|
"Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated
you" (Jeremiah 1:5).
Abortion is death of a living person. The Hon. Ted Cunningham MLA
of Western Australia said, on March 17, 1998. "No gynaecologist anywhere
in this world will tell a woman "Madam, for the first few months
of your pregnancy you are having a fish". Naturally, it is always
a baby in the womb. It is beyond any doubt that what has been destroyed
is nothing less than a child. Every person ... was once a foetus. Some
may say that these are extremely harsh words. They are totally wrong;
they are very true words".
Abortion has been opposed since ancient times. The Sumerian Code
of about 2000 BC is the oldest known system to outlaw abortion. The foetus
was regarded as a human being in the Assyrian Code of about 1500 BC. The
Orthodox Church has opposed abortion, regarding it as murder and a serious
sin, since the days of the Apostles.
In the early days of Christianity, the Roman Empire was very much
like the modern world, where abortion was practiced on demand. The early
Church opposed this practice as indicated in the Teachings of the Twelve
Apostles (the Didache). The Didache commanded, "You shall not procure
abortion, nor destroy a newborn child" (Didache 2:2) St. Hippolytus
said around 217 AD, " ...women who were reputed to be believers began
to take drugs to render themselves sterile, and to bind themselves tightly
to expel what was being conceived. See, then, into what great sacrilege
that lawless one has proceeded, by teaching adultery and murder at the
same time!" (from The Apostolic Tradition). St. Basil the Great reiterated
these words in 374 AD when he wrote in the First Canonical Letter, "A
woman who has deliberately destroyed a foetus must pay the penalty for
murder" (188:2). He also said "those also who give drugs causing
abortions are murderers themselves, as well as those who receive the poison
which kills the foetus" (188:8) These quotes show that abortion has
concerned the Church since Her beginning.
The modern world is madly killing our babies and scarcely anyone
sheds a tear for their death. So, end the lives of human beings, conceived
often in the cause of sexual freedom and promiscuity or in rare cases
tragic circumstances. These children were created in the Image of God
(their Father in heaven), only to be discarded, unwanted, dismembered,
burned, and not baptised. The remains are either incinerated or flushed
down the toilet depending on the size of the child. In some cases, the
bodies are sold for profit to soap makers, or medical research establishments
where different organs are minced and used for tissue culture or hormone
production.
Politicians who are being moved, like mindless puppets, by feminists
and so-called 'modern' thinkers are legalising death. These people trivialise
the lives of unborn babies for their selfish gains. They try to fool women
that they are doing them a favour, adopting euphemistic terms like 'pro-choice'
and "problem pregnancies". These people are in fact anti-women,
telling them they have no moral courage, and that they are weak and they
cannot cope with a 'problem' pregnancy.
Medical doctors, whose profession is to save lives, now knowingly,
extinguish lives. The 'pro-abortion' lobby has developed the myth that
these doctors are helping women, but the truth is they do not care for
them. Their motives seem to be the large sums of money they receive for
murdering about 10,000 defenceless babies every year in Western Australia
alone.
Another myth is that births must be planned, perfect and suit the
needs of society. Adversity, God's gift of love, between the union of
a husband and wife, has low been relegated to convenience.
A third myth is that abortion gives women control of their bodies,
implying that babies are lifeless organs. The fact is, the womb is meant
to be a safe sanctuary for a baby destined to live separated from its
mother. A baby is not a disposable organ in a woman's body, but is a living
person.
It is obvious that abortions destroy children and the souls of
their mothers. Abortion deprives women of the God-given gift of motherhood,
and does not help the grief stricken mothers who live the rest of their
lives in guilt. Then, when these women express sorrow for the death of
their aborted babies they are told to pull themselves together and accept
the 'benefits' that they have worked so hard to achieve. These poor women
want to grieve, but are not allowed to! Alas, women are trivialised and
denied the grief for the death of their babies.
Children in the womb are precious in the eyes of God and have the
right to live. Their greatest disadvantage is that they can not voice
their protest against those who are so willing to dissected them into
small pieces or 'vacuum clean' them from the womb of their mothers. Yet,
'animal liberation' groups protest loudly at the 'inhuman' treatment of
defenceless animals. Remorse, the world trivialises the lives of the defenceless
little ones.
Some politicians, encouraged by this 'progressive' society, are
madly legalising the murder of our babies. However, are they representing
the vocal few or silent majority and do they deny that these babies have
the right to live? Death is being legalised because of the loud 'pro-choice'
minority that wants to 'enjoy' an active sexual life' and do not want
to accept the responsibilities of their 'pleasures'. Woe, our society
has turned its back to God and His commandments.
A few weeks ago, a woman had an abortion. The doctor wanted to
dispose of this baby in the hospital bin, but she wanted to bury it with
dignity and not dispose of it like some garbage. How did she then feel
about her baby? Does she now think 'what if this baby was born; what would
it have been like?' Does this aborted baby now, haunt her dreams and agonise
her with guilt?
If you do not follow the Church's teaching, then you will not follow
Her teaching on abortion. These people will say. 'I will do as I like
and have sex and abortions when I like. So God can stay out of my life'.
Each of us must come out of our lethargy and promote our pro-life
views in the community. No longer can we remain silent hoping that others
will do something. We can start by legally lobbying our members of Parliament
to hear our convictions for our little ones in wombs. They have to be
told that life in and out of the womb demands the respect of this 'civilised,
society.
Finally, we now know which politician is pro-abortion and pro-life.
We must now vote for those who will preserve the lives of innocent and
defenceless babies.
Alexi Markovic
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
|
