The Boy and the Baby Model
I’ve worked at many Align table displays in my 31 years with the ministry so far. One of my favorite things at those tables is seeing children engage with our fetal models.
Children are naturally curious and love to “play” with the models. Their faces light up when they realize how little yet how detailed and developed they were when they were growing “in their mommies’ bellies.” Children are usually pretty gentle with the models, too. I’ve never seen a child be intentionally harsh with a model… until a few months ago.
I was at a table display when a boy about 9 years old came over to see the models. He looked at them with curiosity like most kids do. Pretty amped–up after having fun with his friends, the boy picked up the largest baby model and began to punch it repeatedly. He smacked the baby model’s face back and forth, over and over, and punched it again many times. He dug his fingernails into the model and held it up high over his head. When I asked if I could have the model, he clutched it to his side and ran away.
He brought it back pretty soon afterwards and said, “I’d never do that to a real baby.”
I believe him. But it’s hard to shake the memory of him beating that model. I really had never seen a child do that before and it was disturbing, even though I know it was just a piece of rubber.
The true act of abortion, though, is infinitely worse.
We know that abortion is a spiritual issue, and the remedy for it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Proclaiming that gospel and championing God’s gift of life is why Align exists. Friends, any work you do to share the gospel of Jesus Christ will also promote the sacredness of human life—including to impressionable children.