The American Medical Association

Condemns Abortion [The · following set forth by the cal Association 1871]

statement was American Medi~ Convention in

.. There we shall discover an eriemy iii · the camp; there we shall witness as

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hideous a view of moral. deformity as · the evil spirit could present. There we shall. find a class of men in every respect the opposite of the former; men who cling to a noble profession only to dishonor it; men who seek not to save, but ta·desttoy;-men knowtrnot' only" to · the. profession, but to the public, as ' abortionists .... Yes, it is false breth· ren we have most to feat; 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· rpent is given to all, and applies to all without exception. . . . notwithstand· ing all this, we see in our midst a class of men, regardless of all· principle, re­gardless 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 modem Hetods, like their pro· totype, have a summary mode of deal­ing with their victims.· They perform the triple office of Legislative, Judi­ciary, and Executive, and, to crown the·· tragedy, they become the executioners. They seeni iJnpatient for the sacrifice; the "fiat" goes forth, and those innocent and helpless victims are not permitted 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 poisoned cup or instrument in

· hand,· ready to 'proceed to the work of destruction. Does any compunction as~ sail his corrupt soul, as he gazes on the field ·of his labors? Does he measure the extent of the foul deed lie 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 clirilax ·of his aspira~ · tions! ·'

But; as is found in many other·cases . of murder, there is no extenuating cir· cuinStance here that can change Or modi~ fy ·the character of his gtiilt. As in or~ diiiary cases ofmlirder,' there' is no anger to prompt him to the deed, .no wrongs to be avenged, no jealousies to tie ap· peased. These he cannot point to as ex'­tenuating circumstances, and it matters not at. what state of development his . vktim may have arrived • it matters not

· how small or hOw apparently insignifi­cant it may be • it is a· mlirder; a foul, unprovoked. murder: and. its. blood, like the blood of Abel, will· cry from earth to Heaven for vengeance.

VIe have no foreign enemy to con· terid with, . but we have a domestic enemy, and that enemy is in our midst; . it surrounds us; yes, we have an un­principled, an insidious, an unmitigated foe to ~al 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 o~ part truthfully towards God in this matter, w crush the monster, and· to place the profession right before the public. For it is at this late date in the nineteenth century a doubtful question whether or not ,the profession of medicine •. with. all its boasted intelligence, with all the aids arid appliances which science and art can bestow · it is doubtful, with such a disgusted ·caudal .appendage as . the abortionist attached to it, whether' that profession is an advantag~ or a .. disadvantage, whether itis 'a blessing or

a cu.rSe, to the human family. . . . The abortionists are more destructive to hu· man life than ten British armies.

Yet these monsters of iniquity are permitted to stalk abroad in open day, carrying 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 profession· 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 i~ midst these · men, who, with corrupt hearts and blood·stained hands, desti:oy what they cannot reinstate, corrupt souls, and destroy the fairest fabric that God has ever created, and yet all is dOne under the aegis, under the cloak, of that profession.

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, arid 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 hdime that the seal of reprobation were placed oil 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 notic;e them except . with contempt. .

RESOLVED, That we repudiate and denounce the conduct of abortionists, ari.d that we will hold no intercourse with them either professionally or other· wise, and that we w111, whenever an op­portunity presents, guard and protect the

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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 physi­cian, and then always with a view to the safety of the child - if that be possible.

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 preserving 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 me 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 districts to request their aid in so im­portant an undertaking.

RESOLVED, That it becomes the duty of every physician in the United States, of fair standing in his pro­fession, 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 eminence 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 lan­guage 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 justice to the undertaking, free from all improper feeling or selfish considerations, was

A Clarification of the Session's Previous Statement on Opposing Abortion*

*(Our previous statement was published in The Counsel of Chalcedon, Vol. VIII. Number Six, August, 1986, pg. 24.)

After much prayer, discussion and :Sible Study, we, the Session of Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, believe that civil rebellion, as practiced by Operation Rescue and other 'sit-in' movements, as a strategy to stop abortion, awaken the conscience of the church, and change the laws of an anti-christian state is not a biblical strategy.

We encourage all those who want to stop abortion, which should include all Christians, to use those divinely empowered instruments which God promises to use to bring down evil and bring every thought captive to Jesus Christ: the Word of God and prayer. · ·

We counsel our members again~>t involvement in these kinds of activities; and, therefore, the church will not assume any financial costs involved in anyone's · participation in them. .

However, Christ alone is the Lord of the conscience. Therefore, we recognize the · possibility of honest disagreement among Christians on this issue.

For Scriptural and theological support for our decision, see Westminster · Confession of Faith (original) chapter XX, paragraph 4, and Pastor Morecraft's paper, "How to Stop Abortion in America." ·

For the Creator of Life,

Hugh D. Wages Clerk of the Session Chalcedon Presbyterian Church Atlanta, Georgia October, 1988

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 bas deteriorated in the past century. Today a very different breed of P-ltysiclan appears to have come to itomlnate tfie medical profession. Abortion has been lcgallzed by the Supreme Court, doctors all over the land freely commit murder on un­born Infants so that over twenty-two million babies have been legally klllcd since 1973. The pollee forces and judges In jurisdictions across the country condone and protect the abortionists In their foul deeds, openly and flagrantly flying in the face of the Goa of the universe, who has P-ronounced abortion to be mur­der. Rather than protecting life and punishing evildoers, as they were or-

dalncd by God to do, these civil magistrates arc actually accomplices In these murderous deeds.

What has become of believers in the Creator, and of morality and · principle, and truth? Where ls the fear of God and that Judgment Day which shall be faced by every person who has ever lived on this earth? When we view the situation toda! we exclaim "Is this an example of what the liberals of our da_x refer to as progress?!" God says "There is a war which seems rlgbt to a man,. bu its end is the way of death.' "The way of the Wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues r ighteous­ness.'' "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 14:12; 15:91 29, ~ASB).

Tne AMA statement above was found in a book, now probably out of print, entitled Medical Holo­causts, Vol. I, by William Brennan, pages 28-30. It was P.Ublished by Nordland Publishing International, Inc.:.t P.O. Box 25388, Houston, Tex­as .,7005] []

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