Lewis on abortion

SpareOom (New Messages)
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LEWIS ON ABORTION

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, I thought it would be appropriate to again post what seems to be the only instance of Lewis commenting on this subject. It is from his letter of July 2, 1951 to Mary Van Deusen:

“It is certainly not wrong to try to remove the natural consequences of sin provided the means by which you remove them are not in themselves another sin. (e.g. it is merciful and Christian to remove the natural consequences of fornication by giving the girl a bed in a maternity ward and providing for the child’s keep and education, but wrong to remove them by abortion or infanticide).”

Dimitry

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)

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I’m very thankful for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and very frustrated by the response of much of the church to that fact. But thanks for the reference to Lewis’ words on the subject; I hadn’t previously been aware of them, and it doesn’t seem to be indexed in the C.S. Lewis Index.

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Yes, I’m also very thankful. Apparently, the letter only came to light after the publication in 2007 of the last of the 3-volume collection of Lewis’s letters.

Dimitry

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Good to know. I corresponded with Janine Goffar (or Colburn, now) not too long ago, and she expressed interest in updating her Index–hopefully she’ll be able to do that, and included the more recently-published letters at the time.