Abortion: Choice or Expectation?

08 Oct 2011

Has the church gone silent on abortion?

Abortion is an emotive and starkly polarising subject. And one it seems the Christian church in New Zealand is largely avoiding. That’s the opinion of Peter McKenzie, legal counsel for Right to Life New Zealand, interviewed for this edition’s feature.

One reason for our seeming apathy may be that historically abortion has been framed as intrinsically connected with women’s rights and a woman’s place in society. The implication is that restricting a woman’s right to choose an abortion is an endorsement of gender inequality.

Add to this the fact that the arguments used—on all sides—are so loaded. It’s hard to engage in a discussion where words are thrown like weapons over the parapets. I might use the phrase ‘unborn child’ to describe the contents of a pregnant woman’s womb. Others would call this an emotive ploy because I’m emphasising the humanity of that life; they might prefer ‘embryo’ or ‘foetus’. I might emphasise what happens in the act
of intervening to terminate a pregnancy, and so be accused of
emotive propaganda. By describing myself as ‘pro-life’, do I unfairly suggest that those who hold a different view are therefore ‘pro-death’?

With considerations like these, is it any wonder we shy away from examining the place of abortion in modern-day society?

Every society agrees that taking a life—even in utero—is no small matter. And away from all the loaded words and emotions, the abortion statistics indicate that, in practice, New Zealand has shifted toward a situation not far removed from abortion on demand.

Whether or not to have an abortion is no simple decision for anyone. It is certainly unhelpful and inappropriate to vilify those who decide to have an abortion or those who assist them. But we do need to ensure that those facing this decision really do feel they have a personal choice, rather than a societal expectation.

Major Christina Tyson

Bible Verse

1 John 2:5–6 Contemporary English Version
‘We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and then we know that we belong to him. If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.’

1 John 2:6
‘… Ko te tangata e mea ana e noho ana ia i roto i a ia, ko te tikanga tēnei māna, kia rite tana haere ki tā tērā.’