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Belonging and believing

The scandal of abortion

Picture of unborn baby

Biblical Christianity and abortion

What often divides Christians is the subject of the authority of scripture. It's a view that at one time was synonymous with being evangelical, but no longer. It's also true that the Roman Catholic Church holds fast to biblical authority, and their teaching also places a strong emphasis on what the world calls pro-life issues. Today there are many who go by the name evangelical who do not submit to the authority of scripture. They don't want to admit they are no longer evangelical, and they may call themselves inclusive, emergent or emerging. On this issue those that do submit to the authority of the bible will say that because we are made in the image of God(Gen. 1:27) killing a human being is an attack on God himself.

The Bible consistently uses the same word for a "born" or "unborn" baby. In the New Testament the Greek word "brephos" is used to describe the unborn, newborns and youth. In Luke 1:44, the word is used to mean unborn baby: "As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." NIV. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word "yeled" is used in the same way. In Exodus 21:22 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely..."AV.it means an unborn child. So throughout the entire Bible the baby in the womb is treated no different to one outside.

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The abortion act of 1967

In the 60's a strong demand for liberation from the moral constraints of the past grew in many ways, but one of the main ones was sexual freedom. Great expectations arose because of the introduction of the contraceptive pill. However nothing is perfect and from its failings there grew a desire for abortion on demand. The abortion act of 1967 was not supposed to go that far and it was passed as a much more limited measure. Yet the way it has come to be used is in effect abortion on demand. One of the main limits in the act was that it made abortion legal only up to 28 weeks (amended in 1990 to 24 weeks), except in cases where it was necessary to save the life of the woman.

What we know now

Thanks to new technology recent medical observations of the life of a baby in the womb reveal them doing things much earlier than doctors had predicted, for example that at 18 weeks the baby can open their eyes. That's six weeks before the abortion limit. Other observations reveal babies in the womb doing more complex activities such as sucking a thumb or smiling. Its also true that trough medical advances 50% of 23 week premature baby's survive. What is most revealing is that against all the odds some baby's survive abortion. Can you imagine how traumatic their short lives are?

While a lot of attention is rightly paid to the unborn child there are serious risks as an article in the Times reports "Royal college warns abortions can lead to mental illness." It seems few young women are aware of the risks to mental and physical health inherent in having an abortion.

The rising rate of abortion

When the abortion act was introduced there were several grounds on which it could be justified. One of them was the physical and mental state of the mother. In 2006 97% of abortions were carried out on those grounds, so that in practice it has become abortion on demand. In that year there were 193,700 abortions in England and Wales alone. The overall abortion rate has increased five fold since it's introduction in 1967 and it is still increasing. So for example the 2006 figure was up 4% on the 2005 figure.

Abortion in England and Wales 1995-2005

 

Source: Religious trends 5 Brieley 2005 Tables 4.6.4

Downloadable chart: "Abortion in England and Wales 1995-2005"

Those that are concerned that the law is being abused point to statistics like:

  • less than 0.5% have an abortion because of the woman's physical health
  • 32% of women having had one or more prior abortions
  • 47% of the women had previously given birth

The rising rate of abortion

A clearer picture of the rise in abortion rates and details of the age groups is shown in the graph below. This shows that the rates from 1970, just three years after the act was introduced. In general the rates have been climbing ever since. This is particularly true for the 20-34 and 16-23 age groups. Note that because the it is a rate per 1000, that this will even out the difference in the width of the age bands. The main groups affected are both more sexually active and fertile.

Abortion rates by age(1970-2005)

 

Source: National statistics Social_Trends 38 Figure 2.19

Downloadable chart: "Abortion rates by age(1970-2005)"

The Silent Holocaust

Its not lightly that you invoke words like holocaust, because it was such a terrible thing. So much suffering and death even by children. Yet the comparison is not without some similarities. Lets start with the numbers. The graph shows that since 1967, when the abortion act was brought in, 5,272,324 children were aborted in the UK by the end of 2005. If like many Christians you think that abortion is morally wrong then it should shock you. The details of the abortion procedures are carried out is compatible to any form of torture you can imagine. The fact that it is carried out on the most defenceless of human beings makes it all the more deploreable. It is an inditement not only to the medical profession but in particular to our politicians.

Abortion in England and Wales(1995-2005)

 

Source: eligious trends 5 Brieley 2005 Tables 4.6.4

Downloadable chart: "Abortion in England and Wales(1995-2005)"

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