Christian Legal Centre Andrea Williams reflects on Christmas – and 30 babies who have survived abortion pills this year.
As we approach Christmas, some familiar verses will be being read in churches across the world, declaring the glorious truth that we celebrate with Jesus’ birth:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5, NIV, emphasis added)
Jesus came into the world to bring life to a broken a humanity – a humanity in darkness. A young woman with her own unplanned pregnancy (granted it had been planned by God from the beginning of time) was to give birth to the saviour who would bring the world out of darkness and provide humanity with a second chance at a perfect, everlasting life with our Creator (Isaiah 7:14).
A little later in John, Jesus explains exactly why he was born into this broken world:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
From the moment humanity sinned in the Garden, God was preparing an alternative, a way out, for the people he had created. Right from the beginning, God gave us another option, a saving grace for the hopelessness, darkness and despair we often find ourselves in.
And yet, the world has so often rejected this precious gift. The world prefers the darkness, as the light exposes just how broken we are.
We can see that brokenness in society around us: broken families; gender confusion; a divided Church; millions of lives missing from abortions… The world calls these things ‘freedom’ and ‘liberation’. But this is completely the wrong way round. We are warned in Isaiah:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)
Jesus knew what he was entering into when he came to rescue us. John 1 continues:
“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:10-11)
But to those who did accept him, writes John, “he gave the right to become children of God.” And because of that title, we too are called the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). This means we have a duty to do all we can to cast light on the darkness – to speak truth, hope and love where there are lies, hopelessness and hate; to show that there is a better pattern for life when Jesus is at the centre of it all.
That’s what we aim to do at Christian Concern. Through my work with Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, I have been honoured to meet many others doing this work, too – unashamedly preaching truth and bringing hope to those around them.
Not least among them is Dr Dermot Kearney.
It has been my joy and privilege to witness Dr Kearney at work, and my honour to stand alongside him as he battles for justice. The work that he has done has saved many lives up and down the country, and the testimonies of those he has helped speak of how much joy and hope he has brought to families struggling in dark and despairing circumstances.
The emergency abortion rescue service was provided to women who regretted taking the first of two abortion pills and had decided they wanted to try and save their baby. Through prescribing the natural hormone progesterone – which is used to help women who have previously suffered miscarriages to continue to term – pregnancies can be saved naturally by inhibiting the effects of the first pill. In fact, evidence suggests that abortion pill reversal can be as high as 68% if the treatment is started within 72 hours.
After the government brought in DIY abortion in March 2020 – which the abortion industry had been campaigning for over years, all in the name of ‘choice’, ‘freedom’, ‘liberation for women’ – Dr Kearney, alongside one other doctor, set up the UK’s only abortion pill reversal scheme, witnessing many vulnerable women quickly regretting taking that first abortion pill. See how the effects of this ‘freedom’ are so backwards? If it were really freeing, loving or caring to make abortion accessible to all without proper consultations or checks, then surely we wouldn’t be seeing so much abortion regret.
Dr Kearney has now seen over 30 healthy babies born over the course of the year thanks to the provision of his rescue service. And more babies are due in the New Year.
But as lights in this world, as Jesus’ ambassadors on earth, we too are to expect rejection:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” (John 15:18-21)
This is precisely the kind of rejection that Dr Kearney has experienced.
A complaint about the life-saving service was made by abortion provider MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes International) to the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC’s response? To ban him from providing the service for up to 18 months. This is believed to be the first time that a doctor has been banned from giving life-saving treatment.
Perhaps MSI and the GMC are the new King Herod?
Jesus was not only rejected in his crucifixion; his very presence on earth was despised by some right from the beginning. When the Magi told King Herod of the birth of the King of the Jews, “he was disturbed” and set out to destroy the child (Matthew 2). His vision was completely blinded and he became set on only one thing: to kill the very thing that would bring life to all:
“When Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” (Matthew 2:16)
All the other baby boys that were killed were simply ‘collateral damage’.
It occurs to me that there is a striking parallel between the actions of King Herod and the actions of MSI and the GMC: they have shut down the one service that has been bringing hope to women who have wanted to save the lives of their children. Blinded by their desire to ‘make abortion accessible to all’, they are destroying lives. The lives that have been lost are ‘collateral damage’ to those pushing this agenda of death.
Both abortion providers and the GMC by extension, claim to uphold ‘choice’ for women – but the only ‘choice’ for women who regret taking that first pill is a death sentence for their child. When will we wake up to the fact that the ‘pro-choice’ lobby is in fact only ‘one-choice’? And that choice is not life – it is death.
The world is walking in darkness, but it calls it light. Now, women no longer have access to the potentially life-saving hormones and can do little to help their little loved ones survive. All because the world despises Dr Kearney for trying to save lives.
Dr Kearney has now launched legal action to the High Court, seeking to revoke the order against him.
Will you stand with me, praying for Dr Kearney’s legal case? Will you pray with me that he would be allowed to restart the service, saving many more babies’ lives – and the mothers’ that give birth, too. Could you support us as we stand with Dr Kearney, fighting for the right to save lives rather than take them?
Time and again, I have had the joy of hearing the testimonies from the families that have gone on to have their children.
In Luke 1, Mary – the young mother experiencing her own unexpected pregnancy – sings and rejoices at the news of Jesus’ approaching birth; news of a saviour who would bring life back to Israel and the world. Despite her unplanned pregnancy (not unplanned for God), she delighted in God’s providence, despite the troubles it caused (Matthew 1:18-25).
Similarly, the women who have found themselves in unexpected, unplanned pregnancies but accepted the challenges it has brought and changed their mind, going on to save the life of their child, have rejoiced at the arrival of their little ones. They are overwhelmed with thanks for Dr Kearney and the part he played in saving their children’s lives.
This Christmas time, will you stand with me, eyes fixed on the true bringer of life, our wonderful Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and pray with me for Dr Kearney, for those families affected by unwanted abortions, and for justice to be done?
Perhaps we can ask ourselves what we’re doing to bring life to those around us, as ambassadors for Christ. How are we bringing love, light and truth to those around us, walking in darkness?
May we, too, rejoice like Mary at the birth of our Saviour, as we point people to the one who brings us out of darkness and gives us life:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in god my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call be blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49)
Find out more about Dr Dermot Kearney
