It was my joy and privilege to spend last Saturday afternoon at St Ninians Roman Catholic Centre, speaking a conference organised by the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child. I say this with shame but it is sad that the pro-life cause is so often identified almost solely with Roman Catholics. I honour them for that, but where are the Free Church, the Baptists, Charismatics and others? In theory we all agree it is a bad idea to kill the baby in the womb, but in practice we far too often do too little about it. And the Church of Scotland is a total disgrace on this issue – once again having caved into the ‘anti-life’ agendas of the secular humanists. I believe that we need to repent of this and to work with our Catholic brothers and sisters to protect human life.
The conference itself was crowded, and I think went well. The following are some notes of my somewhat lengthy talk! (please note that these are notes and not the whole talk).
SPUC – Dundee – 27th Feb 201
Building a Pro-Life Scotland
- Protect – The Unborn child – I gave several examples of individuals who had had abortions and the harm and effect it had had upon them.
How do we prevent abortions? That is the key question. How do we build a pro-life Scotland.
- Protest
The question is how we do this? Picketing abortion clinics is not the best way. But we must use politicians, the media and the education system to protest against this unjust and immoral killing.
- Persuade
The best way to persuade is to provide information. Organisations like CARE are very helpful in this. I gave examples of people and organisations who have been persuaded to change their minds – for example Sarah Winter, the ultra feminist founder of Brazil Femen.
We should use drama, music and poetry. For example the Motherwell Express play. Although it would be interesting to see if the BBC and others would allow a pro-life storyline.
We need to debate. Key issues like the mantra its a womans body. Indeed it is, but it is not solely a womans body. There is at least one other body involved as well. Abortion should be a feminist issue- Men use abortion as contraceptives as well. More female children are aborted.
We need to focus on the main issues and not be sidetracked by the extreme cases. 99% of abortions are not for rape and handicap.
Use the media – traditional and social – I then gave examples of how we could engage with the media.
Point out inconsistencies – for example the Named Persons Act indicates that their role will start before the child is born, is this not a de facto recognition that there is a child in the womb? If it is only children who have a named person and the child in the womb is to have one in the last trimester, then surely that is a state recognition that there actually is a child in the womb?
- Pro-Choice
We need to use the pro-choice argument and turn it on its head. Do those who are pro-abortion support the right of children to be given adequate education about what abortion actually is? To be told it is equivalent to the removal of a wart is at best gross ignorance, at worst wilful deception. I suspect if most people saw the Planned Parenthood videos where abortionists discuss the dismembering of a babies body and selling on the parts, there would be a dramatic reduction in the number of abortionsGive people the choice. To make a choice you need information. Let them see a video of an abortion. Why can the BBC show euthanasia but not abortion?
- Politics
Devolving abortion. This is both an opportunity and a threat. There are people ignorant and evil enough to want to have abortion on demand up to birth. Some even want post natal abortion – ie. infanticide. We need to be on our guard.
Challenge – There is a fascinating post over on the SS FB page headlined “ISIS orders killing of children with Down’s Syndrome in latest sickening attack on the innocent” – which has the comment “when you think they can go no lower”. I’m sure most people can work out the illogicality of this justified outrage. SS encourage the idea that it is ok to kill a child with Down’s Syndrome – as long as they are in the womb. In fact they have been conducting a wee witchhunt against a prospective SNP MSP precisely because she opposes abortion against such children. It is indeed ‘a sickening attack on the innocent’.
For most politicians this is a political rather than a moral issue.
This is a progressive issue – abortion is regressive – we need to keep repeating this. Abortion is not ‘progressive’, it is regressive. A return to pre-Christian Greco/Roman/Pagan World.
I then read the following piece of satire:
In a radical overhaul of the welfare system, David Cameron has set out plans for a measured policy of infanticide that could massively reduce the UK deficit, according to experts.
The proposed scheme, which will initially target northern cities with a high proportion of working class people, would bring an abrupt end to the ‘culture of entitlement’ to a child.
The elimination of poor northern children under the age of two, if successful, could eventually be extended to less impoverished kids in London and the South East who bath on weekdays and have never used an outside toilet.
In modern Scotland it is deemed to be a ‘progressive’ liberal secular humanist value to be able to kill the child in the womb. For me this is not progression, but rather a regression to the dark days of the Greco/Roman/Pagan world, where infanticide and baby killing was the norm. What can we do to stop this slaughter? We can proclaim the sanctity of all human life; we can seek to help those who are so desperate (or so indoctrinated) that they are prepared to kill their own child; and we can work and pray together to ensure the survival and thriving of as many children as possible. And who knows, but that in some date in the future, people will look back in astonishment that people in the 21st Century were so unenlightened that we were prepared to tolerate such barbarism. May God bless you in your work,
- Provide
Alternatives. We must recognise that there are women for whom having and keeping a baby is going to be very difficult. We need to provide support, love and encouragement – as well as practical help.
Education –
Community
Social Justice
Proper Sex education – sex education is important but it should not be restricted to the immorality of Stonewall or the liberal elites who follow the recreational ‘sex as appetite’ philosophy. We need to educate children in the sacredness of sex, not the recreational ‘everyone is doing it’ or the ‘dirty’ approach.
A Different world view – Solas magazine – Gk Chesterton…..
- Prayer
Not all anti-abortionists are religious. But all Christians should be anti-abortion because we are followers of Christ who told us to bring the little children to him, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, that we are all equal in the eyes of God….and that we have a special duty to protect the weak and vulnerable.
We need to unite as Christians. We need to pray together. And work together. We need to be pro-life wherever we go and who ever we are with.
Conclusion: Today we look with horror at how ‘civilised’ society could acquiesce in and support the evil of slavery. In the future I believe we will look back with horror at the way that society, despite our increased scientific knowledge about the status of the child in the womb, has acquiesced in the evil of abortion.