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What are the Greek orthodox church beliefs on abortion ?
Answer to Question 592 We had a discussion/debate on abortion last week where many commented for and against. I posted the views of the church, but that doesn't mean that I personally don't understand or sympathize with the problems women face when confronted with an unwanted pregnancy. Here is what I posted.
"One of the most widely used arguments in favour of performing abortions is that each woman has the right to control the functions of her body, in whatever way she finds necessary, right up to terminating the life of an unwanted baby. The Church rejects this argument outright. First of all, the Church points to the sacredness of God-given life, and likewise points to the fact that if it is forbidden for the Christian to raise his hand against his own life, all the more so does a Christian not have the right to terminate the life of another, even if this life has the appearance of a still not completely formed embryo. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul teaches; this means that the termination of the life of any other person is considered to be a crime not only in regard to that person, but likewise in regard to the Holy Spirit.
We tend to think of abortion as meaning the termination of a pregnancy which has reached a stage where the embryo has developed into a recognizable body, in other words between one and three months. Abortion, as we all know, is the killing of an unborn child. The Church’s belief is not the same as society’s. For Orthodox Christians and many other religions, abortion is considered murder. From the moment of conception, the Church, in keeping with Biblical teaching, holds that human life exists. The Church professes that the so-called “blob of tissue” (in the words of the pro-choice lobby) inside the mother is a sacred human life and no one but God has the right to decide the future of that child.
Another argument of those who are for abortion is that during the first weeks of pregnancy the embryo is not “viable.” This basically means that the child cannot live by itself outside the mother. They would argue therefore that it is a part of the woman’s body, and not a separate entity of life. The Church, of course, does not adhere to this belief at all. From the moment of conception, a new life had been created. Using the same argument, can we say the same is true for a newborn child? Without someone to feed and care for the newborn, it would die. We do not accept the belief that just because the child cannot live by itself that it is not human and alive.
Women have abortions for various reasons but no reason justifies the removal of a living person except in the case where the mother herself is in danger of her own life if she carries the pregnancy to full term. A common argument is: “What if the mother was raped, and the child that she would have is of a man that violated her in the cruellest way? The child would only be a tangible reminder of that horrible time.” The Orthodox Church condemns rape but does not view abortion as the best possible solution to the woman’s problem. The Church never says that the woman must keep the baby. If a mother cannot deal with her child because it is a reminder of rape, there is still the option to put the child up for adoption. The Church, in this case, does not accept the idea of abortion as a solution to the problem because there is an alternative.
Now here comes the tricky part. There are some cases and situations where giving birth may endanger the life of the mother. “What if the mother has a serious illness, such as cervical cancer, which indicates a more than likely chance that treating the mother may endanger the child?” This is a very serious and sensitive issue. The Orthodox Church tries to take each case separately and fairly. A mother may be afflicted with cervical cancer and be pregnant at the same time. In rare cases it may be necessary for the mother to undergo treatment to save her own life during the pregnancy. If the child inside of the mother’s womb dies as a consequence to that procedure, the Orthodox Church does not view it as an abortion. The intent of the treatment was to save the mother’s life, not kill the child. The child’s death was an unfortunate casualty of trying to save the mother’s life. But there have been many cases where doctors have advised women to have an abortion for their own safety and yet these women decided to leave things in God’s hands and both they and the babies survived. Women finding themselves in these situations bear a very heavy cross and should not have to make a decision only on the doctor’s advice. A woman should pray and talk with her priest, as well as her husband if she’s married, to determine what is best.
There are rare situations where the Church accepts and understands the circumstances that cause the death, or abortion of an unborn child - like the situation above. It is still viewed as killing, but judgment is, as always, ultimately left to God. But all too often in our society, abortion is diminished to just another form of birth control, where the “problem” of an unexpected child can be eliminated easily. We as Christians should stand firmly behind the Church’s belief that it is wrong and inhumane. Part of the problem with unwanted pregnancies is the fact that not only has society changed but also our faith in God to provide has diminished. In former times, when poor parents knew nothing about contraceptions, they relied exclusively on God's will - and this should in fact be an example for us today. Children were born and they accepted the last one just as they had the first, saying, "God gave the child; He will also give what we need for the child." Such was their faith, and it often happened that the last child proved to be the greatest blessing of all."
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