Abortion in India - the debate has begun

Finally after years of passive acceptance of abortion being normal, the media is fueling a debate on abortions role in society. Historically Indian society has favoured the birth of boy's over girls. With the widespread use of ultrasound for sex determination (despite being illegal) this has led to a massive imbalance in the male:female ratio in many parts of India. The above linked IBN article begins:

"The Bombay High Court on Monday rejected Niketa and Harish Mehta’s plea to abort their 24-week-old foetus, which the doctors say may have a congenital heart defect. The Court ruled that a predicted disability is no ground for abortion.

The Mehtas argued that they believe they won’t be able to afford to care for the baby or endure the trauma, and, therefore, they should be allowed to terminate the life of their unborn baby.

But is abortion a matter of parental choice?"

A number of questions arise from these observations for Indian society to grapple with:

• Is abortion a matter of parental or even personal choice?
• Indian law prohibits abortions post 20 week foetal growth. How old is too old to abort a foetus?
• Is disability, whether predicted or confirmed, a ground for abortion?

My personal answers:

• No - ultimately our personal choice must come under the law of God. I am yet to find a Biblical reference condoning the killing of another human for personal gain - whether financial, pleasure, selfish or otherwise. The vast majority of abortions in India are carried out with only selfish motives. Our actions as Christians are intended to give God glory. Aborting a foetus gives God no more glory than the terrorists who planted bombs in Bangalore, Ahmedabad & Surat this past week.
• Day 1 - There can be no time limit on when it is acceptable to abort a foetus. If God considers a child worthy enough to be born then who are we to legislate that it is not?
• No - I have a child who at 12 weeks of gestation was predicted to have a genetic abnormality. The doctor at the time insisted we have an amniocentsis to confirm the prediction. His comment, "If we know for sure the child has Down Syndrome then we will not make so much effort if there are complications at the birth." We changed doctors. As I said before - if a child makes it to full term and is born then obviously God reckons they are good to have a go at life. Some make it a few days, some a few months and some years. My son is an extraordinary blessing both to us and to all who meet him. He has a love of God and a freedom of worship that is rarely seen in "normal" people.

Debates like the only beginning in India can be couched in terms of personal justification or Godly conviction. Christians in India - stand up and be heard!