Chapter 6
time.“ThereisnolongerJeworGentile,
slaveorfree,maleandfemale.Foryouare
alloneinChristJesus”(Galatians3:28).
Jesusalsotaught“...whenyoudidittoone
of theleastof thesemybrothersandsisters,
youweredoingittome!”CertainlyJesus
includeswomeninthe“leastof these”and
childrenareliterallythe“leastof these,”
withoutpower,influenceorwealth.When
consideringpowerlessness,childrenhaveto
beatthetopof thelist.“Theironyof the
abortiondebate,asitstandsinourchurch
andsociety,isthatitframesthesetwo
groups,womenandchildren,asenemiesof
oneanother”(Hamilton,2003,p.605).
Two,why is it assumed that the woman
is solely responsible for herself and her
baby? Or the man and the woman are
solely responsible? Reasons often given for
abortion include fear about not being able
to handle the emotional,financial and
physical demands of a child,fear that
having a child would destroy important
relationships,and fear that it would
destroy one’s current life.Women who
have had an abortion are likely to say,“I
had no choice.”If a person has no choice,
are they really exercising their free will?
Three,the Christian response to
abortion must reframe the issue to look at
responsibility rather than rights.In the
pro-choice movement,the right of the
mother to choose is pitted against the
right of the baby to live.The Christian
response centers on the responsibility of
the whole Christian community to care
for the“least of these.”As Christians,we
know that no adult belongs to him or
herself and that no child belongs to the
parent.Every person is a child of God.
“Because of that,every young one is our
child,the church’s child to care for.This is
not an option.It is a responsibility”
(Hamilton,2003,pg 606).
“We cannot simply throw the issue of
abortion in the faces of women and say,
‘You decide and you bear the
consequences of your decision.’As the
Church,our response to the abortion issue
must be to shoulder the responsibility to
care for women and children.We cannot
do otherwise and still be the Church.If we
close our doors in the faces of women and
children,then we close our doors in the
face of Christ”(Hamilton,2003,p.607).“You made all the delicate, inner parts of
my body and knit me together in my
mother’s womb.” Even when we know the
scriptures, decisions can be very difficult.©iStockphoto.com/Stockphoto4u