Heritage of Abortion

Within the Old Testament, God condemned the Israelite nation for not defending the weak and powerless. How far away are we from their fate? How long will God endure?

• In 2003, the latest year for which full figures are available, 42 million abortions were carried out around the world

• For every 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44 in 2003, 29 had an abortion, down from 35 in 1997, it said.

• Abortion rates were lowest in Western Europe (12 pregnancy terminations per 1,000 women) but highest in Eastern Europe, where the rate was 44 abortions per 1,000 women. In the United States and Europe, it was 21 per 1,000, while in Asia and Africa, the rate was 29 per 1,000.

• On the basis of the 2003 data, on average 90 percent of women worldwide will have had an abortion before the age of 45, the study calculates.

I pity many of the mothers who abort their children. The grief and knowledge of what they have done often comes late and unrelenting. May they find forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ.