Abortion is death of a living person. The Hon. Ted Cunningham MLA of Western Australia said, on March 17, 1998. "No gynaecologist anywhere in this world will tell a woman "Madam, for the first few months of your pregnancy you are having a fish". Naturally, it is always a baby in the womb. It is beyond any doubt that what has been destroyed is nothing less than a child. Every person ... was once a foetus. Some may say that these are extremely harsh words. They are totally wrong; they are very true words".

Abortion has been opposed since ancient times. The Sumerian Code of about 2000 BC is the oldest known system to outlaw abortion. The foetus was regarded as a human being in the Assyrian Code of about 1500 BC. The Orthodox Church has opposed abortion, regarding it as murder and a serious sin, since the days of the Apostles.

In the early days of Christianity, the Roman Empire was very much like the modern world, where abortion was practiced on demand. The early Church opposed this practice as indicated in the Teachings of the Twelve Apostles (the Didache). The Didache commanded, "You shall not procure abortion, nor destroy a newborn child" (Didache 2:2) St. Hippolytus said around 217 AD, " ...women who were reputed to be believers began to take drugs to render themselves sterile, and to bind themselves tightly to expel what was being conceived. See, then, into what great sacrilege that lawless one has proceeded, by teaching adultery and murder at the same time!" (from The Apostolic Tradition). St. Basil the Great reiterated these words in 374 AD when he wrote in the First Canonical Letter, "A woman who has deliberately destroyed a foetus must pay the penalty for murder" (188:2). He also said "those also who give drugs causing abortions are murderers themselves, as well as those who receive the poison which kills the foetus" (188:8) These quotes show that abortion has concerned the Church since Her beginning.

The modern world is madly killing our babies and scarcely anyone sheds a tear for their death. So, end the lives of human beings, conceived often in the cause of sexual freedom and promiscuity or in rare cases tragic circumstances. These children were created in the Image of God (their Father in heaven), only to be discarded, unwanted, dismembered, burned, and not baptised. The remains are either incinerated or flushed down the toilet depending on the size of the child. In some cases, the bodies are sold for profit to soap makers, or medical research establishments where different organs are minced and used for tissue culture or hormone production.

Politicians who are being moved, like mindless puppets, by feminists and so-called 'modern' thinkers are legalising death. These people trivialise the lives of unborn babies for their selfish gains. They try to fool women that they are doing them a favour, adopting euphemistic terms like 'pro-choice' and "problem pregnancies". These people are in fact anti-women, telling them they have no moral courage, and that they are weak and they cannot cope with a 'problem' pregnancy.

Medical doctors, whose profession is to save lives, now knowingly, extinguish lives. The 'pro-abortion' lobby has developed the myth that these doctors are helping women, but the truth is they do not care for them. Their motives seem to be the large sums of money they receive for murdering about 10,000 defenceless babies every year in Western Australia alone.

Another myth is that births must be planned, perfect and suit the needs of society. Adversity, God's gift of love, between the union of a husband and wife, has low been relegated to convenience.

A third myth is that abortion gives women control of their bodies, implying that babies are lifeless organs. The fact is, the womb is meant to be a safe sanctuary for a baby destined to live separated from its mother. A baby is not a disposable organ in a woman's body, but is a living person.

It is obvious that abortions destroy children and the souls of their mothers. Abortion deprives women of the God-given gift of motherhood, and does not help the grief stricken mothers who live the rest of their lives in guilt. Then, when these women express sorrow for the death of their aborted babies they are told to pull themselves together and accept the 'benefits' that they have worked so hard to achieve. These poor women want to grieve, but are not allowed to! Alas, women are trivialised and denied the grief for the death of their babies.

Children in the womb are precious in the eyes of God and have the right to live. Their greatest disadvantage is that they can not voice their protest against those who are so willing to dissected them into small pieces or 'vacuum clean' them from the womb of their mothers. Yet, 'animal liberation' groups protest loudly at the 'inhuman' treatment of defenceless animals. Remorse, the world trivialises the lives of the defenceless little ones.

Some politicians, encouraged by this 'progressive' society, are madly legalising the murder of our babies. However, are they representing the vocal few or silent majority and do they deny that these babies have the right to live? Death is being legalised because of the loud 'pro-choice' minority that wants to 'enjoy' an active sexual life' and do not want to accept the responsibilities of their 'pleasures'. Woe, our society has turned its back to God and His commandments.

A few weeks ago, a woman had an abortion. The doctor wanted to dispose of this baby in the hospital bin, but she wanted to bury it with dignity and not dispose of it like some garbage. How did she then feel about her baby? Does she now think 'what if this baby was born; what would it have been like?' Does this aborted baby now, haunt her dreams and agonise her with guilt?

If you do not follow the Church's teaching, then you will not follow Her teaching on abortion. These people will say. 'I will do as I like and have sex and abortions when I like. So God can stay out of my life'.

Each of us must come out of our lethargy and promote our pro-life views in the community. No longer can we remain silent hoping that others will do something. We can start by legally lobbying our members of Parliament to hear our convictions for our little ones in wombs. They have to be told that life in and out of the womb demands the respect of this 'civilised, society.

Finally, we now know which politician is pro-abortion and pro-life. We must now vote for those who will preserve the lives of innocent and defenceless babies.

Alexi Markovic
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

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