Abortion
In an ideal world, we would not be talking about abortions
at all. Every child would be welcomed into the world by loving parents.
However, we do not live in an ideal world, and abortion has
become a divisive and controversial issue. So, I offer my reflection as a
person/pastor who tries to think as Christianly as I can. The Bible does not
speak about abortion, although infanticide was well known already in cultures
of that time.
When a conception takes place, there are biological
processes involved, but life is a gift from God. No life form of any kind would
exist except for the face that God gave it. We are stewards of life, and as
such we accountable for how we use it and for what we do with it to the one who
gave it to us.
The idea that a woman is boss over her own body is a secular
idea because there is no accountability to anyone.
In a pregnancy, there is the beginning of an independent
person. This person is no mere extension of a woman’s body even though for nine
months, and much longer, this new person cannot survive without the care of the
mother, or, after its birth, without either a mother, a father, or a community.
When do people begin to speak about, or consider an
abortion?
At worst, people think of the coming of a child as
inconvenient. It is too costly. It gets in the way of my career. Because I
think of a pregnancy as the coming into being of a new human, I believe that an
abortion for reasons of convenience is simply wrong.
There are situations in which a conversation around the
advisably is at least warranted, understandable.
·
Incest
· Rape
·
The mother’s health is at stake
·
Tests show that there are serious issues:
o
Heart issues
o
Cleft palate
o
Down Syndrome
o
Spina bifida
o
There can be other, albeit rare, developmental
problems in utero
Observations:
·
When we insist that an abortion is not an option
even in these cases, we should pledge robust support for mother and child for
at least 18 years.
·
For women in these horrible situations, the
decision to have an abortion is the most difficult, heart-wrenching decision
she will ever make.
·
If in these cases the woman decides to have an
abortion, we should stand by her without judgment or condemnation. Let grace be
the last, and most formative world.
Allan Groen, summer 2022.
