I wrote this essay
on September 2012 as a respond to abortion cases in Malaysia – especially to my
Christian readers, so that they may know that abortion is not God’s will and it is against
His command to do so. And yet – there’s a room for repentance and forgiveness. [P.s: Someone had checked my English – thanks to my editor for making
this writing readable].
Abortion: the Silent Holocaust in Malaysia
Abortion
on demand is not available in Malaysia. But abortion is legal if it is
performed for medical reasons that involve risk to the life of the woman, to
preserve physical health and to preserve mental health as provided in Section
312 of the Penal Code and it has to be certified by at least two doctors [1]. Even though Abortion Policy
had been established since 1989, underground illegal abortions are on the rise
slowly but constantly. The Star
newspaper published on May 26, 2009 [2] reported that the rate of
illegal abortions is 0.1% or 500 per 500,000 live births yearly; 38 out of
every 1,000 women aged between 15 and 49 years old had gone for an abortion. A
random survey by several private clinics stunningly revealed that there is 1
abortion for every 5 pregnancies in this country. These are unofficial
statistics, but surely it reveals an underground, dark shadow of mass murder of
the unborn in Malaysia. This is the silent holocaust.
What is Abortion?
Concise
Medical Dictionary defines abortion as ‘the
expulsion or removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus at a stage of
pregnancy when it is incapable of independent survival (i.e. at any time
between conception and the 24thweek of pregnancy)’ [3]. From the 2nd to 8th
week of gestation, the developing organism is called an embryo, as is any animal at this early stage of primitive tissue
and organ development. From then until birth, it is called a fetus, which simply means ‘young unborn’. There are two types of
abortion in the medical terminology [4] – first, spontaneous abortion; abortion can occur spontaneously because
for some reason the embryo was non-viable. This accidental occurrence is also
known as ‘miscarriage’. Second, medically induced termination of pregnancy;
abortion that involves a normal viable embryo or fetus.
In this
short essay, I shall limit my discussion to the second type of abortion
involving a normal viable embryo or fetus, which if left to the natural process
would be delivered as a full-term baby. In other words, I’m referring to cases
where the mother intentionally seeks help to remove a growing embryo or fetus
in her womb [5].
When Does Life Begin?
Many
people including Christians wonder about the ethics of abortion. The command, “You
shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) is sometimes literally translated by
many as any form of killing in general is prohibited by God. Thus, it is
intolerable, unquestionable that abortion is a wickedly evil act against God in
the view of some radical pro-life groups. The Roman Catholic Church especially
views abortion as a grave moral wrong. The Church says that human life begins
when the woman’s egg is fertilized by a male sperm. A fetus is a person, a
human being at the moment of its conception. From that moment a unique life
begins, independent of the life of the mother and father. The features that
distinguish us from our parents –the color of our eyes, the shape of our face –
are all laid down in the genetic code that comes into existence then. The
Church argues that each new life that begins at this point is not a potential
human being but a human being with potential [6]. From conception, all human
life is sacred because they are made in God’s image right from the start
(Genesis 9:6).
Lewis B.
Smedes in his book Mere Morality
gives four ways to answer the question of when a person comes into existence –
1) A fetus is a person at the moment of conception, 2) The fetus becomes a
person after it receives the one property essential to personhood (namely, the
human soul), 3) The fetus becomes a person when it is born, or, 4) The fetus
develops into a person gradually, with no fixed turning point [7]. Lewis, if I understood him
clearly chooses the 4th view, but for me, I choose the 1st
view. I believe that indeed life begins in the womb, that the fetus (‘young unborn’ or ‘little one’ in Latin) is a human being subjected to God’s law
concerning humanity.
Abortion and the Scripture
I believe
that ‘a fetus is a person at the moment
of conception’. The Bible establishes that God recognizes a person even
before he or she is born. “Before I was born the Lord called me”
(Isaiah 49:1). Exodus 21:22-23 describes a situation in which two men are
fighting, and the struggle injures and/or hits a pregnant woman (who perhaps
intervenes in an attempt to stop the dispute) and causes her to give birth
prematurely. If there is “no serious injury”, the man is
required to pay a fine (compensation), but if there is “serious injury”, either to the mother or the young unborn, then the
man is guilty of murder and subjected to the penalty of death, “take
life for a life”. This command, in itself, places the young unborn on a
level equal to that of the adult male who caused the miscarriage.
In
referring to Exodus 21, Wayne Jackson, writer and editor for the Christian Courier website, writes,
“What, then, is the passage teaching? Simply this:
If two fighting men injure a pregnant woman, causing her to give premature
birth, yet no harm follows – to either mother or child – a fine will be levied
as a penalty for such carelessness. However, if any harm followed, to mother or
babe, justice was to be meted out commensurate with degree of damage. Both the
mother and unborn child had equal protection under the law [8].”
Alan Cole
comments on Exodus 21,
“It has sometimes been claimed by those in favor of
abortion that the unborn child is not really considered as an individual here:
but that is not the point of this passage . . .The destruction of the unborn
child was regarded by the Hebrews as an instance of the most barbarous cruelty,
calling down God’s judgment (2 Kings 15:16) [9]”
Elsewhere,
Professor John Hannah also observes:
“. . . the unborn fetus is viewed in this passage as
just as much a human being as its mother; the abortion of a fetus was
considered murder [10]"
Scripture
support abounds for the humanity of the young unborn. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s
womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well… your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days
ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”
(Psalm 139:13-14, 16). John Stott in New
Issues Facing Christians Today concluded that Psalm 139 pinpoints images of
creation, continuity, and communion that gives us the perspective that the
fetus is already a human life, though not yet mature, and has the potential of
growing into the fullness of humanity [11].
The
Scripture, in fact, uses the same Greek word ‘bref'-os’ [Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries defines as, ‘of uncertain affinity; an infant (properly
unborn) literally or figuratively: -babe, (young) child, infant’] to
describe the unborn John the Baptist (Luke 1:41,44), the newborn baby Jesus
(Luke 2:12,16), and the young children who were brought to Jesus for his
blessing (Luke 18:15). Thus, this shows that the unborn (fetus) and the
new born (child) are in fact a
human being. They are created in the image of God (imago dei) because God blew his breath or nephesh into them. This implies that a fetus bears the image of God
– worthy of honor and respect; not to be murdered.
Abortion, its Complexity and Possible Actions
The
Scripture, I’m convinced, does indeed establish that the young unborn is just
as much a human being in God’s eyes as we ourselves are. But I don’t want to go
as far as saying that abortion is strictly prohibited. We are no doubt dealing
with a complex issue. “Christians must
remember that behind the dilemmas are real people facing unwanted pregnancies,
bringing up handicapped children, or coping with the long-term result of rape
and incest. The need to offer genuine assistance… should be part of the Christian
response regardless of our own attitude towards abortion [12].”
So how
the Christian communities or the church as a whole can deal with this ‘silent holocaust’? How can the church
make a stand against the evil of abortion and at the same time be ready to
assist those to whom abortion seems to be the only solution to their complex
problem? The answers may not be easy and clear-cut but the church shouldn’t be
silent on this issue. [These are just my suggestions] The church may offer sex
education where people will be taught about pregnancy prevention. Counseling,
love and compassion should also be offered to those who are seeking abortion or
have had an abortion. Adoption for unwanted babies is perhaps the most obvious
service the church can accommodate. We must provide room or a place for a
mother while she gives her baby up for adoption. The church must understand
that a woman should never have to make the choice between her baby and herself.
Conclusion
Abortion
is always a tragedy not only in Malaysia but also throughout the world. Mass
murder of the young unborn, the silent
holocaust shows how lightly our society views the human life. The Scripture
admittedly does not give us specific instructions about abortion. However, it
is indeed proven that life begins in the womb, that the fetus is a human being
subjected to God’s law concerning humanity. Therefore, the fetus that bears the
image of God is worthy of honor and respect – not to be murdered.
The
church should be clear and must stand firm against abortion. Yes, the church is
in the business of bringing God’s grace and forgiveness, but that requires
recognition of evil and a strong affirmation to not compromise when it comes to
the defense of the weak and defenseless. Dr. Alex Tang writes, ‘The weak and defenseless fetuses need
advocates who will stand up for their rights as human persons and their right
to life’. [13]
- The British Medical Association Illustrated Medical Dictionary (Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2002) p. 5
- n(n). Since the topic of ‘Abortion’ is wide, I will only discussion to the second type of abortion involving a normal viable embryo or fetus.
- BBC on The Church of England and Roman Catholic Church views on abortion; available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianecthics/abortion 1.shtml; internet; accessed 5 September 2012.
- Lewis B. Smedes, More Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary People (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983) p. 127-134
- Wayne Jackson, ‘Does Exodus 21 Sanction Abortion?’ in Christian Courier; available from http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/786-does-exodus-21-sanction-abortion; internet; accessed 9 September 2012.
- Alan Cole, Exodus: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (Inter-Varsity, 1985) p.169
- John Hannah, Exodus: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985) p. 141
- John Stott, New Issues Facing Christians Today (Marshall Pickering, 1999) Ch. 15
- David J. Atkinson & David H. Field (eds), New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology (InterVarsity Press, 1995) p. 133
- Dr. Alex Tang, Live and Let Live (Kairos Research Centre Sdn. Bhd., 2006) p.34
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