Comments on: Women and Abortion

By: Sara Elizabeth

Sara Elizabeth — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:31:29 +0000

Can I just say that, Angela, “Religion” will fail, but God does not, and his sacrifice of his son does not.
I don’t believe it is our job to judge, but to live by following Jesus, cause in him there is no wrong. By looking at the world today I can totally see that some people don’t follow Him. But it’s about you and God, not others. Of coarse God wants us to stand up for the truth, but not by slandering others, for we all do wrong, but that is why God has given us hope in his son. Pray for those doctors girl, pray for the politicians, and the people in authority that are making rules to legalize abortion, pray for their salvation, that they would get God’s heart for the millions of children that die.

Thanks for listening,
God bless

Sara Elizabeth

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:34:25 +0000

It is very concerning that several posters here have been unable to cope with my response, except by being insulting. I suggest that you re-read Murray Adamthwaite:
“It is up to the Christians, esp., those in the medical profession, now to defy the law, in particular those aspects which require a doctor who will not perform an abortion to recommend one who will. But Christians are so weak-willed, so ignorant, and so compliant with even the worst legislation, that I despair of ever seeing them have any backbone.”
Perhaps these posters simply have very little understanding of the work a very large number of doctors did to try and oppose the Abortion Bill. Perhaps they are ignorant of the fact that by signing their names to protest letters they have left themsleves open to legal prosecution and entrapment once the Bill is law. Perhaps they have no concept of the huge financial sacrifices and sacrifices of time entailed in qualifying as a doctor and the heavy practice costs most modern physicians deal with. Perhaps these posters have little understanding of modern clinical realities, the fact that doctors support families and that there are many things pro-life doctors do to promote a culture of life in the day to day practice of medicine. Most’s pro-life work has come at a cost, during University and in training and in practice.
So I think that this statement of Mr Adamthwaite was very insensitive to the very real predicament and threats facing many pro-life doctors at the present time, and the real fear that they might lose everything. They want to work in pro-life ways in their medical vocation. If people have little understanding of those realities they should refrain from accusing them of being weak, spineless, of being likely to act against life etc. Perhaps, instead, they could contribute to a pro-life medical defence fund to make their pro-life concerns tangible, not to mention make material their Christian concerns for persecuted bothers and sisters. There may be many ways a doctor might seek to proceed so as to continue to maintain a pro-life practice. Doctors may be able to use prudence and cunning to avoid or mitigate aspects of the law so as to keep going with their vocation to pro-life medicine.
And whether our culture becomes more pro-life or not does not just hinge on doctors’ decisions alone. Isn’t that obvious?

Or perhaps these gentlemen are just choosing to be obtuse. And I think they are ungentlemanly.

Angela Conway

By: Ewan

Ewan — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:44:46 +0000

I'm with John Angelico. I couldn't make much sense of Angela's comments either. It seems to be a very judgmental diatribe against the sin of being judgmental. Perhaps Angela would benefit from reading Bill's previous excellent article Thou Shalt Judge Ewan McDonald.

By: david skinner

david skinner — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:56:52 +0000

If anyone happens to be in London this Saturday, 18th you would be really welcome to fall in and join the footsoldiers

www.ccfon.org/docs/procession18oct8.pdf

Davis Skinner, UK

By: John Angelico

John Angelico — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:14:14 +0000

Dear Angela Conway,

I am sorry but I really cannot make head or tail of your comments.

There are so many dis-jointed and un-connected statements, that I had to give up.

Please can you rewrite it?

John Angelico

By: Peter Coventry

Peter Coventry — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:29:27 +0000

I am absolutely convinced that sooner or later the truth of abortion and all it’s destruction will become widely known to the general public. Once the outbreak of truth starts it will gather momentum and break open like a dam wall. The lies and deception cannot be maintained forever as more and more women are wounded by abortion (unfortunately the babies cannot give an account).
As terrible as this legislation is, perhaps we have to hit “rock bottom” before we can start to climb out of the abyss. In the mean time, we must keep “flying the flag” and as you quoted Bill, never, never, never give up.
Peter Coventry

By: Geoffrey Bullock

Geoffrey Bullock — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:57:25 +0000

Kevin Butler says rightly that we are succumbing to ‘a twisted form of compassion’. We have been taught to place our human compassion (a gift of God) on things that do not fit God’s understanding of ‘good’. In abortion, misplaced compassion for the woman (because she does suffer), and none for the child or greiving father; in surrogacy, misplaced compassion for the adults seeking a child (the conflicts of surrogacy are well-recorded), and little for the child who can have up to eight adults laying claim be its parents; in cloning, misplaced compassion towards those who might receive cures from embryonic stem-cell research (because it is highly unlikely that cures will come), but none for the newly conceived embryo. The list goes on! May God save us from this ignorance!

Geoffrey Bullock, Toowoomba

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:30:33 +0000

To Murray especially. I am troubled by these intimations of readiness to judge various health professionals, especially christian ones, for being spineless or otherwise failing some test set for their appropriate conduct. There is too much judgement, altogether, of people and whether they have made an appropriate “pro-life grade” or not. Many of the health professionals you are presumably referring to here have signed numerous letters declaring their positions to the enemy. These people have made many sacrifices, monetary, years etc to train sufficiently. They are doing tremendous life-affirming good already. They hope to continue their work. They will do as much to witness to life as they feel called to do in their individual circumstances. They may have to make mighty sacrifices or make small gestures. They may have to spend time counseling a woman against abortion or they may have to face being entrapped by a pro-abortion activist. Will Murray be there to help that professional and their family if they are de-registered or face legal defense costs or fines? Some young doctors are commencing training in a time in which training positions are insufficient and hospitals may seek to weed out pro-life applicants. How much practical support will be forthcoming for them? Less judgement and more respect for different ways of being pro-life is necessary.
And no, it is not up to Christian doctors. What good their efforts if the young pregnant woman meets contemptuous looks on the street, where young single mums are vilified in the media and the supermarket queue. Where a mother cant cope with her kids but no-one ever offers her non-judgmental, compassionate help. What about those carrying “defective” babies. How many will be prepared to offer practical support underpinned by love. Such support might be necessary for a few days until the baby dies, or it might be a life time of need. Where is this support? How generous are our hearts towards the disabled or ill babies God blesses us with? Once the doctor has done their part there is still a great deal that must be in place to help a mother choose life.
Angela Conway

By: Ian Brearley

Ian Brearley — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:59:19 +0000

I was going to yell my “good on you” to Mei Cheah even louder than Mark Rabich or you, Bill. How about a book Mei? Surely your words would carry more punch than most on this subject.
God bless you always.
Ian Brearley

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:27:55 +0000

Thanks Mark

Yes I was going to say the same thing. Well done Mei Cheah and all the others involved in counseling, support and care for women in this position. You perform an invaluable service. There are so many, like yourself, like Anne Lastman, and countless others who are tirelessly working in these areas, usually as volunteers with no financial recompense, helping women out in so many ways. So thanks again for all your tremendous efforts.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch