If we are to hold the view that a child is given a soul at a certain time during its development in the womb, then we are faced with a problem. At what point does it obtain this soul? Some believe that God decides when to give this child, or foetus, a soul, but this time could be at any point in its development. This view does not make any form of abortion legal, then, since a foetus could have a soul at any moment.
There is the view that a soul is given to a foetus after a certain number of weeks or months after conception. This is not supported biblically and is also illogical, since there is no point during the foetal formation where one could state with certainty that it is a person.
The view that a soul is only given to a child once it is born and has breathed air is taken from the creation of man account. Man was given life when God breathed through his nostrils and gave him a soul (Genesis 2:7). This verse is used to indicate that only when one has breath, one has a soul. The problem with this is that if a foetus is developed outside of the womb - for example, in an artificial womb - then there is no birth, and therefore no specific time when it will begin to breath like a child that is born naturally would.
If we explore the scriptures, we find quite a clear picture of how and when a child begins:
In Psalm 139:13, we see David claiming that the Lord knitted him together in his mother’s womb. He was made as a person in the womb.
Jeremiah 1:5. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.
Isaiah 49:1,5. The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the body of my mother hath he made mention of my name. [He] formed me from the womb to be his servant.
Luke 1:15. For he [John the Baptist] will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
Galatians 1:15,16. But when he, who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to me...I did not confer with flesh and blood.
Luke 1:30. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus." The Holy Spirit was involved in creating Jesus in Mary’s womb. If Jesus only had a soul when He was born, then the Holy Spirit’s work before His birth would have been meaningless.
Genesis 25:21. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. We see here that conception is a gift from God.
By examining the scriptures we can see that the bible does not approve of the killing of a foetus, as it is considered to be a child, and it would thus be murder. Many people try to justify abortion by claiming that a child only has a soul once it is born, but this is not supported by the bible. The reason why people try to justify abortion is because they do not want to take responsibility for their actions. Those who have not obeyed God’s laws have often ended up in a position where there is an unwanted pregnancy. Clearly, these people have done things that are wrong in God’s eyes, and are trying to escape from this by committing further sins. Abortion is not permissible before God.
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Consider the following:
Would you consider abortion in the following 4 situations?
1) There's a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she's pregnant with 15th. They're living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?
2) The father is sick with sniffles, the mother has TB. They have 4 children. 1st is blind, 2nd is dead, 3rd is deaf, 4th has TB. She finds she's pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?
3) A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you consider recommending abortion?
4) A teenage girl is pregnant. She's not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he's very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion?
WELL...
In the first case, you have just killed John Wesley. One of the great evangelists in the 19th century!
In the second case, you have killed Beethoven.
In the third case, you have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer.
If you said yes to the fourth case, you have just declared the murder of Jesus Christ!!!
