Many people at Eden are involved in activities outside the church. Vanessa Palmer talks here about her work with LIFE, a counselling service for women with unwanted pregnancies.
One in every three women of child-bearing age in England has had an abortion. About half of those have had two. This means that you probably either know or will know someone who has had an abortion.
In order for us as Christians to communicate with the world about abortion, we must speak in terms of compassion for the women who are driven by desperate circumstances to have an abortion. It is not helpful for us to proclaim that abortion is wrong, even though it is. To do that alienates us from the very people whom we could otherwise help.
To illustrate, let's say you wear a "little feet" lapel pin on your jacket at work. Someone asks you what the pin means, and you say, "This pin is an exact replica of the shape and size of a baby's feet at ten week's gestation. I am pro-life, and I don't believe in abortion under any circumstances. Even if the mother is raped, the baby still has a right to life."
I am not going to say that is wrong, but look at this option: "I am very concerned about how desperate many women feel when they have a crisis or unwanted pregnancy. So many women who have had abortions weren't given or offered all the counselling and practical help which they needed. They live with their regret the rest of their lives. I support a pro-life counselling charity which offers non-directional counselling to women who need it. They can offer practical help, advice on benefits and even housing or money. LIFE also offers post-abortion counselling. The side effects of abortion can be devastating to women, and include post traumatic stress disorder (which sometimes doesn't appear until many years later -- after the woman has had a child), and even infertility. There are many women who have abortions only out of desperation, fear, lack of finances, or because they are pressured into it in order to keep up appearances. I am strongly committed to helping women who are in desperate and confusing circumstances when they are pregnant."
If you present yourself as a person who cares about women who are facing a crisis pregnancy, you might find yourself accompanying a friend or colleague down to the Cambridge LIFE Counselling Centre at 22A St. Andrew's Street, for a pregnancy test and a chat with one of our counsellors.
Working with LIFE has a steep learning curve, and it is not for the faint-hearted. Myths abound about pregnancy (the foetus is a blob of jelly; it's just a part of the mother's body) and about abortion (it's a simple procedure) and about pro-lifers (they're all highly intelligent and caring, great people to work with -- oh, sorry those ones are actually true!).
I originally joined the Cambridge branch of LIFE (which is a non-religious, non-political national charity) to do educational talks to 6th form students and other groups. Soon after, I became chairperson.
Our work falls into four general areas: counselling, educational speakers who give talks in 6th form colleges and Universities, publicity/advertising and fund-raising. All the areas overlap. If you think about it you will see that men can easily be part of the latter three categories (and as we are getting more and more men calling us who are upset about their partner's abortions, some men could actually train as a counsellor for men.) Currently, we also need a treasurer, an admin person, more counsellors, and lots more "sleeping" members, which means more members who give money and receive our literature, but aren't particularly active in other ways.
Most of our funds go on rent and publicity. Our experience is that advertising is very effective, and quickly results in more calls to the centre, so if you'd like to sign up and help out in that way, contact me or Ruth Bowers for a form.
As my colleague in Educational talks, James Lee, says, "If you believe that life begins at conception then the widespread practice of abortion internationally makes this practice THE most serious human rights abuse issue of our times." (And it was interesting to see all those sixth form boys sit up in their seats when he said that!) Many Christians make analogies as well between the slavery issue in Lord Shaftsbury's day and abortion in our day. However, The Bible implicitly accepts slavery, while it implicitly, and at times explicitly, condemns abortion. This adds immeasurable significance and weight to our position.
Next time you go to Sainsburys, or the Arts Theatre, or a picnic in the park, remember that one of every three women of childbearing age in England have had an abortion. Remember that not all, but most of those women are carrying around a grief that is very real, even though they might be denying it to themselves right now. Do what you can to know about all aspects of the abortion issue. For an insight into the issue which covers the British political and social situation, I recommend Life After Death by David Alton. However, Abortion: the Silent Holocaust is the best book available on abortion, although it is politically American and was first printed in 1981, so even the politics are out of date. Other recommended reading: Responding to the Culture of Death: a primer of bioethical issues, by John R. Ling. This book covers abortion, IVF, human embryo experimentation, cloning, genetic engineering, euthanasia, and surrogacy. I have all these three books which I am willing to lend out.
Then, do something practical to make a difference. I leave you with one final quote from James, who isn't a Christian: "If the Christians can't get motivated about the abortion issue, what hope is there for the sinners?"