Letter to A Post Christian Nation (Part 3) – It’s a Matter of Birth, Life and Death – New Life

In my previous letters we saw that ‘religion’ or more specifically, Christianity, is in decline in what used to be called Christian nations. You can read Part 1 here.

Some of you are indifferent to this, some lament it, and still others rejoice because they see Christianity as being a major obstacle to progress which needs to be removed. In the second letter we asked the question what are you going to replace Christianity with? You can read Part 2 here.

These are important questions. And they affect each one of us. Because we all swim in the waters of our culture. When politicians and media commentators speak of Australia’s values what do they mean?

Language Matters

For example, in the upcoming Queensland election abortion has suddenly become an issue. Why? No one is proposing changing the laws on abortion. The main reason is that Australia far too often just follows US politics and for some reason the Democrats in the US think that abortion is a big vote winner for them. So wannbe progressives in Australia echo the same policies and language. And language is important. When you want to change traditional ethics, a key part is changing the meaning of language. Think about it. In Scotland when opinion polls asked if people supported the changing of traditional marriage to permit same sex marriage, the answers were often no. But simply change the wording to ‘do you support equal marriage’? And the answer became yes – after all – who could be against equality?! The fact that this involved changing the whole meaning of marriage was either not considered or ignored.

The same is happening with abortion. Notice how in most of the mainstream media, and most politicians, abortion has become ‘reproductive health care’ and a basic human right. Who can be against ‘reproductive health care’ or a basic human right? I can. Why? Think about it. Abortion is about preventing reproduction – not aiding it. Abortion is about taking away health, not improving it. I realise that most abortions are done under the pretext of protecting the health of the mother – but the reality is that in 99% of abortions that is not the case. It is about economics, social reasons, and convenience. A case can be made for abortion in order to save the life of the mother – but that is a literal handful of the 80,000 abortions performed in Australia each year. And some would argue that rape or incest provide good reasons for abortion. These are difficult cases but again it is not the vast majority of cases.

Abortion as a Human Right?

As regards human rights – again we have to ask, who determines what human rights are? It is not as though they are obvious. In fact, as regards abortion the question becomes even more fundamental. What is a human being? Who is a human being?

Sam Harris in his Letter to a Post Christian Nation argues “While abortion is an ugly reality, and we should all hope for breakthroughs in contraception that reduce the need for it, one can reasonably wonder whether most aborted foetuses suffer their destruction on any level.” He also argues “Of course, the Church’s position on abortion takes no more notice of the details of biology than it does of the reality of human suffering.”

But it is Harris, who for the sake of his ideology and politics, is ignoring the details of biological reality. We know that the baby in the womb is a human baby. We know so much more about human development in the womb than we ever did before. We even have the pictures. Have you ever wondered why news outlets have little difficulty in showing dead bodies in all kinds of circumstances, but seem to have a real reluctance to show a baby that has just been aborted? There is nothing that the child has out with the womb that they do not have or develop within the womb.

A Confused Society

Our society is so confused on this. One year ago, the Scottish government did a good thing. It opened a book of remembrance for those who were grieving the loss of a baby in the womb up to 24 weeks. Before that the State had recognised that there was a human baby loss after 24 weeks. Now they accepted that there was also a human baby loss before that period. Indeed, the then First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf declared that the families had experienced a real loss of a member of their family. This was not just a bunch of cells. This was not just the natural version of a medical procedure. This was the loss of a human baby. Yet that same First Minister also declared that taking the life of your own baby, your own member of the family, was a ‘human’ right – and then enacted laws against those who wanted to protest and speak up for the human rights of the unborn.

Absolute Bodily Autonomy?

When people use the argument , ‘a woman has a right to do what she wants with her own body’ – it’s a neat soundbite which at first seems reasonable. But it fails at both a minor and major level. The minor level is logical. No politician or commentator actually believes that. I don’t have the right to walk naked down the street – or to cut off my finger in front of a bunch of school children. During Covid most politicians thought it was right to tell us what to do with our bodies – they restricted where we could travel, how we should dress and even mandated what we should put into our bodies – all for the ‘greater good’. You can argue about the rights and wrongs of that, but the point is the inconsistency of those who passed such laws, then arguing for complete bodily autonomy when it comes to abortion.

The major error is also logical. And biological. And moral. Because it is a simple fact that there is more than one body involved. In many years as a pastor, I have had to deal with the difficult, complex and emotional fall out from abortions. I think of the young man who came to me in tears because his girlfriend was going to have an abortion, but he didn’t want his child to be killed. Some might argue – it’s not his child. It’s only the woman’s. But that’s not the biological reality. Nor the moral one. If I as a man help bring a child into this world, I have an absolute responsibility to help take care of that child and provide for her.

But the absolute key argument is that the other body involved is that of the baby herself. She is a human baby. She is not an ‘it’ who magically gains personhood when she comes out of the womb. She is not ‘assigned’ as a girl when she was born. Her sex was determined in the womb, from the beginning.

I recall a distraught teenager telling me that she had just had an abortion. Her social worker and doctor had encouraged her to do so. “They told me it was just like having a wart removed – but they lied – didn’t they? That was my baby”. It was heartbreaking. Because they did lie. As does our culture – despite all the claims about wanting to fight ‘misinformation’. One of the greatest pieces of misinformation that our society tells is that the baby within the womb is not a human baby. Abortion is to human freedom as slavery is to economic freedom.

The Gospel and Abortion

I should add here – that this is where the Christian gospel comes in. Whilst we absolutely seek to protect the weakest and most vulnerable humans – babies in the womb – we do not demonise those who have had abortions. In my pastoral work I have also experienced the joy of seeing those who have been burdened by the guilt of abortion (despite what the society told them) coming to repentance, renewal and forgiveness in Christ. It is a beautiful thing. Some don’t want to hear that. How can you atone for such a dreadful sin. You can’t. But Christ can. And has.

In addition to this Christianity has such a different view of humanity than the atheistic, anti-human, secularist one. We don’t dispose of humans we don’t want, or think we can’t afford. In the words of Psalm 139 all humans are ‘knit together’ in our mother’s womb. None of us are ‘unplanned’ – in God’s eyes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. All of us. The disabled. The unwanted. The victims of rape.

I think of the refugee woman from the Middle East who described a horrific life of multiple rapes as she fled the wars in her country. She became pregnant and was urged to have an abortion of all the health providers. And who could have blamed her if she had? And yet she gave birth and now movingly speaks of how her daughter has saved her life. We would not kill a child outside the womb because they were a consequence of rape. Why kill her within?

No Limits?

And therein lies another problem for our culture. What limits should be set on abortion? Why restrict it to 24 weeks (as in most States in Australia)? Why not 12 (as in most European states) or up to full term (as in several States in the US including that of the want to be Vice President of the US – Tim Walz)? And why stop there? Why not go the way of the Australian ethicist, Peter Singer, who argues for infanticide. Of course he renames it – and calls it ‘post birth abortion’. I suspect soon we will start hearing of ‘post birth, reproductive health care’ as a basic human right.

And in case you think this is alarmist slippery slope thing you need to understand that this is already happening in Australia where every week at least one baby born alive, after an abortion procedure, is left to die. For example, take this story of an interview with Dr Joanna Howe on Sky News.

What Kind of Society do You Want to Live in?

This letter has already been too long but let me ask you – is this where you want our society to be? A society where the number one cause of death is abortion? A society which laments the declining birthrate whilst encouraging the killing of babies in the womb? Let us speak up for the unborn. Let us help those who have been victims of abortion. Let us seek to ensure that every child is wanted….and that those who are not wanted by their parents is wanted by us.

In the Greco/Roman/Pagan world (a world we are regressing to) babies were born that were not wanted – often girls. It was a common practice to ‘expose’ these babies – leaving them in isolated spots so that weather, wild animals or hunger would kill them. The early Christians often used to go and find these babies and look after them. If we prefer that kind of society, we need to do the same. Ask yourself a question. Do you want to live in a society which carest for the weakest and the most vulnerable? Do you want to live in a society where every human life is valued? Do you want to live in a society where the unwanted, the neglected, the abused are provided with support? If the answer is yes then you want to live in a Christian society….

See you soon,

David

Ps. If you want more information on this subject then let me point to the website of a truly encouraging Australian, Dr Joanna Howe – https://www.drjoannahowe.com/my_story

If you have any questions or comments or would like further help feel free to contact me privately at theweeflea@gmail.com