Abortion - GBC Bulletin Column #15

Two weeks ago, a son was born to Prince William and his wife Catherine. Third in the line of succession to the British throne, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge’s birth had been eagerly anticipated for weeks and upon its announcement everything from TV to Twitter was alive with the news. The next evening, people watched again as the nation got its first glimpse of the prince. Not to leave the subject too hastily, the media was dominated for the next two days with speculation and eventually confirmation about the baby’s name.

Sadly not every baby is expected as eagerly, anticipated as joyfully, or valued as highly as the Royal baby. In fact, some are unwanted inconveniences that are all too casually (even if painfully) disposed of. Forget what they called gestating George - many would not speak of babies, but rather the less human-sounding “foetuses”, neither living nor dead, more like undead zombies of the womb to be attacked, parasites of which to be cleansed. The method legally provided in this nation to help deliver afflicted women of such maladies is called abortion. Last year it claimed 190,972 unborn lives in England and Wales, 97% of which were terminated with NHS funding. They are not the first to be so callously discarded. Thirty-seven percent of last year’s abortions in England and Wales were repeat procedures: dozens of women were recorded as having had nine or more terminations, 1,335 were on at least their fifth, and more than 4,500 were recorded as having had at least four previous abortions. Reasons (if that is even an appropriate word for something so irrationally barbaric) vary, but only one of the abortions performed last year was to save the life of the pregnant woman or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman, only the third since 2006. Disturbing video footage captured in a Daily Telegraph conducted sting reveals that some doctors are willing to abort for the purposes of sex selection, and another report has demonstrated that terminations are being carried out for adjustable cosmetic issues such as cleft palates. Not that it is in some way less wrong to abort for other reasons – each child is a gift from God (Psalm 127:3) made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) by God (Ps. 139:1; cf. Jer. 1:5) for a relationship with God (Ps. 22:10). Abortion is the murderous destruction of innocent human life in that place where it should be safest - the mother’s womb - by which man blasphemes the creative power and pleasure of the Sovereign Lord God who himself once took up the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7).

If God is against it, his people should be too. Christians have a responsibility to be at the forefront of those who speak for the voiceless victims of depraved selfishness. Abortion should be condemned for the sin that it is but we must move beyond condemnation, which points merely to sin, and point to Christ who saves sinners. The very one we mock in the destruction of unborn life is our only lasting hope. Like unwanted infants in the womb, he hadn’t done anything wrong but was torn to pieces and died so that the broken, bleeding, and yes, blasphemous of this sad world might place their faith in him and find life in his redeeming love and sanctifying grace.  

This was printed in the worship bulletin of Grace Baptist Church (Wood Green) on 04/08/2013.