Life
Life
In any pregnancy, both the woman and preborn baby have inherent value and dignity, by virtue of being made in the image of God. CARE is passionately pro-woman and pro-life: we advocate for both lives in a pregnancy to be protected and for a society where women are genuinely supported.
We believe there is a better way than abortion – a way that truly supports women in unplanned pregnancies, defends those who are vulnerable and have no voice, and is life-giving to preborn babies. For the last 40 years, we have strived to tell that story and uphold the value of life in our society.
Together we can work for a culture where both women and babies flourish – where all life is valued from conception and women are protected from the harm of abortion.
Leaked documents suggest the US Supreme Court could overturn Roe v Wade. What does this mean and why is it so significant?
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Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women
The arguments for abortion.
1. Women have a moral right to decide what to do with their own bodies.
2. If abortion is illegal, it drives women to dangerous backstreet abortions.
3. A pre-born fetus only has moral agency when it’s outside the womb.
The arguments against abortion.
1. The right to life is the oldest and most important right there is. It applies equally to the mother and to the pre-born baby.
2. Life begins at conception.
3. Abortion involves the taking of a life and the baby is denied a choice.
4. There are alternatives to abortion, such as adoption and fostering.
CARE's perspective.
Abortion is ultimately about rights, personhood, equality, and choice. It is a moral issue. Every abortion involves the taking of a life.
At CARE, our starting point is the word of God. From the very beginning of the bible, God declares that human beings are His image-bearers.
This means many things, but chiefly it suggests that human beings have a dignity and honour that is not given to anything else in the created order.
Moreover, God Himself, in the Person of the Eternal Son, Jesus Christ, became fully human, entered the womb of Mary as an embryo, developed and was born and then grew through puberty to full adulthood.
Nothing dignifies humanity more than the incarnation. God became man! If God is willing to do that, how precious life must be.
Then you read Psalm 139 where we are told that humans are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’. Psalm 8 says humans have been made a little lower than the angels (in some translations, than God himself!).
You also read that it is wrong to murder (Exodus 20:9). There’s also the reaction of baby John when Mary visits his mum, Elizabeth. Though still in the womb, John leaps for joy. Clearly, the bible attaches personhood to a preborn baby.
For these reasons (and there are more) we conclude that life begins at conception. That you do not come from an embryo. You are an embryo and develop into a baby. At all points, you are human. Since it is wrong to take innocent life intentionally, it is wrong to abort.
At CARE we also recognise that in every pregnancy, both lives matter.
It’s not enough to simply oppose abortion, we want to also recognise that every woman who experiences a crisis pregnancy is also an image bearer of God.
We do not believe abortion is in the best interests of the mother and sadly, many women who’ve had an abortion carry grief and guilt as a result.
There are real alternatives to abortion – including adoption – but it’s not always the case that women are made fully aware of these options.
OPEN is an initiative of CARE. It aims to create an environment within churches where unintended pregnancy and post abortion concerns can
be shared with grace and compassionate understanding.
Abortion has become a highly polarised and toxic issue in our society… but I believe that when we try to enter this battleground, our Christian task is first to listen and to understand, to empathise. Only in this way are we going to be able to speak with integrity, with authenticity and with compassion.
Here are a range of resources to help you dig deeper on the issue of abortion.
CARE
We believe that in every civilised society we should hold open and respectful debate: seeking first, to listen and understand the views of others, and second, to form sound, logical arguments to defend our own. In this series we examine various aspects of the abortion debate.
Explore
by Naomi Marsden
Naomi Marsden explores some of the claims perpetuated by those who seek a radical overhaul of the UK's abortion laws, and the wide-reaching effects decriminalisation will have on all pregnant women and the legal status of preborn babies.
Read the article
CARE for Scotland responds to the proposed Abortion Services (Safer Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill.
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CARE
Of all people, Christians should be the ones speaking out about the greatest human rights violation of our time.
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CARE
Want to engage in a loving and logical manner on the issue of abortion? Keen to equip yourself better on the Christian response to ethical issues like assisted suicide? Here are ten resources that will help you.
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John Wyatt
John Wyatt examines the issues surrounding the beginning and end of life against the background of current medical-ethical thought.
Buy the book
CARE
When those with pro-choice beliefs are intellectually honest, a real conversation about abortion can begin, says CARE's Naomi Marsden.
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CARE
The church has always been God’s answer for the world. Whilst we grieve for the women and babies whose lives will be forever changed by this law, we must rally for those who are vulnerable.
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CARE
The reasons for falling birth rates, and increased abortion numbers, need to be given due attention because they undoubtedly have a substantial impact on our population.
read moreCommemoration or Celebration? 50 years of Abortion in numbers and pictures
Majority of women oppose radical abortion law change
Parents of babies with life-limiting conditions need better support
Do we want to engineer our kids?
Midnight conversations about abortion
Only 1% of Brits back abortion decriminalisation | Com Res Poll
Charity CARE for Scotland has told the Scottish Government that the proposed Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill risks undermining free speech.
Read article
Parliament passes an Act making it a criminal offence to abort a preborn baby. The Act also makes it an offence to procure or supply abortifacients for the intention of termination of preborn life.
Offences Against the Person Act 1861
Parliament passes an Act making it an offence to terminate a child capable of being born alive, defined in the Act as from 28 weeks. The Act makes abortion to save the life of the mother a legal exemption.
Infant Life Preservation Act 1929
This was the first case that tested the grounds under which a legal abortion could be performed in England. Alec Bourne, a doctor, performed an abortion on a 14-year-old girl, pregnant as a result of rape. He was acquitted, as the judge held that an abortion could be performed if the pregnancy was capable of rendering the woman a physical or mental wreck, so as to pose a significant risk to her life. This case paved the way for abortion law reform, leading to legalised abortion on mental health grounds — the most common ground for abortion today. Dr Alec Bourne was later horrified by the way his case was used to change the law, resulting in thousands of abortions. He became one of the founding members of the pro-life charity SPUC as a result.
R v Bourne
Following years of campaigning by the Abortion Law Reform Association, David Steel successfully sees his Private Members' Bill through Parliament. Parliament passes an Act which allows for exceptions to the criminal law on abortion. Abortions can now be legally obtained on specific grounds up to 28 weeks, and must be signed off by two medical doctors. Following the passage of this Act, the rate of abortion increased significantly in England, Scotland and Wales. The Act never applied to Northern Ireland.
Abortion Act 1967
Parliament passes an Act which amends the Abortion Act 1967. The point of viability is updated to 24 weeks for abortions for mental health reasons, but abortion is made available up to birth in cases of disability.
Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act 1990
Following a complaint, the Advertising Standards Authority rules that the Both Lives Matter billboard campaign, which found that 100,000 lives have been saved in Northern Ireland due to their not adopting the Abortion Act 1967, is a robust estimate of the impact of NI's life-affirming laws. CARE was a founding partner of Both Lives Matter.
ASA Ruling on Both Lives Matter
Government announce that the second abortion pill can now be taken at home in England, following similar changes in Scotland and Wales.
Government confirms plans to approve the home-use of early abortion pills
In the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019, Westminster overrode the devolution settlement and legislated to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland. This repealed the relevant sections of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, removing all legal recognition of preborn babies prior to viability. MPs voted in favour of an amendment tabled by a Labour backbench MP to a Bill which had nothing to do with abortion. No consultation took place with the people of Northern Ireland and the final amendment, which has became the law in Northern Ireland, was only debated for 17 minutes in the elected House of Commons. NI now has a 5-month limbo period where abortion law is completely unregulated, before Regulations come in in March 2020.
A dark day for Northern Ireland on abortion
Northern Ireland MP Carla Lockhart is appointed a co-chair of the Westminster Pro-Life APG. Since becoming an MP, Carla has been a fearless champion of the right to life.
Find out more
A pro-life Bill at the Northern Ireland Assembly passes Second Stage with CARE NI's support.
Read moreA new Down Syndrome Bill is introduced which aims to improve opportunities and outcomes for people living with Down Syndrome in the UK.
Find out moreAn amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that would have decriminalised abortion in England and Wales is withdrawn. CARE supported MPs is speaking out against the move.
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A pro-life Bill that previously passed its Second Stage in March also passes Committee Stage at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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I want a society in Northern Ireland that values life, and I want to see services that will help women choose life. We want to see a perinatal palliative care centre, a maternal mental health unit and better childcare services, and that is my ask of this Government. Help us create a culture of choosing life
Culture
& society reflecting a better story
for everyone.
At the heart of all of CARE’s work is our determination to uphold the truth that human beings made in God’s image are immensely valuable and deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.
We want to show a better story for our culture and society, and we want to be part of shaping that in structures that we are given as citizens in the UK…
Find out more about the better storyYour donation to CARE enables us to continue to work towards a culture and society reflecting a better story for everyone.
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Together we can make a difference shaping our culture and society. Here are three things you can do right now…
Join us in praying for Christians to be courageous, wise and compassionate in defending women and preborn babies. We have suggested several prayer points to help you pray.
Ask your MP to oppose at-home abortion extension
Read our long read on what 'decriminalisation' of abortion will really mean