Animals, the Unborn and the Clapham Legacy

By Molly Connolly It’s been a saddening few weeks for the “least of these”. Animals and unborn babies have been the center of the media’s attention for weeks now. First, anti-abortion activists leaked undercover videos (both edited and unedited) that appear to show Planned Parenthood Executives haggling prices for fetal tissue with an alarmingly nonchalant tone and then, an American dentist paid $50,000 for the chance to lure Cecil the Lion out of a wildlife reserve in Zimbabwe only to kill him almost 2 days after wounding him. At Clapham Group, and in keeping with the legacy of the original we are named after,  we work on child welfare concerns such as foster care and mother-childs AIDS transmission.  We also work with organizations such as the March for Life and Women's Rights Without Frontiers which address the sanctity of life as it relates to abortion.  In the fullness of our work, we also work on animal welfare concerns as well.  As a young evangelical, I think it is appropriate that our concerns be broad, and that we be known for caring for babies and animals.  But they don't have the same moral weight.  It is our hope and prayer here that our pro-life friends will grow in sensitivity to other of God's living creatures, and that our animal welfare friends will extend their concern for animal suffering to human babies in utero.  Why?  Both are important to God, although only we are made uniquely in His image.We noted with interest the convergence of these two issues as addressed by some of our friends in light of the recent Planned Parenthood and Cecil the Lion controversies. Karen Swallow Prior, Mary Eberstadt and Kirsten Powers have all written thought-provoking and challenging pieces that have caused me to step out of my comfort zone and ask hard questions. I encourage you to read and do the same.Photo via http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/454041/The-animal-whisperers-Tender-moments-between-boys-and-their-pets