The National Council of Churches of Singapore on Abortion

Abortion, for reasons other than to save the life of the mother, has been legal in Singapore for more than 40 years. Under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, abortion is allowed for any reason whatsoever up to 24 weeks of the pregnancy. Thereafter, abortion is only allowed if it is "immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman". There are approximately 12,000 abortions per year. This means that one in four babies is killed before birth.

In Singapore, the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) is an association of churches and Christian organisations. One of its objects is "to form Christian public opinion and to bring it to bear on the moral, social, national and international issues of the day, particularly those which may affect the life and welfare of the people of Singapore."

To date, the NCCS has not made a statement directly and specifically condemning the practice of abortion in Singapore. However, the NCCS has condemned abortion in other statements, and also made statements which have an impact on perspectives toward abortion.

The National Council of Churches of Singapore on Abortion

There are two important questions we need to ask when approaching the topic of abortion. Philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig, who is one of the leading apologists of our time, phrased the two important questions as follows:

1. Do human beings possess intrinsic moral value?  
2. Is the developing foetus a human being?

Firstly, the NCCS has affirmed that human beings possess intrinsic value, or "inherent value". In its statement on Euthanasia, the NCCS declared the sanctity of human life and condemned the intentional killing of innocent human beings as follows:

1. Sanctity of Human Life. The NCCS maintains that human life is a gift from God the Creator. God alone, from whom all life derives, has the authority in matters of life and death. The human being, created in the image of God, must be accorded with dignity and value. Human life is precious, and therefore should always be protected. This principle also maintains that human life has an inherent value, not just a conditional one. The life of a patient suffering from a chronic or terminal illness is as valuable as that of a healthy individual.

2. Respect for Human Life. The sixth commandment of the Decalogue, which prohibits murder, maintains that human life is sacred and must therefore be respected... This principle is enshrined in law in the form of the absolute prohibition on the intentional killing of innocent human beings... it prohibits the termination of the life of a human being either by an act of commission or omission...

Secondly, the NCCS has also affirmed on the basis of Scripture, science and philosophy that the developing foetus is a human being. In another statement on Human Stem Cell Research, the NCCS explained:

1. Although the Bible does not answer this question directly, the overall thrust of its testimony is that God is the Author and Creator of life and that the beginning of human life cannot be reduced to merely a biological process.  God is involved.  Every human being is part of the divine plan and the result of divine agency.  We affirm with the Bible that from its earliest beginning, the human person is valued by God and stands in relation to him.

2. The doctrine of the Incarnation tells us that the Second Person of the Trinity was incarnated in human flesh at conception.  At conception, the zygote is already the incarnation of the Eternal Son of God, thereby giving credence to the view that human life begins at conception.

3. The Bible and Christian tradition also make it very clear that the embryo or fetus is a human being - and because it is a human being, it is also a bearer of God's image.  The Bible does not make a distinction between a 'human being' and a 'person' in the sense that it is possible for a being to be human but not a person.  The human being is a person.

4. Both science and philosophy may be said to support his view of the human being. From the standpoint of science, the zygote is already endowed with its own genetic code, and its human nature.  We affirm that the embryo from conception is already a human person and are not persuaded that it undergoes any metaphysical change from the fourteenth day that renders a non-human pre-embryo into a human embryo.  From a philosophical standpoint, it must be argued that the zygote of human percentage cannot articulate itself into another animal.  This is because the zygote of human percentage is already a human being sharing in the nature of its parents.

The NCCS has also said that "because human life begins at conception, and the human embryo, regardless of its age, is worthy of the respect and dignity accorded to all human beings", reiterating the point elsewhere.

Therefore, the NCCS has condemned the practice of abortion, declaring that "[because] the embryo or fetus is a human being, made in the image of God, its destruction is tantamount to the killing of innocent lives." Hence, "[we] cannot countenance the destruction of a fetus even in the context of legalised elective abortion".

Time to bring this injustice to an end

Although the NCCS has not made a statement directly and specifically condemning the practice of abortion in Singapore, the NCCS has done so in its other statements on other issues. The NCCS declared the sanctity of human life and condemned the destruction of human foetuses as tantamount to the killing of innocent lives.

Christians and churches in Singapore should bemoan the the killing of 12,000 innocent lives every year by abortion, and pray and work to bring this injustice to an end.