Birth, or Not?

I've been thinking about one of the remarkable things Jesus said during what we sometimes call the Passion. As He was being nailed to the cross, He said, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."
I've thought about all the things we don't know we are doing that might hurt or offend God, especially since I read about the blog of two Minneapolis parents-to-be. Birth or Not is the name of the blog, and readers are invited to vote for the couple to abort their baby, or not.
Of course the possibility exists that this is a prank, or a sham of some kind.
But what if it's real, and they mean what they say? The deadline for abortion in their state is December 9, so they will close voting two days before. If the vote is in favor of abortion, they say they will have the abortion of the baby they call “Wiggles.”
They don't know what they're doing.
We live in a callous world, where many of us don't value life very much, if at all. We don't see it for the gift it is. We don't see. We don't know what we're doing.
Right now the vote count favors giving birth. Life.
But scrolling through the comments is a sad experience. There are many hateful, hurtful comments on both sides of the issue, and sadly, some of them come from people who claim to be Christian.
I don't think this is a time for hateful, hurtful comments. It's a time for Christians to allow God to work through us in Jesus's Name. It's a time for us to reflect His passion for life, His kindness and grace toward those who sin. And it's time for several other things, too: voting for life? Of course. Prayer, for sure, for this child, for his parents, and for all those who hear of this “election.”
And, most of all, for compassion.
Because, just like all the rest of us who are sinners, they don't know what they're doing.