In the coming weeks, MPs in Parliament are expected to debate and vote on several amendments to the Government’s Criminal Justice Bill, including one that seeks to decriminalise abortion and another that would lower the upper legal limit from twenty-four to twenty-two weeks.
For many women, making a decision about having an abortion is one of the most emotionally traumatic events of their lives. There are sharp divisions between those with “pro-life” and “pro-choice” convictions, and it can be hard to talk about the issue without provoking bitter disagreement and strong emotions. As Christians we are called to love God and our neighbours, so we need to think about how to respond to this sensitive issue as followers of Jesus, balancing compassion with justice for both pregnant women and their unborn children.
What is the situation now?
The Abortion Act was passed in the UK in 1967. In his book Matters of Life and Death, John Wyatt notes that the motivation of the original authors was a genuinely humanitarian one: to protect women from the dangers of illegal abortions and to provide a legal remedy for cases involving severely malformed infants. Another argument was that preventing unwanted children from being born would protect them from a childhood of abuse, and that doctors needed protection from prosecution in “hard cases”.
In 2021, there were 214,869 abortions recorded in England and Wales, a rate that has been increasing over the past decade. At present, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks provided two doctors agree that one of the conditions of the Abortion Act is met. In 2021, 209,939 abortions (98%) were carried out under the grounds that continuing the pregnancy would pose greater risk to the mother’s physical or mental health, with 99.9% of these attributed to perceived mental health risk. In practice, the mental health provision is applied on request and the level of evidence required is extremely low.
There were 3,370 abortions (1.6%) due to a high likelihood of serious mental or physical disability in the child. This figure has risen due to increased availability of early prenatal testing for chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s Syndrome. There were also 276 abortions after 24 weeks, generally when the mother’s life was at risk or where a serious disability was identified.
It is estimated that around one-third of women will have an abortion in their lifetime. In 2021, 43% of women undergoing an abortion had previously had one or more abortions. This is undoubtedly an issue that directly affects some brothers and sisters in our church, or their close friends and family.
What are the proposed changes?
Dame Diana Johnson MP is bringing an amendment that intends to change the law to ensure the “removal of women from the criminal law related to abortion”, so that “no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy”. The explanatory notes state that “no woman would be liable for a prison sentence as a result of seeking to end her own pregnancy”.
One of the key arguments driving this campaign is the rise in prosecutions for late-term abortions (after 24 weeks). Some women have been wrongly investigated following natural stillbirths, adding trauma to grief. Since 2022, at least six women have been taken to court for ending late-term pregnancies—usually after buying tablets online to induce abortion, which is illegal and potentially dangerous. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) supports decriminalisation and has issued guidance advising doctors not to inform the police when they suspect an illegal abortion has taken place.
Another MP, Caroline Ansell, is tabling an amendment to reduce the upper limit from 24 to 22 weeks, reflecting increased survival rates for babies born at 23 weeks (including answered prayers for Lucy in the early days of our congregation). This mirrors the reduction in 1990 from 28 to 24 weeks due to improved survival between 24 and 28 weeks.
A debate full of contradictions
The debate on attitudes towards unborn human beings is full of contradictions. As a doctor, I have worked to save the lives of premature babies born at 23 weeks while, in the same building, colleagues have performed surgical terminations on babies of the same gestation. At the same time, the government has introduced baby loss certificates for miscarriage before 24 weeks. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins, who intends to vote to decriminalise abortion, also said that “losing a baby can be hugely traumatic” and that acknowledging this loss formally is important.
Our laws rightly protect equal opportunity for the disabled and mentally ill, yet abortions are permitted on grounds of disability. Modern ultrasound shows remarkable detail of babies in the womb, making clear that these developing humans are indeed human beings, yet they are not afforded the rights they will have moments after birth.
We must ask: what is the moral significance of the short journey from womb to world? On what basis does society bestow personhood only after birth?
The usual answer is that the pregnant woman’s autonomy over her body outweighs the rights of the unborn child. Over twenty organisations have issued a joint statement supporting this position: “We believe in a woman’s right to choose… that abortion is healthcare…” More can be read on the RCOG website here.
A Christian response
This cannot be an exhaustive treatment of Christian ethics on abortion—hundreds of books cover this—but here are some guiding principles relevant to the upcoming vote.
Love God
Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37). Loving God means caring about what he cares about and following his commands. The Bible does not use the word “abortion”, but it provides clear principles: humans are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and our value comes from him.
Love our neighbours
We are called to love our neighbours—including pregnant women facing unwanted pregnancies, women who have had abortions, campaigners for abortion rights, and unborn children. Jesus’ compassion should shape how we speak about abortion: gently, humbly, and desiring good for others.
Scripture shows God’s intimate involvement in forming life in the womb (Psalm 139; Job 31; Isaiah 49). In Luke 1, unborn John the Baptist recognises unborn Jesus. Unborn children are treated as meaningful actors in God’s story.
Christians differ in conviction on the exact moment an early embryo becomes a human being in God’s image. Where Scripture is not explicit, Christians may reach different conclusions in good conscience. However, many agree that when uncertainty exists, we should lean toward protection. There is little debate among Christians regarding later-stage unborn children.
Central to biblical morality is the strong caring for the weak (Acts 20:35; Gal 6:2). This includes disabled children, reflecting the value and joy they bring. The reduction of Down’s Syndrome births in Iceland due to screening and abortion is troubling and stands in contrast to the love demonstrated within the church.
There are rare situations where ending a pregnancy may be considered necessary—for example, ectopic pregnancy or certain maternal cardiac conditions. In such cases, the pregnancy is already non-viable and saving the mother’s life prevents two deaths instead of one.
What can I do?
Here are three ways to respond in light of the upcoming vote in Parliament:
1. Pray for MPs—that they would value unborn lives, care for women, and listen to concerns raised with them. Pray that women would be protected from unsafe, self-administered late-term abortions if decriminalisation proceeds.
2. Write to your MP, asking them to reject decriminalisation and support reducing the upper limit to 22 weeks. You can write directly, or use the template at righttolife.org.uk/littlefighters.
3. Remember that God is sovereign. Government exists under his authority (Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:20–21).
[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2021/abortion-statistics-england-and-wales-2021
[ii] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-04/0010/amend/criminal_rm_pbc_1207.pdf
[iii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/mps-to-get-free-vote-on-decriminalising-abortion-in-england-and-wales
[iv] https://www.rcog.org.uk/news/rcog-issues-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals-on-involving-the-police-following-abortion-and-pregnancy-loss/
[v] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/baby-loss-certificate-launchedto-recognise-parents-grief