Abortion: Thrilled that Mary and Joseph didn't have an abortion!

Yesterday I began talking to my year 11s about abortion. They weren't best impressed and thought we should be talking about something much more Christmas focused. Yet, it struck me later that, if reasons given by my students for having an abortion were acted upon by Mary and Joseph, we would have no Christmas!

Mary, she didn't plan to get pregnant. She probably knew from scripture that her baby would be born to die. She would have been ridiculed and become a social outcast due to the disgrace of being teenage, unmarried and pregnant, she may well not have been able to afford to care for the baby at that moment in her life, she may have felt totally unprepared...

Many would argue that Mary could have justified having an abortion. How thankful I am this Christmas that Mary didn't have an abortion. If she did, I would not be at peace with God, if she did I would have no certainty in death, I would have no hope for the future, I would not have true joy in my heart, and my list could go on. Thinking about abortion yesterday and today has made me freshly and surprisingly thankful for Jesus.

Sadly roughly 200,000 abortions happen each year, compared to the 600,000 babies born. Which means that roughly 1/4 of pregnancies in the UK end in abortion. Interestingly only 1% of these abortions are due to findings of serious problems with the babies health. Doncaster and South Yorkshire most years statistically have the highest rates of abortion. When abortion levels are so high, it is not so shocking to have also discovered this week that around half of the girls in my GCSE classes have the contraceptive implant. Its not surprising to know that most of my GCSE students know people or know of people who have had an abortion.

As we discussed about expressed opinions about abortion, some questions were raised by my students:

1. When scientifically does the babies life begin?

2. Is it murder to abort a baby, if so, why don't mothers go to prison for abortion?

3. Is abortion the lesser of two evils?

4. What if the girl has been raped?

5. What if the baby will die soon after being born?

6. Isn't it better to get an education first and then have babies?

None of my students asked me what God thinks about abortion or what God thinks about life. When we thought about scenarios, most students thought first about abortion and hadn't considered adoption, abortion was seen as the only way out of a difficult situation. (As a friend of mine Dave pointed out when he read this, it is also brilliant that Joseph adopted Jesus as his son... seems that Christmas has a lot to say about abortion and adoption after all!)

As a class we will think about this in more detail and I will try to sensitively explain what God says in the Bible about life and abortion, knowing that this is a very real and painful issue to many of my students, the males as well as the females. One of my prayers for my students as we study the topic of abortion is that they would understand more of the love and care of God and his remarkable offer of reconciliation and understand that abortion is not the only answer. I'm praying too that they wouldn't see God as someone who just dishes out rules such as "Do not murder", but a perfect heavenly father who knows what is best.

I was struck this afternoon that the Bible isn't dead words on a page, they are words from our loving creator who doesn't just hand out cold rules for the sake of it. But they are written by a God who knows us all intimately, and cares for us all. It is also clear that in no way are Christians to be unloving in these situations.

I have found Psalm 139 so helpful on this topic, answering many of the questions raised on the topic of abortion, providing huge wisdom and comfort on the issue.

God knows everyone intimately even before they are born. (Psalm 139, 1-6, 13-16)
¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 

The Bible states here that no life is unplanned and unwanted, as God is the one who creates life. He is the one who knits the cells together in the womb and ordains life. The psalm shows us how God personally cares for each baby in the womb, purposefully creating and forming a relationship with each unborn baby. It is God who calls life into existence. This means that all life is precious to God, the bible shows us that life starts at conception, that God fearfully and wonderfully makes us all. Surely this means that all life should be welcomed.

But what about the baby who will be seriously handicapped? Or the teenager who has been raped?

What is really striking about this Pslam is that God is a relational God who knows us, he knows our thoughts, he knows our worries, he knows our pain. The Bible is also clear that we should be supporting and loving one another in times of difficulty, no one should face these difficulties alone. That is why there are people trained to give care and advice, people who can offer counseling, crisis pregnancy centres... not forgetting our loving heavenly Father who will provide the strength to cope.

If all life, as this Pslam proposes is, purposed and ordained by God, and all life is precious to God... then no disabled child is unwanted and uncared for, no child brought about by rape is unwanted. I suppose this is easy to say, yet what comfort in the face of difficulty. Its also important to remember that even when our minds struggle to comprehend it, God is a loving and good God.

Bringing us back to Christmas, God brought his son to life, knowing the terrible death Jesus would face. God knew the sufferings Jesus would face. He knows the pain of watching his Son die a horrific death. God is not removed from the situation. We see in the Bible that God is a God who is committed to protecting the vulnerable and weak, a God who is utterly just. We may struggle to watch a baby we give birth to suffer, and the Bible doesn't deny that, we may not want to look after a child who in societies eyes is not 'normal', I suppose we need to stand back and remember God has a good plan for that little life and trust him.

The last verse of this psalm must not be left out.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting. 
No matter what we have done, God still offers to lead us into everlasting life, due to his son. Amazing. After knowing us intimately, God still loves us, that's why we have Christmas, that's why Jesus was born. Because of Jesus, no matter what we have thought or done, if we trust in Jesus, we can live forever with Jesus in a place where there will be no pain and suffering. What joy! How thankful I am that Mary did not abort the life of Jesus!


Added extra: Thoughts regarding how to be loving and caring towards those who have had abortions etc:
1. The gospel message is one of forgiveness, and abortion is forgivable.
2. Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:9 - we are to share one anothers burdens, and weep with those who week. We are to be compassionate and loving.
3. Support single mothers, with time and finance
4. As we teach young people, provide teaching on biblical adoption as well as abortion.

See, this link from facebook, for an amazing story!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=1525699025920&set=a.1019229804506.2003110.1337978938