section of the Christian community has decided to take a stance during this year's election and not vote for either candidate. Here's where I have to disagree. I am a Christian. I am a registered voter. I'm American and I will proudly exercise my right to vote. But yet, many wave the flags that there is not an appropriate candidate to vote for - neither hold up the ideals of the faith. To which I answer two things: When has that every really been the case? AND Pro-life. 

In an interview by the ladies of The View in April of this year, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was questioned regarding her stance on abortion. For the purpose of this post, I have included the majority of that interview below:

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PAULA FARIS: And Secretary, I want to ask you about some comments that you made over the weekend on Meet the Press regarding abortion. You said quote, "the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights." My question is at what point does someone have constitutional rights, and are you saying that a child, on its due date, just hours before the delivery still does not have constitutional rights?

CLINTON: Under the law, that is the case.

She went on to add that she thinks women should have the sole decision-making power over the lives of unborn children without limits.

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This woman has continuously agreed with the decision of Roe v. Wade and ending a life even up to its term. We can argue about many issues when it comes to presidential elections - foreign relations, healthcare, taxes, immigration etc. etc - but one will stand above the rest for me as a believer. I believe God has given each person dignity and value. He has bestowed this dignity upon humanity by creating all men and women in his image. These very foundational verses of humanity found in Genesis 1 and my firm belief in the value of life will lead me to my polling place to cast my ballot on Tuesday. I will with gusto cast my ballot for a candidate who values life and is against abortion; I will be voting for Donald Trump. 

Christian community - We are not only voting for a person who will or will not value life. But we are also voting for someone who will appoint 4 Supreme Court judges over the course of this next term. There are 9 total who sit on the Supreme Court. Do you see the implications of this decision? That's a near majority of the vote in ANY decision. These judges will not only make impacts for the next 4 years, but they will impact the course of America for many years to come. It is our duty to vote for those who will value the lives of the unborn child. If we are going to stand on this issue and value life, then let's stand by one who will be pro-life and defund Planned Parenthood. Does this mean I completely agree with everything Trump has done or said? It does not mean that at all. But he has asked for forgiveness regarding the comments made about women, and in line with the foundations of the Christian faith I must extend grace to one who has sought forgiveness. Does it mean I will fight to the bitter end about other issues? Probably not.

But to me, this is the one of utmost importance. If we do not have life, we have nothing. As the Christian community and those who proclaim the sanctity of life, let us be the ones who stand up to our nation and be a light at this critical time. Let us be the ones who hold up the banner as our founding fathers did when they wrote the Declaration of Independence that all men are created with certain inalienable rights... the first of which is written as LIFE. When the world stands by the medical definition of life ending when there is not a heart beat, WE MUST BE THE ONES who stand by the definition that life begins when the heart does beat. When that heart beats, we prize it. We secure it. We value it. We uphold the rights of that child when no one else will.

This is why I will cast my ballot.