Abortion... A letter I wrote to my Parishioners

The below is a copy of a letter I wrote to my parishioners in our weekly pew sheet for Sunday 11th August 2019.



This week I am writing about a very challenging topic.  My letter will deal with the topic of abortion, and may be upsetting or distressing for some.   If you believe you may struggle with this topic, I encourage you not to read on, or to read it in the company of someone who can support you.  I am always available to talk and provide support for any of you, don’t hesitate to call me.
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I have real concerns about the abortion legislation which has been passed by the NSW lower house this week. Now this is an emotive and polarising topic.  Let me be absolutely clear, if you or someone you love has had an abortion, you/they will not face any judgement, hate or discrimination from me. You and/or they are welcome here, you are loved here and you are deeply loved by God.

I know having an abortion is an incredibly hard decision, and it has long lasting emotional, psychological and sometimes physical effects.  And while the traditional Christian view on abortion is that it is against God’s will, because it amounts to taking another human’s life, it is not something that God will forever hold against you, it is not something that is unforgivable. 
 
When we turn to Jesus for forgiveness and restoration, we are forgiven everything. I want to make this clear because I know that sometimes in the past (and even today in some parts of the church) people are made to feel unwanted, unloved and unforgivable for having had an abortion—that is simply not true.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (c.f. Romans 8:38-39).
 
What I do encourage, though is if you or a loved one is struggling with having had an abortion in the past (or any other thing), if you are struggling with doubts, or guilt, if you are not sure of God’s love or forgiveness, please ring me and arrange a time for a private sacramental confession.  As always in a confession anything you share is completely confidential, I cannot share it with anyone—not even my wife.  Speaking out loud your fears, your brokenness, your heart ache, and hearing those words of absolute forgiveness, hope and restoration in the absolution is a powerful and liberating experience, and I truly wish more Anglicans would avail themselves of it.
 
I want to tell you also, that if you disagree with my view on this, as always you are welcome to do so, and I would be happy to have a private chat with anyone regarding this or any other issue.
 
A view compatible with scripture:
 
So what exactly could be a Christian understanding of this issue? What would be acceptable in legislation for us as we seek to honour God, and value the life of all people?  These are my own thoughts on this very difficult topic—I believe them to be honouring of scripture, honouring of life and also honouring of women.
 

• Abortion being removed from the criminal code and moved to the realm of medicine and medical ethics is perfectly acceptable.
• Abortion is a necessary last resort in some circumstances in order to protect life, and so Christians do not need to support a blanket ban on abortion.
• The universally accepted medical definition of when pregnancy starts is not at conception, when an egg is fertilised, but rather when the fertilised egg is implanted in the womb—This is because the vast majority of fertilised eggs do not implant and are lost, so it is not realistic that a fertilised egg be considered the beginning of a viable new life, rather this begins at implantation.
• As pregnancy (and thus a viable new human life) doesn’t begin until implantation, and implantation doesn’t occur for 7-10 days, the ‘morning after pill’ cannot be considered the same as abortion—it prevents implantation, rather than terminating a growing implanted baby.
• After implantation there is a new, independent viable human being growing.  Before 22 weeks abortion should not be ‘on demand’ as the new laws say, but rather should be available to protect the health and life of the mother, or to protect the life and health of another baby (in the case of twins for example where only one baby is viable, and doing nothing would lead to the death of both).  It should require sign off from a doctor saying it is necessary.
• Late term abortion (post 22 weeks) should be available only in circumstances where the baby is not viable (i.e. they are going to die due to a medical, genetic or other condition) AND/OR the mothers life is at risk if the pregnancy continues. It should require sign off from at least two doctors.
• Abortion should NOT be available for ‘lifestyle’ reasons.
• Abortion should NOT be available as a means of gender selection.

 
Interestingly, based on this understanding the only thing that needed to be changed in NSW, was removing abortion from the criminal code, as it is already legal for women to acquire abortion where medically necessary.  Abortion itself was not illegal in NSW as has been reported in some parts of the media, only abortion without a valid reason, such as protecting the health/life of the mother was illegal, it has been readily available for decades where there is a valid medical reason.
 
So, if it was already legal,  why do I have concerns about the new laws? Primarily because they could allow for the abortion of a baby right up to birth, and do not require that there be a valid medical reason.
 
That means, that technically under the new law it would be possible for someone to procure an abortion at 36 weeks pregnant, due for example to a relationship breakdown, and no longer wanting the child.  Now of course that is a very unlikely scenario, and even if it did happen it would be exceptionally rare… but why would we want to allow it to even be a possibility?  Why would we not close that loophole in the interests of protecting life?
 
My second reservation is around the new provision for those less than 22 weeks which means abortion would be an ’on demand’ service.  It will no longer need a doctor to say it is medically necessary to protect health or life—abortion will be done essentially no questions asked, up until 22 weeks.  This opens up the possibility of gender selective abortions, where, primarily girls, are aborted by people because they aren’t as valued as a son in certain cultures—there is already evidence that girls are being selectively aborted in Victoria (see article from The Age)
 
Finally, and incredibly importantly, we as a society, if we want to lower the number of babies being aborted, need to provide proper care and support for mothers—especially young single mums.  We need to provide access to medical, psychological and spiritual care for pregnant women, that allows them to know all of their options, including options for adoption where a woman is not in a position to care for the child post birth. 
 
Other situations that lead to abortion include domestic violence and abuse, and again this is a place where we as a society should be demanding our governments provide proper care and support.  Women in danger from their spouse should never be forced to face the added trauma of choosing to terminate a child.  
 
I want to conclude this week by again emphasising that if you and/or someone you love has had an abortion—for whatever reason—you will never face judgement from me.  I want to also re-enforce that you are deeply loved by God, and that nothing you or anyone has done, can ever separate us from that love, that hope and that forgiveness.
 
If this letter has distressed you, and you need to talk, please don’t hesitate to talk to me, or if you would prefer to talk to someone else please call:
 
Pregnancy Help Australia:
Offer post abortion support and counselling.
24 hour support:
1300 792 798
 
Lifline: 24 hour counselling support:
13 11 14