The Christian recognizes that even an unborn child’s existence has meaning and that his/her body, although not fully developed, has worth because it is created in the eyes of God. Not only is the body created wonderfully, but it is created uniquely as well. Jeremiah 1:4-5a states, “4The word of the LORD came to me saying, 5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...." Individuality is of importance here because it defines the man/woman potential of life. This body that God creates is not one’s own, but rather, in the possession of God. Consider Psalm 31:15: “A person's time (life span) is in God's hands” and Isaiah 49:1b, 5a: “1... Before I was born the LORD called me.... 5And now the LORD says-- he who formed me to be his servant….” A human is a servant of his/her creator, so the life of that being lies in God’s hands.
If the life of an unborn baby is God’s and only God’s to destroy, then murder by man is an abomination. God prohibits murder altogether, clearly indicated by one of the Ten Commandments forbidding the willful taking of human life: “1And God spoke all these words: .... 13"You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:1, 13) He particularly forbids the shedding of innocent blood: “16There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 ...
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[one of which is] hands that shed innocent blood....” (Proverbs 6:16-17) Nothing is more innocent than an unborn baby, so the abortion of which is an atrocious murder. The word in the Hebrew text for "murder," or "the killing of a human," is raw-tsakh'. The word literally means a "dashing [violent breaking]," which may describe the tearing apart of an unborn baby in the event of an abortion. God warns the readers of the Bible that He hates the guilty person who kills an innocent individual. The Bible states God’s warning in Exodus 23:7: ““[The LORD said] ... do not put an innocent... person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty." According to Christians, abortion is the murdering of an innocent child. The Bible indicates this murder to be an abomination.
God's law demanded a severe penalty for anyone who would kill an unborn baby. This penalty was exacted for an accidental death of an unborn baby. How much more serious is the intentional death of a baby, as through abortion? Exodus 21:22-25 claims:
22[The LORD said to Moses] If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman... 23[and] there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
If the child dies then the law of retaliation should be applied. In other words, killing an unborn baby would carry the same penalty as killing a living baby. A baby inside the womb has the same legal status as a baby outside the womb. There are at two problems with this interpretation. First, the Hebrew word for miscarry is not used in this passage. Most commentators believe, then, that the
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action described in verse 22 is a premature birth, not an accidental miscarriage. Second, even if the verses do describe a miscarriage, the passage cannot be used to justify abortion. The injury in this case is accidental, not intentional - as abortion would be. Intentional murder would obviously have more severe punishments than accidental murder. God does not make an exception to His commandments just because the person being killed is unborn:
Rescue those being led to death and slaughter. If you claim ignorance of their deaths, God will know, and He will repay each person for what he or she has or has not done to help those in need. (Proverbs 24:11-12)
A common objection to wrongful abortion is the incidence of rape. The mother of an unborn child conceived through rape may feel the need to be exempted from God’s punishable law. Christians respond to this with the question, Why complicate the crime of rape with the crime of taking an innocent child's life? Or, put in another way: Why should the child pay with its life because its father is a rapist? Indeed, The Bible answers the question of rape by stating, “The soul (person) who sins shall alone die for his sins. If the father sins, only he shall be punished for his sin; the son shall not be punished.” (Ezekiel 18:20) Furthermore, the child may grow up to be pure and without shame, unlike his sinful father: “God can use for good that which is meant for evil.” (Genesis 50:20) No matter what the case, the slaying of an innocent life is punishable by law and God’s will.
It is my intention to merely interpret and rationalize the views of Christianity on abortion. The opinions expressed are not necessarily my own
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nor those which I agree with. In fact, I consider the arguments presented to be weak and do not justify the immorality of abortion which Christians seek to defend. I do believe abortion is a sin, yet for moral and personal objections which are beyond the scope of this essay. To summarize, Christian faith groups suggest that God created each human being wonderfully, so the destruction of this unborn baby is an abomination. God punishes those who intentionally take the life of his/her child, as through abortion. To decide upon the morality of abortion based on the teachings of the Bible, one must carefully analyze the merits to these arguments made by Christians, and their assessment on the Bible.
Works Cited
Anderson, Kerby. Arguments Against Abortion. August 5 2003. Probe Ministries <http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/arg-abor.html>
