Americans have just celebrated Thanksgiving – 400 years on from the landing of the ‘Mayflower’ with the Pilgrim Fathers, who helped instil a godly flavour into the building of what arguably became the greatest nation on earth.

There is much to give thanks for in this, of course, but also great sorrow over the way we in the Christian West have turned our backs on God’s commands. Much that our heavenly Father proscribed has been legalised on both sides of the Atlantic, with murder of the innocent unborn topping the scales.

Global impact

Another significant anniversary is the centenary of the legalisation of abortion in Russia, which eventually spread to the West and now accounts for an astronomical figure, having denied life to an estimated one billion people – that’s multiple times more than all those killed in wars during the same 100-year time period.

Now, even traditionally Catholic countries have succumbed to secular pressure. In Ireland the ban on abortion was lifted following a referendum two years ago, and in Poland protestors have taken to the streets in response to their government’s proposal for an even stricter ban on the procedure.

...having denied life to an estimated one billion people – that’s multiple times more than all those killed in wars during the same 100-year time period.

Blood of the innocents

Here at home, in a positive move, a petition is gaining ground over the plot in the ITV soap, Emmerdale involving a Down Syndrome case. And the great work of pro-life groups continues unabated.

But most people still refuse to face reality, somehow turning murder into a debate over ‘choice’. It is very clear, however, that life begins at conception. When the angel Gabriel announced Mary’s miraculous pregnancy, he said: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). ‘Termination’ is a euphemism for plain murder. And the blood of the innocents is crying out for justice.

Personal experiences

It is reported that the Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle, has suffered a miscarriage which has left her with “almost unbearable grief”¹. I am sorry to hear about that. My wife also suffered in this way early in our marriage. In a sense, the loss never leaves you. We are both sure he was a boy, who would now be a strapping teenager, aged 17, but I still often dream of cradling a helpless little boy in my arms as I desperately reach out in love and comfort.

Meghan’s horrible experience has naturally provoked much sympathy. But there is an elephant in the room – a miscarriage of justice on a monumental scale. How many are taking to the streets in response to the suffering of the multitudes – nine million in Britain alone over the past 50 years – who have simply been considered industrial waste to be thrown into hospital incinerators?

Biblical precedents

The prophet Ezekiel warns of judgment against the ancient Israelites for such detestable practices as sacrificing their sons in the fire (Ezek 20:31) and of having “blood on their hands” for doing so (Ezek 23:37). And Amos rails against religious feasts and noisy singing when not accompanied by justice (Amos 5:21-24).

A miscarriage is usually no-one’s fault; a natural process which has gone wrong. But abortion is the deliberate cutting off of God-given life – and it has been medically proven that a foetus feels pain.

The unborn John the Baptist was fully alive when, as the Bible describes it, “the baby leaped (for joy) in her (Elizabeth’s) womb” as she greeted her cousin Mary who was carrying the unborn Messiah (Luke 1:41).

How many are taking to the streets in response to the suffering of the multitudes – nine million in Britain alone over the past 50 years – who have simply been considered industrial waste to be thrown into hospital incinerators?

Back in the summer, it was reported that a record 207,384 abortions were carried out last year – that’s more than the entire population of a large town like Colchester, and the highest figure for England and Wales since the procedure was legalised in 1967.

Forgiveness in Jesus

Back in June, I referred to the testimony of a 63-year-old retired midwife who has spoken on film of the horror of seeing aborted babies gasping for breath after being left to die on kidney dishes.² Lynn was particularly struck by the shocking contrast of medics fighting to save premature babies in one ward while leaving them to die in the next! (See the PT article, ‘An idolatrous generation’). Though deeply regretting her own abortion at the age of 20 (she knew he was a boy, who would have been her oldest son), she is able to live with herself because she became a Christian and has received forgiveness and healing from Jesus.

We are reaping the whirlwind for our silence over sexual immorality and abortion, but there is a way out for the penitent. And it is through the baby born in Bethlehem, who will save you from your sins and bring you great joy (Luke 2:10, 1:44).

Endnotes

¹Daily Mail, 26th November 2020
²Christian Concern, 5th June 2020