Some evils shout. They march, they headline, they provoke outrage. Others whisper. They slip through quietly, dressed as progress, framed as compassion, yet no less deadly.
It was the quieter evil that emerged on Wednesday 18th March in the House of Lords (representing the Government of the United Kingdom).
The decriminalization of do-it-yourself abortion up to birth,
Under the language of "reform", two decisions were advanced: the decriminalization of do-it-yourself abortion up to birth; and the continuation of the status quo since COVID, with the decision to not reinstate the requirement for in-person medical consultation before abortion pills are prescribed.
Many opposed it, including the new Archbishop of Canterbury and several bishops. But the effort failed.... And, in the UK, something has shifted.
Two decisions one message
Strip it down and this is what now stands:
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There is effectively no time limit on abortion.
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Abortion is treated as something that can be self-administered, without proper oversight.
"Abortion is no big deal"
Together, they declare: "abortion is no big deal".
But it is a big deal. It is always a big deal. And it leaves me with three emotions: angry, ashamed and apprehensive.
Let me say first: there are real heart-breaking situations here. There are women under pressure, fear, coercion and deep distress. We must be compassionate. But compassion that demands silence in the face of wrong is not compassion; it is surrender.
Anger because human life is diminished
Life is being trivialized.
I am angry because life is being trivialized. We are told it is "just a fetus". But that language collapses in the later stages of pregnancy. The unborn child can hear, recognize voices, respond, even learn.
This is human life. Yet the law now effectively says that ending that life, even at the very end, is not a crime.
Let us speak plainly: Abortion doesn’t prevent a woman from becoming a mother. Abortion makes a woman the mother of a dead baby. That is not rhetoric. That is reality.
And the Bible speaks with clarity: "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13 NIV) "Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?" (Job 31:15 NIV)
Life is not ours to dispose of.
Life is not ours to dispose of. It is God’s to give and God’s to take.
Ashamed because responsibility is being abandoned
I am ashamed. Ashamed that decisions of such gravity are made so quickly, so lightly. Ashamed that moral seriousness is being replaced by cultural convenience. And deeply ashamed that so many bishops did not even turn up.
When the Church should have been present, it was absent.
When the Church should have been present, it was absent. When a voice was needed, there was silence. When lives were at stake, seats were empty.
Absence, in moments like this, is not neutral. It is a statement.
The Church has always declared that human beings are made in the image of God—sacred, not disposable. Yet now, under pressure, those convictions are quietly set aside. We were once a nation that aspired upward. Now we risk drifting downward.
Apprehensive because it will not stop here
What anchors life after birth?
I am apprehensive because this does not stop here. It will not. If life before birth can be ended without consequence, what anchors life after birth? If worth is decided by convenience, then no one is ultimately safe.
History warns us that when a society decides some lives matter less, it has already begun to lose its way. Today the unborn. Tomorrow – who knows?
But my deepest apprehension is this... God sees. God knows. And God has spoken.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7 NIV) "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." (Isaiah 5:20 NIV)
We may rewrite laws, but we cannot rewrite truth. A nation that sanctions the destruction of its most vulnerable cannot indefinitely escape the consequences—spiritually, morally, or socially.
God does not discard the weak.
This is not just about law, it is about who we are. The gospel tells us that God does not discard the weak—he enters their world.
He comes not in power, but as a child. And from that moment comes a truth that shaped civilization at its best: every life matters. Especially the smallest. Especially the voiceless. And there is no one more voiceless than the unborn.
So I will stand for them. Because in the end, a nation is not measured by its progress, nor its prosperity, nor even its laws, but by how it treats those who cannot defend themselves.
We will not escape this truth: God will judge.
And when we silence the smallest voices, ignore the weakest lives, and justify what should never be justified, we may quiet our conscience, we may pass our laws, we may persuade ourselves, but we will not escape this truth: God will judge.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Originally published by Philo Trust. Republished with permission.
J.John is an evangelist, minister, speaker, broadcaster and writer. He has been in ministry for four decades. He has spoken in towns, cities and universities in 69 countries, establishing Philo Trust in 1982 to organize his various evangelistic ministry offerings. J.John’s weekly podcast, The J.John Podcast, features a range of interviews with Christians from all walks of life and talks by J.John. Click here to listen. J.John’s books are available to order via jjohn.com or through other online or physical bookshops.
Philo Trust was established by J.John in 1982 to organize evangelistic events and projects, equip Christians to naturally share their faith, mentor evangelists, and produce books and resources to help people in their journey of faith.
