Life begins at conception. If we can agree with God's Word on this, then the dilemma of life would have a foundation to stand on. Both the innocent unborn would receive legal protection and the one who wants to end life would realize that only God has power over life and death.
As Christians, there are several aspects of the abortion issue that we can be expected to deal with. The woman considering abortion, the guilt of someone who has already gone through this experience, the parents of a pregnant daughter, the unwed father, or medical personnel who have been involved in abortions. A topic that affects us all regardless of our own standpoint. The demanding discussion must be had - because the unborn deserve a voice.
In June 2025, the British Parliament passed a law that decriminalizes abortion up to birth. At the same time, England has opened up assisted suicide for the seriously ill. These are not just legal changes – they are moral crossroads. And they concern us in Norway more than we might like to think. Because what does it say about a society when it is punishable to pray silently outside an abortion clinic, but legal to end a child's life in the mother's womb – even in the ninth month? This is then a law that decriminalizes abortion up to birth, and that abortion is practiced by the state up to week 24. That is a big mistake.
When we have abandoned the moral bedrock, we are in danger of losing the most fundamental compass in bioethical issues: the inherent value of the human being. Rather than defining the end of life, we should affirm the beginning of life. In our consultation response to the government's proposal for a new abortion law, the Christian Resource Center emphasized precisely this: Before we can discuss the premises for taking life, we must agree on when life begins. Because unborn or not, the child is a human being, and therefore also has the right to the same legal protection as everyone else.
Assisted suicide is often presented as an extension of the patient's freedom, but freedom without limits quickly becomes oppression. When death becomes an offer, it can also become an expectation, especially for the elderly, sick and vulnerable. What happens to a society that offers help to die, but not always help to live?
The developments in England are not an isolated case. In Norway, we have already seen proposals to expand the abortion limit, and the debate on euthanasia is gaining ground. We must dare to ask the uncomfortable questions before we follow suit:
We need a new conversation about human dignity – one that doesn’t start with rights, but with responsibilities. One that isn’t about what wecando, but what weshoulddo. And that conversation must begin with the most fundamental question of all: When does life begin?
Because if we haven't clearly defined what we are taking, we have no right to take it.
The Bible values human life above all others. Life is sacred and invaluable to God, who created it «in his own image» (Genesis 1:26-27), who sustains it (Job 12:10), and who redeemed it (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). The Bible recognizes the unborn as fully human: «You saw me before I was born, and planned every day of my life before I even began to breathe. Every day was written down in your book.! » (Psalm 139:16)
Abortion has divided our nation like no other issue in recent memory. While people on one side of the issue emphasize a woman’s right to choose whether or not to give birth, people on the other side emphasize the unborn child’s right to be born. Even sincere Christians can disagree about whether abortion is ever justified, especially in difficult situations such as rape or incest, or when tests reveal that the unborn child has serious abnormalities. As believers, we must take social responsibility and speak clearly about the basis for the meaning of life. We cannot minimize the questions of what should be taken and when it can be taken. We must elevate our values rather than fight case against case. Who are we, and who are we fighting for? Where society elevates the rights of the individual, we must think bigger and embrace the families that are supposed to protect the individual.
It is impossible to make people who do not know God understand the meaning of life. We cannot accuse them of acting according to the ethical principles the world has given. We have different premises for the debate, and this must be clarified. A single mother who grows up in a Christian home has a deeper responsibility to pass on the right to life to her children. We must give people faith in life again, that they themselves have value, and thus have a responsibility to raise children to the same understanding of self-worth. Perhaps we should turn the spotlight inward and ask whether we are living a life worth passing on? The thought that should actually be aborted is the idea that we do not want to bring children into the world as society is now.
«Removing moral barriers to get rid of guilt is a form of civil suicide.»
The fear of the Lord is what keeps us from doing evil, for it is the beginning of wisdom. Removing this fear cannot be our solution. If we have no standards, respect for life itself goes awry. Then we build on the philosophy that will remove Christianity from the national conscience. Our society is well on its way to collapse if we do not give life the respect it deserves. It is not that easy to remove God from the equation.
