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.
Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women
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.
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 Embryology & Fertilisation 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, misoprostol, 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 abortionHere are a range of resources to help you dig deeper on the issue of abortion.
In this article, Naomi Marsden (CARE's Communications Officer) 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
John Wyatt examines the issues surrounding the beginning and end of life against the background of current medical-ethical thought. Writing out of a deep conviction that the Bible's view of our humanness points a way forward, he suggests how Christian healthcare professionals, churches and individuals can respond to today's challenges and opportunities
Buy the book
by Naomi Marsden
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.
read more
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
More than 1,600 people have signed an letter to the Prime Minister, urging him not to allow abortion to be permitted in Northern Ireland for babies with Down’s syndrome.
Keep reading
Health bodies in Great Britain have issued a joint recommendation that Northern Ireland's new abortion framework should have no restrictions up to 24 weeks gestation.
Keep reading
Unborn babies can feel pain, possibly as early as 13 weeks, according to an article in the influential Journal of Medical Ethics.
Keep reading
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 storyPlease help us protect babies, and ensure women are truly supported in pregnancy and beyond.
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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.
Read our article looking at proposals to decriminalise abortion, and how this will affect women and babies in practice.
Contact your MP to raise your concerns about abortion and decriminalisation.