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April 2005, Page 4.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(April 2005)
Jesus a Ghost?
Abortion,
Annual Meeting,
Church Survey.
Abortion and Election
You probably heard on the news that the Roman Catholic Church has issued a letter to members asking them to consider some issues carefully as an election draws near. And high on their list of issues is that of abortion.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said that Michael Howard's ideas, of finding parliamentary time for a debate on reducing the age limit from 24 to 20 weeks, were preferable to those of other party leaders. He later stressed that he was not recommending any particular party, and all the parties agreed that this issue was not a party political matter.
But the matter led to an interesting discussion on the radio. Leading members of the pro-choice movement admitted that they ought to reckon with the foetus having some rights, as well as the mother having rights. They insisted that it is the mother who must weigh up the different rights. But if the foetus has rights, it's obvious that the mother can't be the sole final judge of them.
The next day came the news of the Crown Prosecution Service deciding not to proceed against doctors who performed a late abortion on a foetus with a cleft palate. The law permits late abortions when there is "serious handicap" - but is a cleft palate "serious"? I personally know several people who live fulfilled and happy lives with cleft palates! The law says Down's Syndrome is grounds for abortion - but my son Peter, who has this condition, also lives a happy life.
Christian thinkers have never been completely united about the morality of abortion. All agree it is not a good thing, and almost all think the present law permits abortions too late. But few think it is the worst of all possible evils, and almost all admit that preserving the life of the mother is a ground for abortion. Some quote the commandment "Do not murder", but others ask whether this commandment really applies to the very early stages of foetal development?
And there are also many other moral issues to consider in the run up to an election. Environmental concerns and the welfare of people in poor countries should be on our minds, as the bible has a lot more to say about them than about abortion. I think the Roman Catholic Church was right to highlight this issue as one issue to think about, so long as it's not the only one.
John Hartley