Positive pro-life initiatives

We need to talk about abortion. I pray a day will come when it’s unthinkable except in the most extreme circumstances. But we’re a long way from that point.

Our society has chosen to devalue the worth of unborn babies, and has sold women the lie that abortion is the only way they can truly flourish, rather than offering them genuine help and support. For all the arguments about autonomy and control, what’s inescapable is that in a pregnancy there are two lives at stake, not just one.

Since 1967, more than 9million lives have been lost to abortion. That’s more than the population of Scotland. It’s not just babies who’ve suffered and died, there’s the trauma for mothers too. We hear so little of the emotional and psychological toll abortion inflicts on women.

Radical grace

Faced with such a horrifying statistic, the only answer is the radical grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He and He alone is the ultimate answer. We can campaign, pray and work against abortion and it’s vital we do so! We’re the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Our story is a better story of the intrinsic value of every person, from conception to life’s natural death.

But honestly, hearts and minds need to be changed and it’s only the good news of Jesus Christ that is honest enough to confront people with the awful reality of their sin and then point them to the power and cleansing that is found through the blood of Jesus.

Pulpits and prayer

We also need to hear about this issue more from pulpits. It cannot be ignored or lost amidst everything else. I’m not sure it’s enough to argue that we’ll cover it when it comes up as we systematically preach through the Bible. That’s fine, except I now think more intentionality is needed. Satan wants us to ignore this issue, to turn a blind eye, or to agitate against it only in private but not in public. Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian, said preachers should pay particular attention to the errors of their day and age. Surely the assault on the value of life is one such threat.

There’s another practical way we can work towards a more just society by supporting and praying for those initiatives that are seeking to move our laws in the right direction. Recently, there’s been a number of these which represent progress from a pro-life perspective. They are only a start and we can and must go further. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and anyone who argues we can go from status quo to abortion being unthinkable in a moment is simply not thinking realistically.

Legal action

The first is a legal challenge to the current abortion guidance from the National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE). Ana Maria Tudor has launched a legal challenge because the guidance failed to require clinics to let her know that her 23-week-old baby could survive and that babies can feel pain in the womb from at least 18 weeks.

Then there’s Heidi Crowter, a Down’s syndrome campaigner who’s suing the government over the fact that babies can be aborted to birth if they are ‘seriously handicapped’. She’s arguing the legal limit should be the same for all, regardless of disability. While I don’t agree with the 24-week limit, it’s still a step in the right direction.

Parliament

Also, there’s a new pro-life Bill before the Westminster Parliament. Fiona Bruce, a Christian MP, is seeking to clarify in law that abortions for minor and treatable disabilities like clubfoot, cleft lip and palate are illegal. Again, you might want the Bill to go further, but it’s a start.

Finally, last month, the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to reject Westminster’s extreme abortion regulations. In one way or another, 75 MLAs voted against disability discrimination in rejecting, at the very least, abortion to birth for all non-fatal disabilities.

My point is: God is moving. Even if these cases and Bills don’t work out, it gives opportunities to raise the issues and to persuade MPs. Please pray for God’s grace and enabling. Above all, pray for hearts and lives to be transformed by the gospel of Jesus.