The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) will shortly vote to relax the laws governing abortion. The motion that backs calls for decriminalisation, will not be known in its specific detail until after the decision has been made. The move has sparked unrest and interior revolt, with 650 professionals complaining to the RCOG leadership.
RCOG President Professor Lesley Regan has made her wishes for the vote known, claiming abortions should be viewed no differently from other basic medical procedures – including bunion removal. She wants abortions to be decriminalised and made more freely available.
There are regular news stories of abortion clinic malpractice and increasing concerns over the allowance of illegal practices such as sex-selective abortions. Calls for decriminalisation by industry leaders are no surprise as they are a part of their vested ideological, political, and financial interests.
Dr Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship, who believes 98% of abortions in the UK are technically illegal, sees the vote as having an ulterior motive, pointing to what the industry stands to gain. He asks:
“How is this different from bankers asking for fraud to be decriminalised, taxi drivers seeking an end to speed limits, or tenants aiming to abolish rental contracts? Surely it is those who most stand to gain by a change in the law who should have least say over how it is framed.”
Given that the regulations set out in the Abortion Act (1967) are frequently being flouted, it is clear that the law needs to be tightened. Legislative action, however, appears to be veering more towards pushing for total societal and legislative acceptance of abortion for any reason up to birth.
Earlier this year, Labour stalwarts, Harriet Harman, Yvette Cooper, Diana Johnson, and Stella Creasy backed a bill calling for the full decriminalisation of abortion, which was halted by Theresa May’s shock call for a general election.
Christians must be vocal about the tragic nature of abortion and should see pro-abortion legislation as further indication of our nation’s depravity. A strong society cares for its weakest members. When our society sacrifices our defenceless, voiceless, preborn young on the altar of convenience and commodity, we do so to our shame and to our ultimate harm.