The question was phrased in this way:
It is right to abort a foetus if the mother and father already have 3 children and do not have a job.
Here are the results:
A quarter of the church members felt that abortion was right in this case (n=117). If the ones who are not sure are included the proportion goes up to 1/3.
The conference delegates, however, had a strikingly different view (n=34). They were over-whelmingly clear that abortion in this case was wrong, with over 90% expressing this view.
This question showed the biggest gap yet between views held by church going Christians and Christians in Medical practice who were drawn to attend this conference.
There is clearly a large minority within the church for whom an extra life is seen mainly as an economic impediment and burden. This is perhaps not surprising as abortion is legalised as a form of birth control. We often confuse what is legal with what is right. Just because something is permitted in the law of the land, does not mean it pleases God.
The whole Ethics and Excellence in Medical Practice Today conference actually got its spark from a case study done 2 years ago at a church camp, where at the end of a discussion on abortion 3 Christian doctors felt threatened by the Biblical picture of the sanctity of life. It is heartening to see such a strong life-affirmation by those Christians in health care who attended this conference. The challenge now clearly remains about how to see the church take ownership of this issue too.
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