The dilemma – a cameo

In the early 1980s, the refugee camp at Sangkhla in southern Thailand received large numbers of Vietnamese fleeing intolerable political conditions in their own country. They crossed the Gulf of Thailand in vessels which were often attacked by marauding Thai fishermen, who subjected the Vietnamese women to repeated and violent rape. On arrival at Sangkhla, a significant number were found to be pregnant, and suffering from venereal disease. Catholic physicians in the camp refused to perform abortions. Adventist doctors there were faced with requests to terminate such pregnancies, which, after some deliberation, they agreed to do.

That is one example of Adventist practice with regard to abortion in exceptional and horrifying circumstances. The contrast between Adventist and Catholic responses in less extreme situations would, however, be less marked. Many Adventists in the United States would be sympathetic to the sort of peaceful ‘pro-life’ campaigns waged by Catholics. The case illustrates the dilemma in which Adventists find themselves over abortion. One the one hand, their theology will incline them towards a conservative view of the matter. On the other, they operate an extensive network of hospitals, both in the United States and around the world, to which many women have turned at a time of deep personal crisis. Moreover, Adventists have to operate at a personal and institutional level in a world which is very tolerant of abortion as a means of controlling fertility. Consequently, Adventists have experienced real difficulty in resolving the dilemma.