Tauranga pastors are today opposing the city's new abortion service by offering an alternative solution to any woman or girl facing an unwanted pregnancy.
In today's edition of The Weekend Sun, pastors and ministers across the city have united to promise to do 'all within our power and resources” to help such women cope with their pregnancy, without choosing termination.
Pastors and ministers are offering an alternative service to abortions.
Their efforts follow the granting of a new licence to Tauranga Family Planning Clinic to conduct early medical abortions up to nine weeks of pregnancy. The licence was granted by the Abortion Supervisory Committee in May.
Family Planning chief executive Jackie Edmond says before the licence was granted pregnant women seeking such a service had to travel to Thames and Hamilton.
The free service is funded by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and is available to women at the clinic's 10th Avenue premises.
Speaking on behalf of the pastors and ministers, Voice of Life Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust spokesperson Don Brebner says this is their way of responding to licence grant.
'The response is at a practical level – no doctrine, no dire threats, no condemnatory undertones, no mention of rights or wrongs or shall nots.
'Just this simple message: If you're in trouble, we are here to help.”
Don says their message targets many real life realities, such as a school counsellor arranging an abortion for a teenager without the parents' knowledge, or the boyfriend whose price for his continued affections is the abortion.
The pastors' promise states: 'If your circumstances are such that you feel that an abortion is an option for you then please give us the challenge of facing your difficulties with you. Our promise is to do all within our power and resources, privately and confidentially, and calling on the infinite love of Jesus Christ, to enable you to overcome your difficulties, and bring a healthier solution for you – and the life of your precious child.”
Don says the pastors' promise may seem like a massive undertaking, 'but they alone know their own connections with independent counsellors, with childless parents wanting to adopt, with people willing to offer accommodation and with sources of clothing, money or other necessities”.
He says pastors and ministers have a gifted way of bringing wisdom to difficult situations.
See page 32 of The Weekend Sun for more information.
15 comments
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Posted on 02-08-2013 10:49 | By whatsinaname
with all the protection and advice out there now there should be NO unwanted pregancies. unfortunatley its the children that will suffer because of the parents not taking enuff caution.
But will they!!!
Posted on 02-08-2013 11:18 | By Sambo Returns
pay for the childrens up bringing, and all the other associated costs for people breeding for money, what they are saying is just "wonderful", in a world dominated by religion, but reality proves there is a huge social cost for unwanted and unloved children, if you want to save their souls, try working on them before they get pregnant, family planning has no meaning for most,an Abortion service offers an alternative for some.
Rebellion Happens At All Levels
Posted on 02-08-2013 11:40 | By Whynotask
REBELLION HAPPENS AT ALL LEVELS -- Your innate awareness of individuality is at the heart of your international rebellion. Look at the exacerbated unrest in the Middle Eastern regions and think about what would happen if all parties could say, and mean: 'You think differently than I do, but I encourage individual, diverse thought...” rather than 'I'm afraid of your thought because it might overtake my thought....” You are trying to push against individuality, but you will never be able to suppress individuality. However, in the moment that you as an individual; you as a religion or as a government... would begin to encourage individuality, your trouble would begin to subside. An encouragement of individuality must happen within any individual who is ever going to find satisfaction in this diverse Universe of which we are all a part.
No such thing as god
Posted on 02-08-2013 13:02 | By tjs01
Pro choice. My body = my choice
Well done church!
Posted on 02-08-2013 14:06 | By cat4jesus
Thank you chuch for taking a postive stance on helping women and girls with a choice other than abortion. My prayers are with you. God bless this endeavour.
Overit
Posted on 02-08-2013 14:11 | By overit
In my day if an unmarried girl got in trouble she adopted the baby, got married, or terminated. Its all very well keeping the child but so often these kids are born into poverty. A single girl/woman cannot do it alone without the help of the DPB. I, for one, am not keen on my taxes going into this system. I see a lot of solo mother nonsense going on around me ie. party houses, disfunctional boyfriends dossing down, females spending up large on other things except food, clothing and medicine. Why subject your new born into poverty and expect the already over burdoned tax-payer to supplement your bad decisions and recklessness. Oh, and I speak as someone who 'terminated' and am at ease with MY decision.
Life is Precious
Posted on 02-08-2013 16:18 | By Babz
Thankyou Pastors for offering a much needed, positive alternative to abortion for women and girls to think about and consider before they make their decision.
Empty...
Posted on 02-08-2013 22:07 | By dgk
Just like their higher being, one of the church's on that list is an empty lot.
Posted on 02-08-2013 22:22 | By annon
I am pro choice and believe every woman has the right to make the decision however i also know couples who have been trying to have children and been let down by failed IVF and adoptions that fell through, so i think the group of pastors, approach of providing an alternative (as opposed to just preaching condemnation )is a welcome choice for women who are not in a position to raise these babies but feel they have no other choice. Good on them I say :-)
Not your choice
Posted on 02-08-2013 22:51 | By Blessed
NZs High Child abuse Rate, Some from 2 Parent families.. Contraception is NOT reliable, only way Not to have Children is not to have Sex... Many of these mothers Do NOT have the support, Men leave after years as a couple, Families not around ect. What ever decision they make they have to live and deal with it, Regret/accept. Society is not that caring. At the end of the Day, the strength of the Individual is the only thing that gets ones self through. 'God only helps those that are willing to help themselves' Hezekiah 6:1
Brilliant!
Posted on 03-08-2013 06:50 | By grahamwood
Its a move showing their common purpose and the love that our Christian Church leaders in Tauranga have for children and their mothers. I pray God strengthens them all in this loving move.
Need it sometimes
Posted on 03-08-2013 08:26 | By Papamoaner
I am in agreement with Sambo on this one. Early education by parents in todays liberal age is also vital if pregnancy is to be avoided.
Underlying cause
Posted on 03-08-2013 11:26 | By Papamoaner
I have often noticed in Asian countries that kids are still very respectful to their elders and address their school teachers as Sir and Maam (equivalent). We don't have that here any more, so not only do many NZ kids not respect authority, but they no longer listen to their parents. Teenage pregnancy is just one of the symptoms of that, not the only one. We need abortions to terminate unwanted pregnancy, or we will pay the price in huge social impact, cost included.
Kia Kaha Tauranga Moana Churches
Posted on 04-08-2013 22:55 | By lovelife
I am writing in support of teen mums. Sadly, teens do not realise or understand that the child inside their womb is actually a living breathing seed. When the parent/s decide to terminate the child they are actually murdering the child. It is not the mother's fault that they don't know that what they are doing is committing a murder. It is sad that a child is concieved in unplanned circumstances, the mother (and father) is frightened of the outcome of what will become of them and their child so they feel their only option is abort. Yes, we live in a country where we have the freedom to make a choice but what choice does that unborn child have? Choose life today by choosing to support and teach, lead and guide our teens about avoiding unwanted pregnancies and abortion, and just being there for them without judgement. Lets tell them, 'hey its ok, we are here to support you and we love you.” The message is simple as pastor Don Brebner is saying, 'if you're in trouble, we are here to help.” Abortion is not the answer. Give life to your precious child today. Yes every woman has a right to make her own decision whether to abort or not but we as Christians can only offer the alternative, and do all we can to support them. Whatever decision they make we will only love them more. Its not about suppressing individuality, it's not about wrongs or rights, doctrines or bible bashing. We are about offering the alternative and being there in a practical sense to support mothers who are considering abortion and, who just need someone to talk to, to hug, to gently guide and be there for them through it all. Kia Kaha churches of Tauranga Moana. Psalm 127. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord”.
To Lovelife
Posted on 05-08-2013 16:59 | By Papamoaner
"Murder" is an inappropriately emotive word to use in the context of the argument, and reflects an extreme view. Legally and morally, You cannot commit murder upon someone who is not yet born. Fix the problem by focussing on the underlying causes, lest you waste all your energy to no avail. We need to focus on making a difference, not just preaching morals. Your comments on supporting pregnant kids is commendable, but that's a different subject. If you mix it with preaching behaviour, you will just end up looking like "aunty knows best" and no kid wants to hear that.
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