26 Church leaders in Donegal evangelical church leaders have issued a statement under the heading “Abortion is not the answer”.
The joint document calls for compassion for the unborn child, and better help for women rather than repealing the 8th Amendment.
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Statement in full –
Donegal Church Leaders: Abortion Not the Answer
A statement released by evangelical church leaders in Donegal calls for compassion for the unborn child, and better help for women rather than repealing the 8th Amendment.
“As a group of leaders and church workers from a variety of Christian churches in Donegal we believe that we have a moral and biblical duty to uphold God’s standards and to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8). As leaders in our churches we are to lead by example in calling others to do likewise.
We hold that all human life is precious. The ultimate foundation of this is the Bible’s teaching that we are made in “the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). That gives every human being immense dignity, worth, value and meaning, regardless of size, shape, gender, ability or colour.
God’s word and science agree that life begins at conception (Psalm 51:5). Any drawing of a line at 12 weeks or at any other stage is merely arbitrary and flies in the face of logic, science and scripture. And since God alone is the author of life, we do not have the right to determine whose life has value and whose does not; who should live and who should not.
We recognise in this broken and sinful world that hard and difficult circumstances arise. But each life is valuable because God has formed and shaped it for a purpose. We thank God for the life of every child, whatever the circumstances surrounding their conception, or the length of days given to them.
As a nation our history shows that we have failed mothers and babies. We have created stigma and shame instead of creating an environment of grace and love. We need to do better—better at compassion, better at support from conception, better at alternatives like adoption. But our past failings do not give us the right to determine who should be born and who should not.
As churches we seek to offer our support and compassion to those caught up in hopelessness, fear and despair surrounding a pregnancy. To those burdened by guilt at abortions they’ve had, as Christ’s ambassadors we hold out to you his offer of love, support, hope and forgiveness—which we all need.
As followers of Christ and church leaders we believe that a mark of a truly progressive society is its commitment to protect those who contribute least and who are least able to protect themselves. To stand by and allow these vulnerable people to be killed would be a grotesque stain on our society. The 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution reflects the Bible’s teaching and recognises the worth of both mother and baby—far in advance of many other countries. It is not backward, but progressive. It is God-honouring and person-exalting.
We therefore urge our churches’ members and our fellow citizens to resist this misguided call to repeal the 8th Amendment, and instead to continue to work towards a better, more caring and compassionate society.”
