It’s both bizarre and tragic that our NHS is performing abortions

They are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, governments all over the world have spent billions of pounds on the development of vaccines, on health care and on trying to protect people from a virus that could result in death.

It’s a policy with which everyone agrees. We all put value on human life and that value is such that people should be protected from death by all means possible.

In human rights terms we say that people have “a right to life”.

However, given the change in the law by the Westminster government resulting in the imposition of abortion provision in Northern Ireland, we are concerned about the devaluing of life in the womb – the life of the unborn child.

This right to life is being denied to some human beings. It’s being taken away from them as their lives are terminated.

Apparently the right to choose is more important than the right to life.

While we recognise the dilemma that some women and their families are in due to unplanned pregnancies, we would want them to be able to consider other options and to recognise that both lives matter – their own life and the life of their unborn child.

It seems bizarre and tragic that the same health service that tries so hard to protect lives also facilitates the ending of innocent lives.

We recognise that some health service staff are in an intolerable position and are required by law to act against their conscience. As for some of the unborn, their only crime is that they are “unwanted”. Who speaks for them?

We believe that the imposition of recent abortion legislation by the Westminster government, against the wishes of the majority of people who responded to the public consultation, is wrong.

We see a danger in the present way of evaluating life. We fear that the sheer logic of “choice” overriding “life” will inevitably result in more deaths and more lives being “terminated” simply because they are not wanted.

This logic could bring us to the point where no human life is safe, for if a human being has no value when inside the womb, why should they have value when they are born?

We belong to a strongly pro-life Christian church and we firmly believe that human life has unique value. It is sacred and has meaning and purpose because to be human is to be created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, NIV: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’...” We believe that Christianity shows us a reasonable and more compassionate way of understanding human life.

We should protect human life and care for the weak and vulnerable.

We have a responsibility to be one another’s keeper and to love our neighbour who is also created in the image of God (Matthew 22:39: Jesus said ”...Love your neighbour as yourself.”)

We wish to express our dismay and strong opposition to the news that abortion services are now provided in John Mitchel Place Clinic, Newry, and in other health facilities.

Out of our concern for the unborn we call upon the political representatives in Stormont and Westminster who share our pro-life views to work for a change in the law to protect the life of the unborn, and for the removal of abortion services from our communities under the direction of the health trusts.

Given the seriousness of this matter we call upon members of our churches to pray for the acceptance of a right to life for the unborn.

We also ask that others join with us in seeking the repeal of the current abortion legislation.

> Rev Bryan Kee is moderator of the Presbytery of Newry, and Rev Stuart Finlay is its clerk. Their comment piece appears just one day after the News Letter reported that the London government is warning it will over-ride Stormont for a second time on abortion, passing a law to enforce universal access to terminations in the absence of central commissioning from the Department of Health

> The Southern Health Trust has stressed that the Newry facility is just one of many offering abortions around the country, and that it performs only non-surgical terminations, up to 10 weeks

Read more from this reporter:

Click here: Abortion: Westminster warns it is ready to intervene again over full access in NI

Click here: Family-owned greengrocer: We are better stocked than Tesco

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor