Holding on to Christian ethics: Professor John Wyatt

Last week we had a visit from John Wyatt, Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Paediatrics at University College London.

In a lecture to staff, Prof Wyatt described the ethical dichotomy taking place in hospitals when it comes to the care of unborn and prematurely-born babies.

Put simply, in neonatal care wards the prevailing philosophy is: ‘every life counts’, which means babies receive tens of thousands of pounds worth of care to help them survive.

But in nearby foetal medicine wards, doctors inform an expectant mother whose child is disabled that her baby can be aborted. A woman’s right to choose is elevated over the right to life of her unborn child.

Greco-Roman vs Judeo-Christian

Why is that? According to Prof Wyatt, the ancient world, where abortion, infanticide and eugenics were widespread, sheds light on our contemporary situation.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle commended the destruction of disabled babies, saying that new parents should ‘let them die’. Roman philosopher Seneca said it was ‘reason’ to “drown children at birth who are weakly and abnormal”.

In the Greco-Roman world, children who were not physically normal were considered worthless human lives.

Prof Wyatt said: “Value was not intrinsic but was acquired after birth. If the baby was accepted into the family, then it had value. It was the perfect ‘specimens’ that mattered the most”.

This harsh philosophy permeated the ancient world, with the exception of two groups: the Jewish nation and Christians.

First century Roman historian Tacitus recorded that the Jews “regard it as a crime to kill any recently-born child”.

Imago Dei

And early Christian communities put a special emphasis on the rescue of abandoned babies, to the extent that pagan women would leave their unwanted children outside the houses of Christians.

Prof Wyatt noted that this respect for all human life was related to the understanding that all humans are precious because they are made in the imago dei – God’s image.

“The destruction of young lives was seen as a desecration of God’s image.”

“In the Judeo-Christian tradition the value of infant life is intrinsic. The nature of the child, in terms of disability, is irrelevant.”

In today’s world, these two opposing views on human life are still there for everyone to see.

“In the neo-natal care ward the Judeo-Christian influence is being worked out. In the foetal-medicine ward, the Greco-Roman worldview is being worked out”, Professor Wyatt said.

Modern secular philosophers like Peter Singer and John Harris argue that until a baby is self-aware, it is not truly human – to them, abortion and infanticide are ethically equally acceptable.

Hold on to Christ

“Unless we can keep the Christian understanding that all life is special, we will find it very difficult to resist going back to the Greco-Roman pagan view”, Prof Wyatt concluded.

“The problem with abortion, euthanasia and infanticide is that they say: ‘it would be better for the world if you didn’t exist’.

“Christianity always says you’re special and that you should exist.”

John Wyatt spent many years working as a neonatal doctor in London, before becoming a lecturer and author. He is currently President of the Christian Medical Fellowship.