The good and evil of the Crime and Policing Bill

In Matthew 13:36-43, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds. The basic teaching is that at the end of the age there will be a great harvest. “The weeds” will be thrown into hell, while “the wheat” will shine like stars in a new world. Until that great day, the righteous and unrighteous shall coexist in this world.

It has struck me afresh in recent weeks that this is a perfect analogy for Christian engagement in politics. At CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), we are deeply privileged to have an office at the heart of Westminster. We are just five minutes walk (three if you leg it!) from the Houses of Parliament. Our location facilitates our relational approach to political engagement.

And what we experience is just like the parable. We see both evil being done, but also good being achieved as well. And because of how laws are made, we often see good and evil being achieved in the same piece of legislation.

Abortion

This happened back in 1990. CARE was working closely with Lord Alton and successfully managed to get an amendment approved that reduced the time limit for abortion from 28 weeks to 24.

But at the same time, the then Home Secretary Ken Clarke tabled an amendment legalising abortion to birth in cases of “serious handicap”. In the course of a few days, the abortion law was made both incrementally better and incrementally far worse.

Exactly the same reality is about to play out with the current Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons. This is a major government bill and the rumours are that some MPs will table amendments which seek to “decriminalise” abortion.

To be really clear about what this means: it would remove the final remaining legal safeguards for pre-born babies and their mums. Abortion would become available on demand, for just about any reason. If this is successful, it would represent a further liberalisation of the UK’s abortion law which is already one of the most liberal in the world.

Purchasing of sex

At the same time, the Crime and Policing Bill just might become the means through which the purchase of sex is criminalised across England and Wales. At the very least, this bill will present opportunities for the policy idea to be debated and could nudge us one step closer to a change in the law.

This might sound a strange policy idea. But making it illegal to purchase sex is a profoundly Christian thing to do. The foundation for this policy idea is the evidence that tells us the overwhelming majority of people in prostitution have not chosen to be there. Instead, they are likely to have been trafficked into prostitution and sexually exploited by their traffickers. Others are in prostitution because of extreme poverty.

The point is that all of these women (and it is mainly women) are being treated abysmally. They should not be criminalised, but the buyer should. And another key component of this policy approach is that you design exit pathways to help people leave prostitution behind.

So, as the Crime and Policing Bill passes through Parliament, we may well reach out and ask you to write to your MP urging them to support amendments to make buying sex illegal and oppose amendments which would decriminalise abortion.

Such is the nature of Christian political engagement. Such is the teaching of the parable of the weeds. Praise God that a day of harvest is coming where all wrongs will be righted. And praise God too that in the meantime we can claim the promise: “And let us not become weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up” (Gal.6:9).