A Biblical Perspective on Abortion
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those who are perishing." Proverbs 31:8

In the United States it is currently legal to abort an unborn baby,
but it is illegal to murder a human child or adult.
The issues are: "When is a baby considered alive?" and
"What does God say about abortion and the unborn?"

"We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life--the unborn--without diminishing the value of all human life."--Ronald Reagan
[Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation, 1984. pp 15-18)]

"The chief purpose of government is to protect life. Abandon that and you have abandoned all."
Thomas Jefferson [Harold Lane, "Liberty, Cry Liberty!, p. 31]

Americans have debated this topic, some saying that a baby is not considered alive until he/she is able to live on his/her own outside of the womb. [Never mind the fact that a baby is just as totally dependent after delivery as before!]
But what does the Bible say about abortion?
Does God consider an unborn fetus [at an age when he/she would not be able to live on his/her own outside of the womb] to be a living being? Does God consider this unborn baby a life??
Consider the following Bible verses:
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God considers any unborn baby to be alive.
God considers the loss of that life by another's hands to be murder.

Exodus 21
22 "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

1) If a woman gives birth prematurely, but there is no serious injury--i.e. the baby lives without harm,
then a fine results to compensate for the assault.

2) If a woman gives birth prematurely, and the baby dies, then the assailant is to be given the death penalty. This point is HUGE!!! What God is saying here is that the value and worth of an adult man is equal to the value and worth of an unborn fetus who was young enough, or injured enough, to die. God equates the loss of an unborn baby as the loss of a life, for He says, "you are to take life for life,..." This point cannot be emphasized too strongly. God considers the unborn baby alive, and the loss of that life is considered murder. This murder is punishable with the death penalty. This verse demonstrates three truths:
a) The unborn's life is equivalent in value to an adult's life in God's sight
b) This also outlines God's Law against criminal feticide.
c) The killing of the unborn is murder
_____________________________________________________________________________ God created us in our mother's womb

Psalm 139
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Psalm 139 and DNA; God's "book" of our members

Job 31:15
Did not He who made me in the womb make them [Job's servants]?
Did not the Same One for us both within our mothers?

1) We are a unique creation of God. We were formed directly by God before we were born. This means that unborn babies are special to God. Should we abort a baby that God is working on? Should we interrupt Him and destroy his "wonderful" masterpiece????
2) The womb is intended to be a place where God works His creative action, not where man works his destructive action.
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The Bible tells us that life begins at conception

Psalm 51:5
"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Here the Bible states that David [and all mankind] were sinful at the moment of conception. Surely we could not use the term "sinful" to describe a piece of tissue that is not alive! To be "sinful" you would at least have to be alive! As humans we have inherited a sin nature [a.k.a. the flesh]. This sin nature was inherited at the moment of conception. A sinful nature is not found in "primordial tissue" that is without life. The term "sinner" refers then to those who are alive.

Judges 13:7
""But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son.'"

This phrase is used quite often in the Bible; "conceive and give birth to a son". Notice that the term "conceive" is the beginning of the process that leads to birth. Conceiving and birthing are events. These events happen with a woman and a son [or daughter]. The Bible does not say, "You will conceive tissue, which shall become a baby, and then you will give birth to a son." The sentence describes events that take place involving "a son". This concept, in conjunction with Psalm 51 shows that the Bible speaks very freely and often about life as beginning at conception.
____________________________________________________________________________ The Bible uses the term "Baby" whether he/she is born or unborn

Luke 1
41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

1) Here an unborn "fetus" is referred to as a "baby". The greek word "BREPHOS" refers to a baby, whether he/she is unborn or not. In Luke 2:12, the angels announce to the shepherds in the field that they will find the baby Jesus wrapped and lying in a manger. The word "baby" here is "BREPHOS" again.
2) The Bible makes no distinction, and has no separate word for a baby who is unborn versus a baby who is born.
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The Bible specifically condemns partial birth abortion as against God's will

Exodus 1
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.

**The king of Egypt commanded the midwives to kill a male baby just as he becomes visible from the birth canal. This is known today as partial birth abortion. The midwives FEARED GOD [because doing so was against God's will] and did not do it and so God blessed the midwives

1) Notice that even the king of Egypt recognized partial birth abortion as murder when he told the midwives to KILL a baby as he becomes visible.
2) God blessed the Hebrew midwives for not carrying out partial-birth abortion
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God tells us to choose His ways, instead of our own ways; shameful acts done secretly do not please Him.

Proverbs 1
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways

Ephesians 5
10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

God tells us to CHOOSE to fear the Lord. He tells us to find out what pleases Him. Is God pleased when we end a life that He was in the middle of creating? We should exert a lot of energy and prayer, and Bible study into finding out what pleases the Lord. Often times what pleases Him is not what we would normally do.

Have you ever noticed the secrecy behind abortions? Women can go secretly to have them done. Even underage girls don't have to tell their parents! I am a physician, and when doctors get together, they often talk about their work and what they do. I have NEVER heard of an abortion provider openly talking about his/hers abortions that were performed that day. There is a mild to moderate amount of secrecy and even shame that surrounds abortion. Most women feel shameful even to mention what they did. It is rare indeed for a woman to talk as openly about her abortion as she would a hysterectomy, tubal ligation, or other gynecological procedures. Likewise, it is as rare for a doctor to talk as openly about his abortion practice as he would other parts of his practice. This is truly a shameful, secretive practice.
Find out what pleases the Lord!!! ___________________________________________________________________________
A society that hates God, loves death

Proverbs 8
35 For whoever finds me [the wisdom of God] finds life and receives favor from the LORD .
36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.

A society that turns from God will find it acceptable to kill the unborn, kill those who are being born, and those who were just born. A society that has turned from God will accept euthanasia, and assisted suicide. Death in all its forms becomes less horrible to us, then. We choose "selective reduction" of unwanted babies instead of life. And even those who wouldn't do such things believe that we should still allow others to practice them.

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"There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." [Proverbs 6:16-19]

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