Banner image: Our partner worker carried a 12-week-old embryo baby model to deliver the message of “priceless life” to women who were preparing for abortion in the hospital.
Abortion, a bloody noun.
According to the interpretation of Wikipedia, abortion, also known as miscarriage or induced abortion, is the ending of pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus.
Under the influence of one child policy, millions of women and mothers undergo abortion or sterilisation every year. The Chinese official report pointed out 13 million cases of abortion annually. When this announcement was still hovering around the ears, some US human rights organisations already felt unacceptable and claimed that the actual number is 10 million more. According to this data, there are 63,013 cases of abortion every day, 2,625 cases every hour, and 43 cases every minute. Various reasons have gradually made abortion a “reasonable” choice and it is silently accepted in the society, which can be implied from an advertisement of a mainland Chinese hospital. In the advertisement, a woman was frustrated because of an unplanned pregnancy. After the hospital’s painless induced abortion, the family and even the grandmother were very happy to welcome her home. Various social influences resulted in sexual experience at young age and the prevalence of abortion.
How could CEDAR’s local partner give a helping hand to women and family in need under this seemingly unsolvable situation?
Our partner organisation was originally inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. The Bible does not mention Samaritan’s advanced medical treatment, but his compassion to help the injured neighbour even without preparation. Similarly the founder of our partner organisation, Brother Tang, started the ministry in 2012. Seeing the discussion of this issue avoided inside and outside churches, he felt even pressing to do something. Therefore, he began to equip pastors and faith leaders the awareness of saving lives from abortion. Looking into the value of an embryo life from a biblical angle, they examined the teachings about abortion in the Bible. Brother Tang met CEDAR in a charity personnel training and decided to register as an NGO in November 2015 after accumulating experience, launching the ministry of helping women and babies in China in a more specific and effective way.
They commenced their work in four aspects:
- They build networks with local churches. Through a train-the-trainer (pastor to believer) approach in each church to deliver related educational messages, and they repented and determined to save lives together.
- They established counselling and rescue centre for pregnant women. Through setting up counselling room in local hospitals, they provide specific help for pregnant women in need. The services were conducted by volunteers with rich maternity and child health knowledge or those who had similar experiences, so pregnant women’s body and mind are well taken care of.
- The Centre was established last year. A free counselling and rescue hotline was set up for mothers across the country, offering an appropriate channel for women who are deciding on an abortion to relieve personal stress.
- In order to take care of the physical and psychological needs of mothers who decide to give birth to their babies, the Centre sets up a Mothers’ Home. With a Christian-oriented family approach, they arrange volunteers to assist the mothers who would be cared for and exposed to the Christian faith.
Under long-term influence in China, the patriarchal culture decides which gender of an embryo to keep. It is afraid that this vicious cycle will continue. Brother Tang thoroughly understands this truth and determines to start from himself and be responsible for saving lives, believing saving one is one.
Prayer’s points
- Abortion in China is legal and generally accepted. CEDAR and partner are dedicated to work with the health department and local hospitals in order to promote the value of life and raise public concerns on abortion and its resulted social problems. May God raise up more people to get involve.
- Among the workers and volunteers who participate in anti-abortion campaign and counselling work for pregnant women, some of them had abortion, supported daughter-in-law to undergo abortion, or taken no regard on others’ abortion in the past. May our merciful God heal and bless their families, and transform their experience into a blessing to others.
- Pray for the team to equip and train professional counsellors and social workers.