Abortion Stops
a Medical Career

(Testimony of a Christian doctor)

By: Dr. J Michael Harry

The Crisis

On 19th June, 1973, the Danish parliament passed a law giving all women the right to abortion-on-demand, so long as they had not gone over the 12th week of pregnancy.  The same law gave men and women over the age of 25 the right to sterilisation-on-demand.  The law stated that medical heads of departments could refuse to perform an 'abortus provocatus', but they must then make provision for such 'patients' to be 'treated' at another hospital.

Later, the law was changed so that any doctor could refuse to perform the operation.  The Danish Medical Union wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs, on 4th January, 1973.  It said that it would not be opposed to doctors who declared on application forms for positions in departments of gynaecology and obstetrics, that they would not perform abortions-on-demand. This was not actually made law. In practice, a doctor who applies for a senior position in such a department will be asked at interview if he/she will do abortions-on-demand, or not.

When I returned to Denmark after being Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The English Hospital, Nazareth, Israel (200 deliveries a month), I contacted a senior head of department about the possibility of an appointment. He seemed to be quite interested - until he asked me if I was willing to do abortions-on-demand (and I refused)! Then he said "Although you are well qualified, the decision is not mine, but is at the county level, since it is a political decision. I can assure you that you will never get such an appointment in this country."

I then tried to start a private clinic in the town (the fourth biggest in Denmark). But I was told quite definitely I could not start such a clinic. It should be borne in mind that Denmark is a small country with about 5.2 million people; medical care is under the welfare state and there is very little private practice. A private clinic in Denmark means that you are controlled by your Medical union as well as by the national health service, so it was quite easy for them to refuse permission.  In reality, I have experienced 'berufsverbot' and, as a result, I have never been able to obtain what is called 'en overlaegestilling' (head of department).

The system in Denmark is typical of the whole of Scandinavia, where one person is appointed permanent head of department. We do not have 'consultants' such as they have in, say, the UK.  In other words the Danish medical system is very much socialised and under the state, which is heavily influenced by the political thinking of the day.

Although I have never had to do an abortus provocatus - because my colleagues respected my decision - it did not make me very popular, because they had to do extra work, due to the high abortion rate.  I have given up hopes of obtaining a position in obstetrics or gynaecology in Denmark, but I believe I ought not fall to the temptation of trying to find work in a place such as Saudi Arabia.

Events Leading To My Current Position

I came to Denmark in 1961. Having qualified in London, I had to re-qualify in medicine in Copenhagen. Things are different today, because we are now in the European Community. Whilst in Copenhagen I was able to go back over to London to take the Diploma in Obstetrics, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in 1964. But the same College would not allow me to take 'Membership' because they did not recognise Danish institutions at that time. However, I did become a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology in Copenhagen. Having been a senior registrar in two accepted gynaecology departments, I was then fully qualified to become a head of department in Denmark. The completion of my training took many years and, in those days, it took at least 11-15 post-graduate years to reach such a status.

When I was ready for a top position, the abortion-on-demand law was passed, bringing me to a crisis of conscience. Would I declare whether or not I would do these abortions? I found great encouragement for refusing to do them.  For example, the midwives of the King of Egypt would not kill the baby boys at birth.  Because the midwives feared God, He richly blessed them.  I discussed my predicament with Professor dr med Mogens Ingerslev, Professor of Obstetrics at Aarhus University.  Although he had great sympathy for my views, he never made them publicly known. However, he did say, "To be a head of department in obstetrics and gynaecology today, without at the same time saying 'yes' to abortion-on-demand, will be almost impossible." I know that politicians in the town of Aarhus tried to push the professor out of his job, but a Christian professor of law helped him to maintain it, until he was pensioned.

I believe that the laws previous to the one concerning abortion-on-demand, have had a significant influence:

a .1967: Free pornography (literature)

b. 1969: Free pornography (pictures)

c. 1971: Compulsory sex education

d. 1972: Compulsory integrated sex education

e. 1973: Abortion-on-demand and sterilisation-on-demand

Before the final law was passed on abortion, we had a very liberal law which stated that a woman who had four children living at home already could opt for the legal abortion of any subsequent children. Since 97% of those wanting an abortion got one anyway, the argument was that the remaining 3% should be allowed to decide for themselves - it was said that it was only a question of removing a "piece of slime" from the uterus! Much of this legislation comes from the very strong left wing of our country. The chairman of our own Medical Union, in 1973, was the son of a well-known communist Professor of Neurology.

Myself and My Family

I was born in England and attended a private boarding school in the West of England.  Then I did compulsory training in the Royal Marines prior to starting medical studies at King's College, London, and at St George's Hospital Medical School. After working at my teaching hospital in London, I worked for a short time in Finland.

Wanting to visit my emigrated family in New Zealand, I then became a ship's surgeon to earn my passage.  Whilst there I was fortunate to obtain a position at the Post-Graduate School of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, of the University of Auckland. This gave me a taste for my speciality, which I continued when I came to Denmark. I worked in Copenhagen, Esbjerg and Sønderborg hospitals.

I am now 67, married to a Russian widow who lost her husband to an accident in Iceland.  She has a son, André, who is now a 27 year old pilot. We have three children together - Peter, 23, Ivan 21 and Nadia 16.  Because of the impossibility of obtaining permanent medical work in Denmark, I have joined the ranks of the Apostle Luke - a medical man who travelled with the gospel and did a lot of writing! Now, I live off lecturing, as well as teaching and preaching, mainly in Denmark but also in Finland. I have also preached in Petrozavodsk, Russia, where I had a mission to university medical faculty students.  Really, I am very busy and must confess that a travelling ministry is much more demanding than a 100 hour week on call in a hospital! As I speak, I am left in no doubt whatever that a lot of our ethical problems today are due to the fact that the church is spiritually 'toothless' and is unable or unwilling to speak about such matters.

The Outcome of My Decisions

I gave up my position as senior registrar at the hospital of Sønderborg. At the time I was thoroughly well-qualified to have a top post in my speciality.  The news of my resignation made the front page of one of our biggest tabloids, 'BT'. It said that "the first doctor has gone in protest against free abortion". I was very much alone in all this, and I never forgot one doctor saying that he supported me. But, showing me his cheque-book he said that he dared not live by his convictions, because he could not manage financially if he did so! I knew that I had a call to preach and that the Bible entitled me to live off such work, so that is what I did next.

In November, 1976, I wrote an article in the World Medical Journal, entitled 'Abortion Rules, OK?'. A well-known lady named Mrs Inge Jespersen wrote a response, supporting the Danish views on abortion - even though, at the time, she headed a movement called 'Save the Child'! What an interesting contradiction - they do everything they can to save the born child, but are nonchalant toward the fate of the unborn!  However, a good German friend, Dr. med. Siegfried Ernst, who lived under Hitler, wrote a long article, explaining how Mrs Jespersen was quite wrong about what I had written about abortion.  His letter was addressed to all the members of the Danish parliament.

In 1972, the year before abortion-on-demand, there were 12,985 legal abortions. In 1974, the year after the law was passed, the numbers rose to a staggering 24,686! (Ed. The same thing happened in the UK!).  By May 1990, Denmark had Europe's highest abortion rate, with 37 abortions per 100 births. The Journal of the Danish Medical Association, 7th March, 1994, said in an editorial: "Down with abortions. Live double-Danish". This really means: use both the condom and the pill, to be sure you do not get pregnant! (Thus swapping one evil for another - instead of abortion, be promiscuous safely!).

Analysis and Personal Conclusions

The high rate of abortion, combined with a falling birth rate, means a lack of children and closure of many schools.  Recently, there was a slight increase in the birth rate, but the time must come when the work-force will not be sufficient to maintain our living standard...especially of older people, who seem to be living longer today. Some say we are sitting on a "ticking pensioners' bomb". Strangely (considering its abortion rate), Denmark strongly opposes euthanasia. But murmurs are already growing louder - as the numbers of younger people available for work grows less in proportion to the older people they support by their taxes, so the cost of medically treating older people increases. Thus, society is thinking twice about euthanasia - a logical progression from abortion-on-demand.

Another result is that in June 1983 (ten years after free sterilisation), of the 56,000 men (7% of Danish men aged 25-50) who had been sterilised, 700 regretted the operation, so it is very likely that the number of regrets is much higher by now.

Another documented fact is, that as more children are given sex education without Christian values, so the rate of pregnancy increases, along with the rate of cervical cancer. An article in Doctor, 1988, shows that 54% of examined teenagers in Perth, Western Australia had an abnormal smear test, and not the expected average rate of 15%-18%. Reason? Early sex debut and several sex partners.

I believe that when the Bible talks about ethics, it is for our own good. But humanists (and ignorant Christians) have turned it all around in such a way as to make God a policeman, Who only wants to punish us churlishly if we do not do everything He wants us to do. Paul says: "Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous....shall inherit the kingdom of God." He was talking about people who wilfully practice these things without repentance. Faithful Christians are not sinless, and like David, they can be 'overtaken' by sin. But, also like David, we must confess our sins and repent.

I have a growing conviction as I study the consequences of breaking the Ten Commandments (via parliament) that we are now paying a heavy price for doing so:

a. It is a proven fact that the more children are taught sex education and the use of anti-conception, without Christian values, the more the number of abortions and pregnancies go up.

b. We now know that the more sex partners a girl has, the greater is her risk of having cancer of the cervix, as well as increasing the risk of sterility, which leads to the expensive 'test tube' babies.

c. We also now know that if a faithful wife has a husband who is adulterous, the more extra-marital partners he has, the greater is the danger to his innocent wife of having cancer of the cervix.

d. I believe, too, that when Paul talks about homosexuality (1 Cor.6:9), so does Jesus (Mark 7:22), where the word He uses is 'lasciviousness'. This is alsegia in Greek, and is exactly the same word used by Peter to describe "the filthy" behaviour in Sodom and Gomorrha (2 Peter 2:6,7). Alsegia is the bottom-line of sins - used by both Jesus and Peter.

Solzhenitsyn said that the West would probably destroy itself from within. He used the example of the human body and its two lungs. If we do not use both, then we are sick or weak. One lung he called our 'rights'; the other our 'responsibilities'. Many years ago he warned that we used the lung called our 'rights' or 'privileges', but that we had forgotten to use the other lung, 'responsibilities'.

The way we solve the problem of our moral decline and its tremendous expense to society, is not through protests, but by a radical revival within and through the Church, to reach society, from alcoholics and drug addicts to the 'higher' classes - including the medical profession.

Dr J Michael Harry, M.B., B.S (London, Copenhagen)., D.Obst.RCOG., Gyn. & Obst. (Copenhagen). This testimony is dated February 1996