“If you accept abortion, the next step is going to be euthanasia,” said Dr. Paul B. Smith to his congregation recently in a hard-hitting but touching sermon. Smith is the pastor of the People’s Church, a large Evangelical church in suburban Toronto.
“I personally do not believe in abortion under any circumstances whatsoever. But if I say that, I’d have to say that I’m a ‘convert.’ Up until recently , I thought that if there was a danger of the mother dying then we should kill the baby and save the mother.”
“A lot of Christians really believe that,” Dr. Smith continued, “but what is the reason to say that?” Here are two people, one is 40 years old and the other is six weeks. We’ll kill the one who is six weeks [in it’s mother’s womb] because we haven’t seen him yet and we’ll let the mother live.”
Mass of flesh
“There is no logic in that whatsoever,” Dr. Smith said. “You say, the unborn child has been conceived only for six weeks – why that’s just a mass of flesh that’s not developed yet.”
“There are a lot of things at six weeks a baby [in the womb] hasn’t go yet – so does that mean that you can kill the baby who is not fully developed?” he asked. “But you can’t kill the mother who is fully developed.
Easy step
It’s a very easy step from that Dr. smith said. To say we should be able to kill a five-year-old boy. Oh, no! He’s a person! You say.
No, he’s not developed yet – he’s less than half his size – he hasn’t even got a beard! Exclaimed Dr. Smith.
Too much to handle
“The same argument that you can use to say that you can kill a six-week-old unborn baby will also say that some day you can have an agreement that if the child is five years old and is unwanted – or he’s suffering from some disease – or he’s too much for you to handle any more – kill him. He’s not a person – he’s not full-grown! Exactly the same argument applies in both situations,” Dr. Smith insisted.
“Almost every scientific authority agrees that abortion – and that is said by some people who believe in abortion – but they all admit – almost without exception – that abortion is the killing of a person that is alive.”
He quoted a world-renowned perintal professor who said, “biologically at no stage of development can we subscribe to the view that the unborn child is just an appendage of the mother. Genetically the mother and baby are separate individuals from conception.”
Time of Conception
“Even Life Magazine – which is a secular magazine – said: ‘A birth of a human really occurs at the moment that the mother’s egg is fertilized by one of the father’s sperm cells – that is at the time of conception.”
Dr. Smith went on to say that at the first international conference on abortion in October 1967, 60 major authorities from the field of medical ethics, law and social sciences representatives, a cross section of race, religion, culture and geographical backgrounds, came to this conclusion.
Living individual
“Clearly, birth does not represent the creation of a new human being. The only real functional change following birth is in the source of food and oxygen. All scientific evidence proves that the unborn child is very much a living individual.”
“Angus Reid and Associates report for the Toronto Star and Southam News – conducted between February 17 and 23 of this year asked: ‘At what point during pregnancy do you think a fetus becomes a human being?’ Canadians answered – 40 per cent of them – ‘At the moment of conception.’ That means that 60 per cent of Canadians do not know the scientific facts. They think a child starts when it is born.
“Another question in this probe: ‘In your opinion, do you think that abortion should be permitted in certain circumstances?’ Thirty-nine per cent of Canadians said: ‘Yes, I do.’ The second part of the same question: ‘Do you think abortion should be committed when a woman wants one?’ Thirty-six per cent said: ‘Yes.’”
“Seventy-five per cent of Canadians believe that there are circumstances under which abortions should be committed. When you blame the government for the present lack of abortion laws, remember the government is supposed to represent the people and in the current abortion laws – the government does.
Very biblical
“Now we don’t have to like that!” He said angrily. Dr. Smith mentioned that he had dinner with MP Jake Epp, Health Minister in the Mulroney government, and told him that the abortion situation is not going to get any better. Jake Epp was quoted as saying: “Man, you’re a pessimist!” Dr. Smith replied: “No, Jake, I’m being very biblical. The Bible says evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.
Dr. Smith urged his Evangelical brethren to try to stem the flow, put up blockages and slow down the federal government.
“We need to put pressure on the government,” he said. “It puts the onus on Christians to act in a Godly way.”
He said that he knew Christians in his congregation who have had abortions and he apologized for any hurt he might have caused them; but he urged them not to allow his comments to upset the rest of their lives, but to get down on their knees before God and say that they were sorry and that God would forgive them and get on with living their Christian lives.
Young people facing the possibility of an abortion, Dr. Smith said, should stop calling it an “abortion” and call it “murder.” Have the guts to do that! This child coming – shall we murder it or let it be born? Nine months before the child is born it is already a full-blown life.
Baby coming
If you have a baby coming into the world that has some disease – that you wish it didn’t have – that’s going to be a problem all of its life. Again, he urged, “don’t murder it! Allow it to be born.”
