cal records go, the early church con-

fronted the o m ~ U t world with this theo-

logical stand. Thus, by the mid-second
century or earlier, the Epistle of Barna-
bas and Didache declared it to be against
the Word of God to have anything to do
with abortion. Their declarations are
sintilar and reflect earlier church laws.
The Didache says, "Do not murder a
child by abortion, neither kill it at
birth," and Barnabas reads, "Do not mur-
der a child by abortion, nor again, des-
troy that which is born." Barnabas does
not speak of a new covenant with
Christ; rather, Christians have received
the one covenant in ChrisL God pre-
pared not a new covenant but "the new
people for himself." These new people
are not "murderers of children, corrup-
ters of God's creatim, turning away
from the needy, afflicting the oppressed;
advocates of the rich, lawless judges of
the poor--sinful through and through!"
Rather, the new people are obedient to
their Lor4 in all things: "You shall love
Him who .made you, fear Him who
fanned you; glorify Him who redeemed
you from death" by obeying Him by
faith, which means among other things
standing against abortion.
This then is the true ground, the theo-
logical ground. God is the total and
sovereign God, and His claims and
powers are absolute. He requires us to
condemn abortion, and to condemn it
supremely on the ground that He con-
demns it, for there is no true law apart
from the law-word of God.
[This article appeared in the June, 1980
issue of The Counsel of Chalcedon (Vol. II,
No. 4), where it was reprinted firim The
Cambridge Fish]. D
In the greater Atlanta area
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A Strong Statement
Against Abortion
by the American Medical Association
a Century Ago
There we shall discover an enemy in
the camp; there we shall witness as
hideous a view of moral deformity as
the evil spirit could present. There we
shall f"md a class of m ~ in every
respect the opposite of the fonner; men
who cling to a noble profession only to
dishonor it; men who seek not to save,
but to destroy; men known not only to
the profession, but to the public, as
abortionists....... Yes, it is false breth-
ren we have most to fear; men who are
false to their profession, false to prin-
ciple, false to honor, false. to humanity,
false to GOd.
"Thou shalt not kill." This command-
ment is given to all, and applies to all
without exception....... notwithstanding
all this; we see in our midst a class of
men, regardless of all principle, regard
less of all honor, who daily destroy that
fair fabric of God's creation; who daily
pull down what he has built up; who
act in antagonism to that profession of
which they claim to be members.
These modern Herods, like their pro-
totype; have a summary mode of deal-
ing with their victims. They perform
the ttiple office of Legislative, Judi-
ciary, and Executive, and, to crown the
tragedy, they become the executioners.
They seem impatient for the sacrifice;
the "fiat" goes forth, and those innocent
and helpless victims are not pennitted
ever to breathe that vital air which God
in His providence has destined for their
use in common with the rest of the
human family. Their resting-place is
rudely invaded, and that which would
grow and ripen into manhood is cut off
from existence by the hand of an
educated assassin. Mark the monster as
he approaches his work! ....... he stands
by the bedside of his victim, with poi-
soned cup or instrument in hand, ready
to proceed to the work of destruction.
Does any compunction assail his cor-
rupt soul, as he gazes on the field of his
labors? Does he measure the extent of
the foul deed he is about to commit? Or
does he not fear that the uplifted hand of
an avenging God will suddenly fall on
his guilty head? No; Judas-like, he
solaces himself with the prospect of
thirty pieces of silver, and this forms
the climax of his aspirations!
But, as is found in many other cases
of murder, there is no extenuating cir-
cumstance here that can change or modi-
fy the character of his guilt. As in or-
dinary cases of murder, there is no anger
to prompt him to the deed, no wrongs
to be avenged, no jealousies to be apl
peased. These he cannot point to as
extenuating circumstances, and it mat-
ters not at what stage of development
his victim may have arrived - it matters
not how small or how apparently irt-
signiflcant it may be - it is a murder, a
foul, unprovoked murder; and its blood,
like the blood of Abel, will cry from
earth to Heaven for vengeanee.
We have no foreign enemy to con-
tend with, but we have a domestic
enemy, and that enemy is in our midst;
it surrounds us; yes, we have an unprin-
cipled, an insidious, an unmitigated foe
to deal with, an enemy to the human
family, as dark and as malignant as the
spirit that sent it, and it now becomes
us to do our part faithfully towards God
in this matter, to crush the monster,
and to place the profession right before
the pubiic. For it is at this late date in
the nineteenth century a doubtful ques-
tion whether Ol' not the profession of
medicine, with all its boasted intelli-
gence, with all the aids and appliances
which science and art can bestow - it is
doubtful, with such. a disgusted caudal
The Counsel of Chalcedon, February, 1987 -------1
appendage as the abortionist attached to
it, whether that profession is an ad-
vantage or a disadvantage, whether it is
a blessing or a curse, to the human
family ....... The abortionists are more
destructive to human life than ten
British armies.
Yet these monsters of iniquity are per-
mitted to stalk abroad in open
ing worse than contagion with them,
poisoning wherever they are permitted
to touch, invading the very sources of
life, and fattening on the blood of their
victims. And yet the profession of
medicine remains inactive - that pro-
fession which is styled an honorable
one; that profession so far-famed for its
charity and benevolence, whose mission
on earth is to do as much good and as
little evil as possible to the human
family - that profession, in the face of
these evils, tolerates in its midst these
men, who, with corrupt hearts and
blood-stained hands, destroy what they
cannot reinstate, corrupt souls, and des-
troy the fairest fabric that God has ever
created, and yet all is done under the
aegis, under the cloak, of that profes-
sion.
Every practicing physician in the
land (as well as every good man) has a
certain amount of interest at stake in
this matter. Every physician, as far as
his practice extends, should feel that in
his professional department he is the
shepherd of his flock, and it becomes
his duty to see that these wolves in
sheep's clothing not make any inroads
among them. The members of the
profession should form themselves into
a special police to watch, and to detect,
and bring to justice these characters.
They should shrink with horror from all
intercourse with them, professionally or
otherwise. These men should be marked
as Cain was marked; they should be
made the outcasts of society.
It is time that the seal of reprobation
were placed on these characters by all
honest men; it is time that respectable
men should cease to consult with them,
should cease to speak to them, should
cease to notice them except with con-
tempt
RESOLVED, That we repudiate and
denounce the conduct of abortionists,
and that we will hold no intercourse
with them either professionally or
otherwise, and that we will, whenever
an opportunity presents, guard and pro-
tect the public against the machinations
of these characters by pointing out the
physical and moral ruin which follows
in their wake.
RESOLVED, That in the opinion of
this Convention, it will be unlawful
and unprofessional for any physician to
induce abortion or premature labor,
without the concurrent opinion of at
least one respectable consulting phy-
sician, and then always with a view to
the safety of the child - if that be pos-
sible.
RESOLVED, That we respectfully
and earnestly suggest to private teachers
and professors in public institutions the
propriety of adopting, according to their
judgment, the means best suited for pre-
serving their pupils, and those who
may hereafter come under their care,
from the degrading crime of abortion.
RESOLVED, That we respectfully
call the attention of the clergy of all
denominations to the perverted views of
morality entertained by a large class of
females - aye, and men also - on this
important question, and the ruin which
has resulted. and continues to result
daily to the human family from such
views.
RESOLVED, That we respectfully
solicit the different medical societies,
both State and local, to send delegates
to the clergymen in their respective dis-
tricts to request their aid in so im-
portant an undertaking.
RESOLVED, That it becomes the
duty of every physician in the United
States, of fair standing in his profes-
sion, to resort to every honorable and
legal means in his power to crush out
from among us this pest of society;
and, in doing so, he but elevates
himself and his profession to that emi-
nence and moral standard for which God
has designed it, and which an honorable
and high-toned public sentiment must
expect at the hands of its members.
If in the foregoing report our lan-
guage has appeared to some strong and
severe, or even intemperate, let the
gentlemen pause for a moment and
reflect on the importance and gravity of
our subject, and believe that to do jus-
tice to the undertaking, free from all im-
proper feeling or selfish considerations,
was the end and aim of our efforts. We
had to deal with human life. In a matter
of less importance we could entertain
no compromise. An honest judge on
the bench would call things by their
proper names. We could do no less.
[Editor's note- This pronounce-
ment by the American Medical
Association In 1871 shows bow far
our nation has deteriorated In the
past century. Today a very different
breed of physician bas come to
dominate the medical profession.
Abortion has been legalized by the
Supreme Court, doctors all over the
land freely commit murder on un-
born Infants so that over twenty mil
lion babies have been legally killed
since 1973. The pollee forces of
_iurlsdlctlons across lhe country Jlro-
lect the abortionists In their foul
deeds while they punish godly citi-
zens who seek to save lives. These
civil magistrates, as well as Judges,
openly and fla2rantly fly In tlie face
of the God of- the universe, by con-
victing and sentencing proIlfers
with excessive jail terms ana unjust
fines.
Wbat has become of believers In
the Creator, and of morality and
principle, and truth? Where is the
fear of that Judgment Day which
shall be faced by every person who
has ever lived on this earth? When
we view the situation today we
exclaim, "Is this an example of what
the liberals of our day refer to as
progress?!" God sa:rs, "There Is a
war which seems right to a man,
bu its end Is the way of death.'
"The way of the wicked Is an a-
bomination to the Lord, but He
loves him who pursues righteous
ness." "The Lord Is far from the
wicked, but He hears the prayer of
the righ.teous." (Proverbs 14:12;
15:9, 29, D
..__ _____ The Counsel of Chalcedon, February, 1987