The 45th anniversary of the Abortion Act - what it tells us about our society and what Christians can do

The 45^th anniversary of the implementation of Britain’s Abortion Act passed on Saturday unnoticed by the national media.

The Abortion Act 1967 came into effect on 27 April 1968. Since then, around 7.6 million babies have been aborted, now 200,000 each year.

Currently one in five pregnancies ends in abortion and 98% are carried out on spurious mental health grounds when in fact there is absolutely no evidence that abortion protects mental health.

God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-18) and the Bible tells us that the nation of Judah fell under God’s judgement because God was not willing to forgive her for the innocent blood that was shed by King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:15-17; 2 Kings 24:3-5).

The nations that God drove out of Canaan ahead of the Israelites were characterised by three main features – idolatry, sexual immorality and child sacrifice (the shedding of innocent blood) and these same three features are deeply prevalent in our own society and work together to fuel the abortion holocaust.

The vast majority of ‘unwanted’ children are conceived outside marriage as a direct result of sexually immoral acts and the Bible tells us that greed (or covetousness) is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). So our idols are then the things we covet and desire, that we are willing to kill in order to protect.

Francis Schaeffer said that the two principle idols of Western Civilisation are personal peace (maximising pleasure and avoiding suffering) and affluence (material prosperity) .

It is on these altars and in order to appease these false gods - personal peace and affluence - that almost all abortions are carried out.

‘Unwanted’ children constitute a burden. They threaten our personal peace and affluence, so they must be sacrificed.

21^st century Britain is therefore a land, like ancient Canaan, wallowing in idolatry, sexual immorality and child sacrifice.

Sadly the church is largely asleep when it comes to confronting these realties but it is in our hands to be agents of healing and change. God in similar circumstances called his people, ancient Israel, to repentance:

‘if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’ (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Likewise he calls us, his church, today to respond in the same way.

Christian Concern, last week, highlighted several rays of hope and urged Christians to pray and to become more involved in turning the tide on abortion. Here are four of them:

1. Image - Crisis pregnancy counselling and support

Image is a Christian charity in Manchester that offers a number of services to women. It is one of a number of groups across the country which offer pregnancy counselling, parent support groups and post-abortion support.

Many lives have been touched through Image's faithful ministry. The charity firmly believes that all people are made in God's image and therefore have value. Watch this short video to find out about their work and how you can be involved.  

2. One of Us - A small step to save millions of lives 

Please take a small step that could safeguard the lives of many. The 'One of Us' European Citizens Initiative would allow us to propose European legislation to ban European funding for any activities that destroy human embryos. We only need 1 million 'signatures' and we have over 250,000 already.

It only takes a few moments but could have a huge impact – so please start by clicking here.

3. 40 Days for Life - Prayer ministry

40 days for life is a locally organised community initiative encouraging Christians to pray for an end to abortion. Prayer vigils are organised outside of abortuaries with the intention of saving lives and inspiring hearts and minds. During a recent London prayer campaign, organisers estimated that 36 babies were saved from abortion. 

Christians can get involved through prayer vigils, distributing literature, counselling and door-to-door outreach. Get in touch with Robert to find out more.  

4. Alliance of ProLife Students - Students taking action

The Alliance of Pro-Life Students (APS) is a new student-led initiative seeking to bring the pro-life message back onto university campuses and promote a culture of life. APS is not just speaking up for the unborn but also for the right to freely express pro-life views on university campuses.

This initiative has been met with a lot of enthusiasm - four new groups have just recently been set up in Sheffield, Hertfordshire, Aberdeen and Nottingham. If you're a student, get in touch with APS to see if there a group meeting at your university or to find out how you can start one.