You have likely heard the creation story from Genesis featuring Adam and Eve, the snake and the forbidden fruit. Our enlightened society tends to dismiss the account as a whimsical myth.
Yet, if we take the time to unpack the deeper meaning, this biblical account is very much a contemporary story. One that powerfully intersects with one of the more contentious and divisive issues of our day – abortion.
Let’s visit the primordial Garden
Medieval art work depicts the familiar construct of this story where Eve is tricked by the clever snake hanging from a tree as she eats the forbidden fruit. But a superficial understanding of the text can serve to trivialize the encounter, and minimize the frightening nature of Adam and Eve’s deceiver.
Scripture scholar Scott Hahn suggests the word used in Genesis to depict the snake and tempter (nahash in Hebrew) can be better translated as serpent or dragon; “Eve is being confronted and brutally intimidated by a dragon that is intent upon producing disobedience…”
Hahn then poses the question that psychologist Larry Crabb also asked in his book The Silence of Adam: “Where the heck is Adam in all this?
We often focus on the temptation of Eve and fail to look more closely on what Adam’s silence tells us about this couple.
Eve was confronted with a cunning and diabolical force that was taking advantage of her vulnerability, without the support and protection of her partner who was passive and silent in the face of the serpent’s attack.
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The Garden of Choice
Meet a modern day Eve and Adam, Syrah London and her partner Mark. Syrah shares about the appointment to schedule her abortion:
I remember calling Mark after the appointment, and telling him I was going through with the procedure. His sigh of relief broke my heart. I desperately wanted him to tell me not to do it.
But that never came…I spoke with Mark the night before the appointment, and he told me he was leaving town. Already feeling agony and defeat, his words killed any spirit I had left him, telling me to be strong. That was it.
I got out of bed, sat on the bathroom floor and wept. I wept for this baby, I wept for what I was about to do and I wept because my world was crashing. I knew that after that day, my life would never be the same.
The decision to abort is often a type of reenactment of the fall of our first parents in the Garden. Listen to the voices of these men from the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, as they share about their role in their partner or wife’s abortion:
“I realized how small of a man I was cause if I had gone with her that day, I probably would have realized what had happened, I would have seen how upset how broken she was, and taken her by the hand and said “let’s get out of this place.” -Steve
“I didn’t defend the life of my own daughter based on misinformation, selfishness, fear, and shame. I let her die to an abortionist knife and I died the same day.” – Scott
“I wonder what my son or daughter would look like today if I would have stood up and be a man and fight for the life of my child.” – Miguel
The anguish of Steve, Scott and Miguel touches on a core aspect of their male identity as defenders and protectors of their preborn children and their mothers.
Their voices echo the anguish of Adam when he came to understand the extent of the damage unleashed by his passivity in the Garden as Eve faced the serpent’s temptation.
Men who come to honestly assess their role in abortion decisions understand Adam’s pain. This realization can be deeply painful.
The good news is that the story does not end with the fall of our first parents in the Garden. God wants to lift up his broken children and heal the emotional and spiritual wounds of abortion.
This is an especially timely message as our nation prepares to honor its dads, many who have intimately experienced this re-enactment of the Genesis story in their own lives.
Don’t be afraid to reach out for the help and support you need. Learn more about abortion healing programs in your community.
LifeNews Note: Kevin Burke, LSW, is a pastoral associate of Priests for Life and co-founder of Rachel’s Vineyard. An expert on men and abortion loss, he is the author of Tears of the Fisherman and co-author of Rivers of Blood/Oceans of Mercy.
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