At a time when the nation is under lockdown in an effort to try and combat the spread of Covid-19 - with over 38,000 reported cases in the UK at time of publishing and a death toll exceeding 3,000 - you would think the last thing on anyone’s mind would be to add to the numbers of dead. Strangely, however, that is not the case.
On the contrary, abortion providers have taken advantage of the crisis to ramp up pressure in their campaign to reduce the number of doctors required to sign off on abortions from two to one, and to allow women to take the pills at home without medical supervision. Specifically, they called for an amendment to be attached to emergency coronavirus legislation legalising what has been branded ‘telemedicine abortion’: allowing women to talk to a doctor over the phone or online and then have the two pills sent to her to take unsupervised at home.
In effect, this is the combined decriminalisation and de-medicalisation of abortion in one fell swoop, allowing it virtually on demand and without scrutiny. It is easily the most far-reaching and radical change to abortion provision since its introduction in 1967. And it has been allowed with no proper Parliamentary scrutiny or debate.
Care for Women?
The history of what actually happened is somewhat confused. Early last week a Government statement was issued saying that for the duration of the crisis, women wanting to terminate an early pregnancy would be able to have a consultation over the phone or online, and the pills would be sent to her. But within hours this was retracted as erroneous. This would be too radical and important a change to existing law, it was announced, to allow simply to slide through, tacked onto emergency legislation.
Predictably, this was received with howls of enraged protest from the abortion lobby. In wounded indignation, they shouted that the enforced home isolation of couples during the crisis, combined with restricted access to contraception, would result in soaring numbers of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.
Nobly, they vowed that abortion clinics would remain open, but they pointed out that, with the emergency restrictions on movement in place, many women would find it hard or even impossible to access clinics for help, while those who did would be exposed to an increased and unacceptable risk of infection. Increased anxiety for women, they said, increased pressure on the NHS...and increased numbers of unwanted babies.
And there in a nutshell, we have it. Facilitating the slaughter of the innocent at a time of national emergency is, apparently, the caring thing to do! And it worked, because once again the Government did an abrupt volte-face…and caved in. Under emergency legislation, the position now is that for two years, or the duration of the current crisis, a woman can ‘consult’ with a doctor by phone or online, and then have the pills sent to her by post, so that she can take them at home.1
This is easily the most far-reaching and radical change to abortion provision since its introduction in 1967. And it has been allowed with no proper Parliamentary scrutiny or debate.
Dangerous, Undemocratic, Sinful
On so many levels this is wrong. For a start, allowing a woman to self-terminate her unborn child, while it might sound like a victory for girl-power (with apologies to the Spice Girls), entirely ignores the fact that chemical abortion carries a known risk of haemorrhaging, incomplete evacuation of the womb and infection. For the woman's basic safety, therefore, chemical abortion is a procedure that should never be undergone without proper medical supervision.
As it is, a staggering 7% of women taking the pills will subsequently require surgical intervention - and if they are on their own, or with a partner who doesn’t perhaps know what has happened, how can it be assured they will get the proper care? As so eloquently pointed out by BPAS and Marie Stopes in calling for this move, the NHS is already buckling under pressure from battling the virus, so how will overstrained and overworked doctors deal with these unnecessary extra demands?
The bottom line is, women who opt for DIY abortion may themselves die, because at this time of national emergency we simply don’t have the resources to cope.
Second, as Parliament has itself pointed out, so radical and drastic a change to current law, even in emergency, should never be passed without proper scrutiny and debate. Put simply, it is undemocratic.
Certainly, the measure at the moment is said to be temporary but, once the crisis is past, there is an obvious and clear danger that some will argue it has established a precedent, which they will insist be made permanent.
But third, and arguably most persuasive, is the utter contempt displayed for the unborn, whose lives, without question, are indescribably precious to God – but not to us. Instead we see their lives as disposable – an easy sacrifice on the altar of self-gratification and desire. They can’t protest, so it doesn’t matter. Get rid of the problem, and all will be well! But this isn’t how God sees things.
The Bible says very clearly that all of life is his gift, made in his image, and precious from the moment of conception. It says that every child has a purpose – a ‘calling’ known to God from before they are even in the womb. It also says that God’s covenant is from everlasting to everlasting - meaning that he doesn’t break his word. In our mindless and unquestioning slaughter of those he holds precious - who cannot defend themselves - we commit gross sin.
For the woman's basic safety, chemical abortion is a procedure that should never be undergone without proper medical supervision.
God’s Intervention
Over the past days there have been repeated calls for people to pray and fast, to ask God for deliverance. There have been reports in the media of medical professionals praying at the start of each shift2 and testifying to the fact that it is he alone who gets them through! But how, in all honesty, can we expect God’s help, when we flout his laws and treat with contempt those who deserve our care?
This virus is unquestionably a warning to humanity to repent – an opportunity to turn back to God and amend our lives before it’s all too late. This is not to say that God has created the crisis. He is a God of love, who does not ‘cause’ evil – but he has without doubt allowed its spread and, if we seriously want his help, we must get our lives back in order. Now. And a first step would be to retract this pernicious ruling, which can only further encourage the mindless slaughter of the unborn.
About the author: Rev Lynda Rose is CEO of Voice for Justice UK.
References
1 Coronavirus: Home abortions approved during outbreak. BBC News, 31 March 2020
2 London coronavirus: Why are so many patients dying from Covid-19 at Northwick Park Hospital? MyLondon, 26 March 2020
