What Does the Bible Say About Abortion?
Is abortion wrong? Is abortion murder?
Scripture tells us that human life begins at conception. The moment the sperm unites with the egg, a brand new human life has begun. Many say it is not possible to know exactly when the embryo becomes fully human; thus it should be called a child. The Bible leaves no such confusion. Consider the following:
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)
In Psalm 51 David is showing his repentance for the adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. In verse five he acknowledges that he was sinful from the moment of conception. This is reaffirmed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 5:12–“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God, their fallen nature has been passed on from generation to generation through the father’s seed.
But notice that David spoke of himself in a personal way even when considering his conception. He said I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. It was David himself who was conceived.
“Thou has covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
For Bible-believers, this amazing passage leaves no question whatsoever regarding whether or not an embryo is a real human child. The writer, David, says that it was God that formed him in the womb of his mother and that God knew all about him even while he was growing from conception–before his little heart started beating at three weeks after conception, before the little buds of arms and legs appeared at four weeks after conception, before his little brain divided into two sections at five weeks after conception, before his eyes took shape at six weeks after conception–“when as yet there was none of them,” God knew him. The impregnated egg in the womb of David’s mother’s was only a tiny, microscopic-size thing, but that impregnated egg was known by God as David, the future king of Israel and great-great-grandfather of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see that when an impregnated egg is cut off in some way so that it dies, the death of a distinct individual human being has taken place. It is true that many eggs for various reasons naturally fail to become attached to the mother’s uterine wall after impregnation and do not therefore mature to birth. But man has nothing to do with that. It is the same with life after birth. Men die in many ways, natural and unnatural. Often that cannot be stopped. But if someone takes a knife or a poison and ends the life of an individual, it is murder. If the murderer argues that the one he has killed would die anyway, or that people die every day so we should not be so concerned, his argument would not be acceptable. He has murdered a human being and will be punished. Likewise, if someone stops the growth of a tiny embryo though drugs or some other way, that person has killed a tiny individual already known by God.
“If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21:22-25)
Note that the Bible says the woman’s unborn fruit is a CHILD. God calls it a child, and if that unborn child is hurt, God required that the one who caused the hurt to be punished.
“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
Again, the Bible says the tiny, unborn creature growing in the womb of a woman is a CHILD. It is not a blob of protoplasm, or a thing, or an undeveloped human. It is a child even while the little bones are being formed.
“Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name … And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant….” (Isaiah 49:1,5)
“Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4,5)
The passage in Isaiah refers prophetically to the Lord Jesus Christ, and possibly also refers to Isaiah himself. The similar passage in Jeremiah speaks of the prophet’s relationship with God before his birth. Notice again that we see that God called them even before they were born, and it was God who formed them in the womb of their mothers. Those who interfere with the process of growth after the mother’s egg has been fertilized are interfering with God’s work of forming a human being that is known of God. This is a very serious matter.
If we asked Isaiah’s mother or Jeremiah’s mother what was in their wombs, they would have answered, had they known the prophecies which were to follow, “This is Isaiah,” “This is Jeremiah.” Regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible leaves no question whatsoever. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18). Later the angel told Joseph that the child’s name would be Jesus and “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20,21).
As soon as Mary conceived her firstborn son by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, He was called a CHILD. And this was at the very earliest stages of the process of growth in the womb.
“…and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15)
It is true that John the Baptist was no ordinary child, but the fact that he was filled with the Holy Ghost even before his birth proves clearly that he was fully a human being. If anyone had aborted that little being in Elisabeth’s womb, that one would have been the murderer of John the Baptist.
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Luke 1:41)
This passage shows from the Bible’s side what even medical doctors are discovering–that the unborn infant is aware of things outside the womb and responds to them. In this case, the unborn baby was John the Baptist. Remember that he was already filled with the Holy Spirit, and he knew of the situation which was happening outside the womb when the mother of his Lord and Savior met his own mother, Elizabeth. Notice, too, that the unborn one here is called a BABE.
With these Scripture references before us we have but two choices–we can reject the Bible and its teaching or we can acknowledge that the fertilized egg is a tiny human being, known by God, and the mysterious and marvelous growth which will occur during its nine months in the womb is the direct process of God working to form that baby according to His own plan and purpose. Any time, therefore, someone interferes with the growth of an embryo he is committing murder.
Matthew 5:21 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Secular Question About Pregnancy and Conception
Question:
When a baby is first conceived in the womb, and first formed, while it is still an embryo,
1) Is it a living life form? Of course! It is alive, just like cells in the body are.
2) Is it a human? Of course! We hope it is! If not, it would be some other creature.
3) If it is alive & human, is it then murder to abort it? Figure it out.