Dear Pastor,

How can you a pastor, a Christian, and one who should study and know the Bible support abortion? Don't you believe that God, the Creator, is the giver of life whether it is through incest or rape? In such cases why not counsel the victims by telling them to give up the babies for adoption.

Don't you believe that after Adam and Eve were created the world was populated by incestuous relationships? Who was Cain's wife? Abraham was Sarah's brother. Was not Onon killed by God for spilling his semen on the ground?

L.B., Toronto, Canada

Dear L.B.,

In the first place, if you are accusing me of supporting abortion on demand, I have never done so. In fact, I have been against that. However, I maintain my position that no woman should be condemned if she was raped or was the victim of incest and she became pregnant and chooses to abort that pregnancy.

I also believe that if a woman is pregnant and she was advised by her doctor that it is too risky for her to carry that pregnancy because her life would be in danger, she should not be forced to carry the child by her husband or by anyone. Abortion in this case should be allowed.

Evidently, you take a different position. You believe that if a woman was raped by any man, even a criminal, or was raped by their father or close relative and became pregnant, they should carry the pregnancy. That is cruel and inhumane. You have no idea the trauma that a rape victim goes through and to become pregnant and be forced to carry a pregnancy after she was raped by her close relative or any man for that matter is to tell her that you do not have a heart of compassion.

There are many things that are not clear in the Scripture. I can't tell you where Cain got his wife. I do know that there was a time when it was allowed under the law for people of near kin to get married, but that was changed under the law because of bad genes.

You speak ignorantly of the Bible. Your knowledge is limited. Contrary to what you believe, the world was not populated by incestuous relationships. The Bible speaks strongly in the Book of Leviticus Chapter 18:5-18, I do not believe that you are unaware that the children of people who engage in incestuous relationships are often born with physical defects and that they suffer not only physically but emotionally.

Pastor