In this particular “Theology and Culture” blog, and a couple to follow, we are going to circle back around to discuss one of the hottest and most inflammatory issues of our day, abortion. This has not only divided our nation, but it has caused tension in churches, denominations, families. In some way this topic has affected us.
I recently watched a video where one woman talked about how when her baby was ripped out of her that she was glad to have it happen and would do it again. She was totally callous to whether that little one was human. It did not matter to her. “My body, my choice” was her obvious mantra. We could discuss arguments and objections proposed by pro-choice individuals but that is not the point of this particular blog.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court and the decision about abortion was kicked back to the states, many who opposed abortion, such as myself, saw this as a good thing. The current White House Regime is so pro-abortion that they are hanging their hats on it as one of their key points for the upcoming election cycle. In fact, they are very vocal about a woman’s right to abortion, with no consideration for whether what she is carrying is a human being or not. As of January of 2024, over a dozen states had outlawed abortion.
Then I did a deeper dive into what that means and it is not as clear cut as I thought. In many states, the abortion issue is in flux. Some of the states that have “outlawed abortion” still have a period of time that allows for an abortion to take place. That may be as early as conception, or at six weeks, while others allow it up to fifteen weeks. Some see this as a “win” for pro-lifers. But the truth is that over 90%, and some statistics say 98% of abortions take place in those first fifteen weeks. So, in reality, even some of the states that have banned it still allow it, up to a certain deadline date.
Not only that, the “abortion” pill, Mifepristone, which is available with a prescription, can be taken to terminate a pregnancy. The methods may have changed and there may be stricter “laws,” but this keeps abortion choice on the front burner. This process of getting rid of the child takes several hours and it is not safe for women as some claim. It causes bleeding, sometimes major, and other issues as well. Fourteen states have banned this pill from being used.
In some states such as Michigan and California, we have some of the strongest pro-abortion laws on the books. Michigan, where we live, allows abortions up to the moment of birth. Though some consider it a win that partial birth abortions are banned in Michigan, for example, the fact that you can have a child killed up to delivering them into the world is heart-breaking. And in 2022, voters made abortion a state constitutional right in Michigan.
In one of the blogs, we will discuss a movement in America that has been labeled as “Abortion Abolitionists.” This at one time was a small voice in the conversation over this topic but it has become more “out in the open” with some of their views on how we should approach the entire subject of abortion. They have some points worth considering, and a couple of things they say I agree with. But, we need to objectively and Biblically take a look at this growing movement that is within the Pro-Life umbrella.
The facts do remain that since 1973 over 65 million babies have been killed by abortion. Add to that the botched procedures where the child is removed from the mother’s womb and left to die, and the number climbs even higher.
Before breaking down some of the things we have discussed, we have to come back to what, to many, is the important issue. When, according to the Bible, does life begin? The Bible seems clear to me on this issue, to others, not so much.
Let me share just a handful of Bible verses that speak to the child in the womb and then we will get some insights from the scientific community as well, since many folks who support abortion do not want to hear what Scripture has to say about when life begins. Let’s first, though, go to the Bible. I would encourage you to read these since we will not be quoting the verses themselves.
1) Psalm 51:5 - David says that in sin his mother conceived him. This does not mean that his mom was in sin when he was conceived. He was, at conception, given a nature of sin, as we all have as humans. Read the verse in a Bible and note the statement regarding conception.
2) Psalm 139:13-16 - Here we read about how God has formed our inward parts and knit us together in our mother’s womb. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
3) Jeremiah 1:5 - God tells Jeremiah that before he was formed in the womb the Lord knew him. God considered him to be a person when he was in the womb. In speaking to Jeremiah in the first chapter, he addressed his development in the womb as if he was speaking to a person - and of course the Lord was doing so. The word “formed” in vs. 4 is seen, for example, in the picture of a potter and their clay. Before God “created” us in the womb, He knew us.
4) Exodus 21:22-25 - Vs. 22 tells us that if there is a scuffle between individuals, and a women who is pregnant end up in labor because of it, yet her and the baby are okay, there is still a fine to be paid. Vss. 23-25 tell us that if there is harm to her or her child, even to the point where mother or child dies, there are harsher repercussions. The child in the womb is protected by God’s laws just as much as anyone already born.
5) Matthew 1:20-22 - In this passage note in vs. 20 that it was life that was conceived in Mary and that she would give birth to a Son, that of course, being Jesus.
6) Luke 1:39-42 - Mary, the mother of Jesus, went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Note the response of the baby John in vs. 41.
This debate over when life begins has become more a philosophical war of worldviews than anything else. The reason we say that is as we will see, both from the Bible and from the medical and scientific community, the overwhelming evidence points to life beginning at conception. Note the following statements from some prominent individuals within their fields.
“Upon fertilization, parts of human beings have actually been transformed...into a single, whole human being. During the process of fertilization...a new human being is produced.” - Dr. Dianne Irving, biochemist and biologist.
“The development of a human begins with fertilization…” - T.W. Sadler, Langman’s Medical Embryology, 7th Edition, Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995, pg. 3.
“To accept the fact that after fertilization has taken place a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion...it is plain experimental evidence. Each individual has a very neat beginning, at conception.” - Dr. Jerome Lejeune, “Father of Modern Genetics”
More could be said but hopefully we get the point. The evidence is overwhelming to when life begins. The child in the womb, from conception on, is a human being. Because of the evidence being so overwhelming to support that view, pro-choice advocates have changed their approach by now arguing over the idea of “personhood.” When is the child in the womb a “person?” This is extremely subjective and based on someone’s personal values and views. In our next blog, we will continue discussing the issue of abortion, individual state’s laws regarding this topic, and will tackle some of the thinking of the “abortion abolitionists” and how we might respond to their line of thought.
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