Pro-Life Chain event

On Saturday 26^th April local supporters of the Pro-Life movement held a Silent Vigil at Farnham’s Hickley’s Corner.  It was part of a chain of similar events all over the UK, organised by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.  The Pro-Life Chain happens every year, but this year was particularly meaningful since it marked 40 years, almost to the day, since the implementation of the Abortion Act. 

 

Most Christians agree that the general attitude to the sanctity of human life has changed profoundly during this period. Although 40 years ago the majority of people didn’t know much about the development of the unborn child, the fact that abortion was illegal gave a clear signal of the status of the human being in this society:  from conception until natural death, each and every individual had the full protection of the state. In matters of life or death, no-one could claim that their personal interests could trump the actual life of another human being.  Since that time we have learnt a great deal more about what is actually going on inside the womb. There are, for example, widely publicised 3D photos of unborn babies sucking their thumbs or sleeping, and there are plenty of studies now to show how early the unborn baby feels and reacts to pain  Anyone who is told that abortion is just the removal of a clump of cells has plenty of evidence to the contrary.  And yet abortion rates are sky high. The law as it is practiced now tells us that one human being may choose to take the life of another, and already we are seeing the results of this in, for example, the increased calls for euthanasia.

 

One of the tragic aspects of all this is that many women and men have had their own lives destroyed by abortions. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recently overturned the old idea that carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term might cause mental health problems for a mother; they say there are far more signs that it is the abortions themselves which cause the damage. 

 

The Pro-Life demonstrators received many  waves of support from passing motorists and positive comments by passing pedestrians (one of whom kissed each of the demonstrators in turn, thanking them for taking a stand against abortion).  These far outnumbered the occasional negative response.  It would be great if next year more of those people who would like to see a change in the law could join in the Silent Vigil.  The more people who are out there, showing what they think, the more the public at large may be motivated to think about the issue and consider whether the laws really reflect what they want our society to be.