Abortion Slogans

This study lists a number of statements often used to justify abortion and examines them in the light of God’s Word.

I. “A fetus is not a person.”
 

“The Lord called me from the womb; From the body of my mother He named me.” “And now says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His servant . . .” (Isaiah 49:1,5).

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).
 

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb, I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book they are written, the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:13-16).

In light of the above quotations, what is the relationship between God and the preborn?

In the following quotations, the Biblical writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, all used the Greek word brephos for the words in bold below:
 

“And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit . . . For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:41,44).

“. . . as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby . . .” (1 Peter 2:2).

“He dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, so that they put out their young children that they might not live” (Acts 7:19). (This describes the young lives which the king of Egypt ordered slain in an evil attempt at genocide of the Israelites, Israel’s sons.)

“. . . and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

According to the Bible then, what is the difference between the person of the fetus, the newborn, or the young child?

According to the U.S. Government, a cow’s life is known to begin at the moment of conception. In what way is the beginning of a human life any different? This is not a religious issue. Even secular scientists agree that human life begins at conception. A fetus is more than just a blueprint of life. A fetus grows into an adult. A blueprint cannot grow into a building.

Thanks to ultrasound imagery, we now have a “window to the womb.” As early as eight weeks after conception, we can watch the preborn baby sucking her thumb, kicking her legs, and waving her arms.

II. “Every woman has a right to control her own body.”

Every woman: Since we have established that, Biblically, the preborn is a person from conception, the thing that is wrong about this phrase, “every woman,” is that the preborn woman does not presently have a right to control her own body.

Only God has absolute rights. The only rights we have are privileges God allows us to possess out of grace.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

What then is our “right” (responsibility) regarding our bodies?
 

Each year, through abortion, several hundred thousand unborn females do not have control over their own bodies.

Sex selection abortions, while often reported in relation to China’s one-child policy, are not uncommon in America. “We decided this had to be a boy or we wouldn’t have it,” the woman said . . . after she found out the sex of the developing fetus by amniocentesis, a genetic screening test. The fetus was female. The woman had an abortion. (“Making Baby’s Sex a Parental Option,” Parade, 11/25/79)

Control over the body should be exercised to prevent pregnancy—not kill the life already growing. Picture the woman who says, “My boyfriend ignited my passion. I couldn’t control my emotions. My body was out of control. Now I’m pregnant. I demand to have control over my own body . . . so I want an abortion.” Except in the rare case of pregnancy following rape, a woman with child has made choices of control over her body that have resulted in the pregnancy. She has made a choice to have sex and whether or not to use some type of birth control. These are private choices. But abortion is a choice that directly involves the life of another person. Today, every third baby in the U.S. dies from choice.

The preborn babe is not part of the mother’s body. The baby’s placenta (which is fetal tissue, not maternal tissue) counteracts the natural tendency of the mother’s body to reject the “foreign tissue” of the preborn baby.

III. “Every child a wanted child.”
 

In calling the child wanted or unwanted, you don’t describe the child but rather the emotions and feelings of the parents. Many children who are wanted at birth may not be “wanted” when they demand a 2:00 a.m. feeding six weeks later. The “unwanted” child is a real person regardless of anyone else’s feelings toward her. Like all humans, a baby’s value is real whether it is recognized by the father and mother or not. A child’s “unwantedness” by the biological parents does not justify killing her. How does the example of the Father’s love and Christ’s love compare to the statement, “I will love this child if he is convenient, if he is compatible with my chosen lifestyle, and if he contributes to my plans”?
 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ . . .” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
 

IV. “I wouldn’t have an abortion myself, but I support the right of other to choose.”
 

Freedom is not the liberty to do what we want to do but to do what love for God should motivate us to do—what God determines, directs, and demands.

“Deliver those who are being taken to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, O hold them back. If you say ‘See, we did not know this,’ Does He not consider it who weighs the heart? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:11-12).

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
 

What does God determine, direct, and demand we should do regarding the “right” of people to choose abortion?

V. “In cases of rape, incest, or fetal abnormalities abortion is acceptable.”
 

“Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty” (Exodus 23:7).

“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:16-17).

Who are the “innocent” in a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest? Is abortion justifiable?
 

“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14).

“Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40).
 

Why then is “abnormality” not a justifiable reason for abortion?
 

As Christians, what should be our attitude and action toward the “abnormal”?

VI. What can we do about abortion . . .
 

. . . in our prayer life?

. . . in our life as a witness

• to those considering an abortion?

• to those promoting abortion?

• to someone who is pregnant because of rape or incest or who knows her baby will be “abnormal”?

• to someone who has had an abortion and is burdened with guilt? Or feels no guilt?

. . . as a Christian in a country with legal abortion-on-demand?