Denise Paolucci wants to hand out iPods to Texas women who want an abortion so they won’t have to hear the sound of their baby’s heartbeat during the mandatory pre-procedure ultrasound. Eric Metaxes has a great column on the subject, drawing an apt parallel between this practice and the German churches that sang their hymns louder and louder so as to drown out the screams of the Jews being transported to nearby death camps.
I would add that the similarity is not only between the singing Germans and the pregnant women with audio buds in their ears. I also see the contemporary church in this story. How many Christians keep the music of their life turned up loud in order not to have to deal with the cries of those around them? As clearly evidenced by the number of hurting young women seeking abortions, people need help. More specifically, people are in grave spiritual danger and need Jesus. Do we allow ourselves to recognize and acknowledge the truth, or do we turn up the volume to drown it out?