It might surprise some to know that abortion is still illegal in Britain. In our world where abortion seems to be all the rage everywhere you go, it’s noteworthy that some countries, Britain and Ireland for example, have not caved to pressure to legalize abortion.

That could be changing soon as a result of a British medical group’s recent vote to legalize abortion up to the moment of birth.

For me, it’s hard to imagine killing a child at any stage of development in the womb. The most vulnerable and defenseless of our society deserve to be protected, not hunted and murdered. But the idea of waiting until a child is ready to be born, and then deciding to kill him/her is a special kind of evil.

The fact that a very small group of doctors made a decision that impacts a very large group of doctors and citizens does not make this any better. A recent article reports that this decision was made “by a very small number of doctors…about 0.1% or one thousandth of the total membership of the BMA” (British Medical Association). This group of more than 175,000 members held an annual meeting in which only 155-180 members voted to legalize abortion.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the entire campaign to change the abortion laws was based on a false premise. Advocates of change said that women wanted to loosen the laws on abortion. But, as the article noted, a recent poll suggests otherwise:

“A ComRes poll in May 2017 (see above) found that only 1% of women wanted to see the time limit for abortion extended above 24 weeks and that 70% wanted to see the abortion limit reduced to 20 weeks or below. 91% of women favored a total an explicit ban on sex-selective abortion. So women want the law to be stricter on the legality and regulation of abortion, not laxer.”

Even though abortion is still technically illegal in Britain, the law has not been enforced for quite some time. This effort to decriminalize abortion has little to do with the law and more to do with creating a culture of abortion in Britain. If abortion were no longer illegal, providers such as BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) and Planned Parenthood would have free access to market their services. This would lead to abortion services being marketed to schools, women’s groups, and other public services.

The author of the article cited above said that perhaps some of the blame lies with doctors that oppose legalizing abortion but have remained silent. He also said “the church has also been largely silent.”

Perhaps British Christians should learn from our mistakes as it is currently reported that 29% of American evangelicals say abortion should be legal.

If it is hard to imagine any person supporting the murder of an innocent child, it is even harder to imagine a professing Christian supporting he murder of a child made in God’s image. Christians are supposed to understand that all people bear the imago dei, or, the image of God. We are made in God’s image by the Creator and as such, deserve the respect and dignity our Creator gave us. For a Christian to support abortion the Christians would have to oppose God’s Word, violate God’s commands, and sin.

If anyone in our country should be willing to stand up for the unborn, it should be Christians. We know the teachings of Jesus concerning children (Matt. 19:4, Luke 17:2) and what a high value Jesus placed on children. Christians should not side with a culture that values selfishness, convenience and death over the life of any unborn child.

British Christians need to look no farther than Oregon to see what will eventually happen if they refuse to stand and defend the unborn.

It was recently reported that a bill, likely to be signed by Gov. Kate Brown, has made it through the legislature, which would create the most liberal, unrestricted abortion laws in our country. The report states:

“Oregon is preparing to enact a law that would force all Oregon insurers to cover abortions, whatever the reason, at no cost to patients. House Bill 3391-B compels insurers, public or private, to provide a whole swathe of “reproductive services” free of cost and regardless of income, insurance type, citizenship status, or gender identity. Because the bill prohibits insurers from shifting costs to customers in the form of higher deductibles or co-pays, private insurers will be forced to eat the costs — or, more likely, to distribute them among their customers through higher premiums.”

Not only will abortion be made free to every women for any reason, but, it appears, any type of abortion will also be permissible. The report goes on to comment that the bill “does not exclude grisly late-term abortions (which take place long after the fetus can survive outside the womb), nor does it prohibit sex-selective abortions. If a woman wants to kill her unborn daughter because she wanted a son, her insurer has no choice but to cover that.”

Forcing taxpayers to subsidize abortion. Allowing abortion up to the moment of birth. Approving the killing of an innocent child because it is one gender or another. Does this sound like the actions of a civilized society? How could any Christian associate with this kind of evil, much less support it?

The good news is that the culture of death is losing. People, regardless of media reports and politicians ramblings, people are becoming more and more pro-life. As we learn the value of life and understand the humanity of the unborn; people are turning from the evil of abortion and supporting life. I look forward to the day when every life, from conception to the grace is given the respect and dignity it deserves.