Royal Black Institution denounces liberalisation of abortion up to point of birth and assisted dying: 'It is eroding the Christian ethos of the UK'
One of Northern Ireland’s major loyal orders, the Royal Black Institution, has issued a statement opposing the erosion of “the Christian ethos of our country”.
It follows the passing of two landmark pieces of law by the House of Commons: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill.
The former deals with assisted dying, while the latter removes all remaining possible sanctions for women who have abortions.
Whilst the existing law – the 1967 Abortion Act – allowed abortions in GB for the overwhelming majority of women who requested one, there remained a (largely theoretical) possibility that women could face prosecution for having abortions outside of the terms of that act (for example, by self-administering abortion pills late into their term).
The amendment essentially ensures that no woman can now be prosecuted for aborting a child at any stage or in any circumstances.
The assisted dying bill will allow medics to give lethal poison to some patients who are diagnosed as having six months or less to live.
The assisted dying bill passed its third and final stage in the Commons on June 20 (by 314 votes to 291), and the abortion amendment was passed on June 17 (by 379 votes to 137).
Both the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and the Crime and Policing Bill are now before the House of Lords.
However, while the Lords can delay bills and recommend amendments to them, it can almost never scupper one entirely.
The Royal Black Institution has today said in a statement: “The House of Commons has sadly passed two Bills which we, as Biblical Christians, find contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture and which we believe to have further eroded the Christian ethos of our country.
“The taking of the life of an unborn child that has not broken any laws, and has not harmed or caused offence to anyone, is simply murder.
“The killing of the unborn child is therefore the murder of the innocent, for which normally under criminal law the perpetrator would pay the price of a custodial sentence.
“The Bible teaches us that God gives life, and we have no right to end that life, even in the womb.
“The Bible tells us that it is God who appoints people to die. Euthanasia and assisted suicide attempt to deny God his sovereign right to appoint who dies when.
“We should not hasten death. Instead, we should let death take its natural course but make every effort to comfort those who are suffering, always remembering that to hasten a person into eternity is not our right. We must be careful not to take into our own hands the right that belongs to God.
“It is the teaching of Holy Scripture that human life begins at conception and that death is under God’s sovereign control.
“The beginning of life is being further opened to destruction through abortion, and the end of life is now being considered for destruction as well.
“Like a vice that closes from either end, how many of those left in the middle will in the future fall prey to the depravity of man’s moral relativism and love affair with sin that always brings death?”
The statement added: “We therefore, as an Institution, urge our politicians, and particularly the House of Lords members, to step back from bringing these bills into law, as both these issues require much more research, debate, and consultation, particularly on the Biblical Christian ethos of such decisions.”