Is former President Jimmy Carter — author of a new study Bible and Sunday school teacher — finally getting religion? He has come out publicly against abortion, or at least, most abortions. It’s a step in the right direction. Here’s what he said:

“I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions, and that was one of the problems I had when I was president having to uphold Roe v. Wade and I did everything I could to minimize the need for abortions. . . . I made it easy to adopt children, for instance, who were unwanted, and also initiated the program called Women and Infant Children or WIC program that’s still in existence now.”

While acknowledging that Jesus would condemn all abortions, Carter allows for exceptions, for example, “when a mother’s life is in danger or when a pregnancy is caused by rape or incest.” Carter wants Democrats to de-emphasize abortion. If abortion is the moral evil that Carter claims, then de-emphasis is not the right position. I wonder what slaves would have thought about someone who only wanted to de-emphasize the practice and make a few exceptions here and there?

This compromised position will not garner him many friends among his fellow Democrats or among Republicans who consider him a sanctimonious meddler.

The official Democrat Party platform position is unequivocally pro-abortion: “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” Compare the Democrat Platform statement on abortion with the Republican Platform:

“We say the unborn child has a fundamental right to life. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect the sanctity of innocent human life.”

The interesting thing about Jimmy Carter’s seemingly anti-abortion position is that he appeals to Jesus. He said: “I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions.” Compare how Carter uses Jesus to condemn abortion and support homosexuality and civil unions. In his appeal to Jesus in support of homosexuality, Carter says “Jesus never said a word about homosexuality.” Well, Jesus never said a word about abortion either.

I would love to ask the former president why in his appeal to Jesus that he is being inconsistent. Of course, Jesus didn’t have to say anything about homosexuality because it was already condemned repeatedly in the Older Testament (Lev. 18:22; 20:13). The norm was and is one man and one woman (Gen 1:21–25) that Jesus acknowledged (Matt. 19:4–5).

No Hebrew woman would have ever thought of aborting her child. Having children was a blessing from God. Women like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Samson’s mother, Hannah, Michal, and Elizabeth cried out to God when they were barren (Isa. 54:1; see Ex. 23:26, Deut. 7:14).

Jimmy Carter needs to make a clear break from the Democrat Party. It is the part of death and economic slavery.