I don’t want to spend much more time responding to the interaction with The Wee Flea. However, one thing we need to be alert to when positing articles is what happens below the line. For this reason, I’m very cautious about having comments open generally on Faithroots. I have opened the comments on my original article to try and enable those who read David’s article to question and get clarification. However, I also realise that not everyone will do that and so most have made their comments on his site.
I don’t think protocol allows me to respond to everything on his blog and much of it is of the personal nature about my faith, prominence, intellect or writing abilities. People are free to their opinions and I’ve no desire to get into that.
However, one question came up which I think was worth responding to:
“One issue I found to have gone unnoticed is this in Mr Williams’ article:
“It is surely possible to consider abortion a moral evil whilst not believing that the mother herself should necessarily face criminal prosecution.”And in his article linked in his other comment below he qualifies what he sees as the consequence of prosecution as:
“…to send mothers to prison”.
Why does prosecution require a prison sentence? in fact, why is prosecution even regarded in a negative light to begin with? And especially as Christians who understand the divine reality, and the means by which “mercy triumphs over judgement”. We should instead be recommending means by which grace and forgiveness can be offered, while also offering a better understanding of why a baby is both sacred, and a unique human being, from the moment of conception.
And all of this while we still condemn abortion as “absolute evil”. “ (Kim Beazely)
In answer to Kim’s questions, the first thing to say is that prosecution may not always lead to a prison sentence but that is currently the penalty in the case of the specific criminal offence. I’m not sure what she means by “Why is prosecution regarded in a negative to begin with?” Prosecution is of course intended to be negative for the accused. Further, in the UK context it is seen as a penal rather than restorative form of justice.
Now, in this case, I’m simply reporting on what the intent of the law change is. Readers should pick up with the point that I don’t agree with the change proposed. However, there are a number of examples where we might at least want to stop and consider whether prosecution was the best thing for the mother’s situation. Reasons might include that they have already suffered significantly, that in fact (as in the still birth case), that they were not even guilty of a moral or criminal wrong and that this may not be the best way of achieving aims such as restoration and restitution.
And yes of course, we as Christians, regardless of the State’s responsibility in this can offer means for grace and forgiveness whilst remaining clear that abortion is evil.
Faithroots 