Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy, most often resulting in the death of the baby. It is to be differentiated from miscarriage, which is a spontaneous and unintentional end to a pregnancy.

An unsupported pregnancy, is one in which one or more of the following reasons will apply:

*Separate guidelines for foreigners apply

¹ Charlotte Lozier Institute

² According to 2013 statistics from Ministry of Health. “Abortions fall to 30 year low,” The Straits Times, 27 July 2014.

The Bible clearly teaches that God personally made each one of us, and has a plan for each life. God is the Creator of every child.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb…Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13,16)

“Your hands shaped me and made me . . . Did You not clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life.” (Job 10:8–12)

“This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb.” (Isaiah 44:2)

“Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mothers?” (Job 31:15)

The Bible teaches that each person is made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27), and each life is of great value to God: “Children are a gift from God” (Psalm 127:3). Abortion is often a failure to consider the immense value of the child which eventually results in an act of murder. This is violence against God.

The Bible says of our Creator, “In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being” (Job 12:10). God, the giver of life, commands us not to take the life of an innocent person: “Do not shed innocent blood” (Jeremiah 7:6)

He even calls our children His own: “You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to Me and sacrificed them…You slaughtered My children” (Ezekiel 16:20,21).

It is important to recognise that the bible teaches that abortion is the taking of innocent lives. Abortion is murder. God views abortion as a matter so severe that He does not hold the community blameless for ignoring the sacrifice of children. (Leviticus 20:5)

Abortion is happening amongst professing Christians. There are many post-abortive fathers and mothers who have never been pastored nor discipled in God’s word concerning life. Unless the church addresses abortion as a pastoral issue, the church will lose her moral authority to include her voice in the public square.

With open arms, the body of Christ should serve the community of mothers and fathers with unsupported pregnancies to save the lives of as many unborn babies as possible.

Abortion contradicts the gospel. The gospel reveals a saviour who laid down his life for those whom he loved, even those who persecuted him. Abortion is the taking of lives that were meant to be loved and protected. The gospel displays the character, grace and glory of God in the redemption of mankind made in God’s image. Abortion is the an act of violence against that very same gracious character of God.

The gospel is good enough for post-abortive fathers and mothers to find forgiveness and healing. It is big enough to give hope for people who are considering an abortion. It is powerful enough to help a nation repent from the shedding of innocent blood.

An estimated 56 million ¹ abortions take place every year worldwide. The church and its leaders must no longer be silent about this severe issue.

¹ Guttmacher Institute

As much as it takes a man and a woman to conceive a child, the responsibility of both individuals in a pregnancy is equal.

In many cases, women choose to abort because the father of the child has abdicated his responsibility in the situation. When faced with the prospect of a future raising her child alone, fear of social stigma and perceived burdens, a woman can become overwhelmed by circumstances and choose to seek an abortion as the way out.

However, when the father of the child steps up to take responsibility for the situation, positive dynamics such as hope, shared resources, companionship and support are often added.

Easy access to abortion may have sent signals to men the they are not needed or unable to intervene in the decision because it is a “woman’s right”. Men may also have developed the perception that abortion is low risk and therefore trivialise the decision making process.

Women naturally feel the burden of pregnancy more because they are physically carrying the child. However, this does not mean thy have or should take sole responsibility for the pregnancy. The child she is carrying is a unique human being and should be accorded the same value, dignity and opportunities for life despite the circumstances of the conception.

The fact that an outcome may be less than ideal (in this case, pregnancy out of wedlock) does not justify doing wrong (in this case, aborting the baby) to avoid the outcome.

The solution to pregnancy out of wedlock is not to kill babies conceived out of wedlock but to address the underlying issues of pre-marital and extra-marital sex, encouraging parents to get married and/or to stay married, and to match the children to families eager to adopt.

Adoption is a beautiful thing and should be celebrated whenever it happens. However, it should not be viewed simplistically as a solution to the abortion issue in Singapore.

Adoption numbers have been declining, and one of the reasons is that more women opt for an abortion when the pregnancy is “unwanted”.

Many women with unsupported pregnancy are seeking for an immediate solution. They do not see adoption as a desirable option because it requires them to wait and give birth.

Placing a child for adoption is a deeply emotional decision with lifelong consequences for the mother, child and family. It is important to be sensitive and wise when proposing adoption as an option to a pregnant woman who is considering abortion.

Rape and incest are horrible things. However, the value of a human life does not change with the circumstances of the conception. The situation and circumstance may be difficult, but we must still guard and defend the child conceived out of rape or incest.

Ending the life of the innocent unborn child does not right the wrong or undo the rape. That said, no effort must be spared to protect and support both the mother and child as both individuals are extremely vulnerable.

There are many testimonies of people overcoming tremendous physical, mental and emotional ailments and disadvantages.

These people have proven that it is possible to live meaningful lives, contribute to society, bring hope and joy to their families and communities and even surpass the achievements of “normal” people.

We should not take lightly the difficulties these individuals and families may have to go through. By the grace of God and as fellow brother and sisters in Christ, we have a duty to provide every form of support needed.