Many women today neither have the timely intervention of an angel, nor the wherewithal to work that road alone, thus, they turn to abortion in spite of all the risks – spiritual, physical and psychological - involved. The taboos surrounding sex in many of our cultures here in Nigeria, Ghana and most of Africa, and the tendency to overtly blame the woman for pregnancies outside wedlock has pushed many more to work the lonely road of abortion, especially after being raped. Such cases abound in universities and in some cases, in families.

It is important that as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and as we ultimately celebrate Christmas, we remember all those who are driven into abortion because they lacked “the timely intervention of an angel” or the support of an understanding supportive Christian community in the face of such pregnancies. Mary needed the understanding and support of Joseph and the understanding and assistance of an angel; today, we are the angels and Josephs God wants to place in the paths of many people who need support in the face of these pregnancies.

And, if we need motivation to support such women, we should remember that our saviour also was born at the fringes of the society, in a circumstance that people may have easily referred to as an ‘unwanted pregnancy’.