Does the Bible Say Anything About Abortion? Part 2

Photo by Josh Willink

“When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the imprisoned, we bear witness to the compassion of Christ.”¹ What R.C. Sproul says is simply a reflection of the example laid out for Christians in scripture - a compassionate and loving God who laid down His life for us, even as we despised and rejected Him. We ought to show compassion and care for all people, including women placed in difficult circumstances, but this does not exclude the unborn child, who, as shown in my previous article, is declared by God to be a living human being, made in His image like the rest of us, from conception. While the view of the culture promotes abortion to aid women in difficult circumstances or to promote independence, the truth is that abortion does not support women at all, not to mention what it does to the unborn. What is more important than what the culture says about abortion is what God says about abortion, as Creator and Keeper of all things.

In this article, I will continue showing what God has said in scripture about abortion (see part 1), and I will also address common arguments that support the necessity of abortion, such as “is abortion justifiable if the pregnancy endangers the mother’s health?” and “does pro-life only care about the unborn, disregarding any other group in need?”

1. We are commanded to protect the weak and the voiceless.

Instead of justifying taking the life of innocent and helpless children in the womb, we must protect them, and the Bible does not provide exceptions. Our God is a just God who commands His people to stand up for what is right - not to stand by the world and oppress the helpless. This can be seen in several verses across the Bible:

• Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)

• Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3-4)

• Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. (Isaiah 1:17)

• Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

Those who stand as pro-life are sometimes accused of only caring about the fetus and disregarding the well being of the mother or children who are already born. This argument makes it seem that individuals who are pro-life only advocate for unborn children and ignore everyone else in need. There are 3 reasons this is an untrue argument: 1) it would not make sense to fit this accusation in other groups. For example, for those who fought against enslaving black people in the US while it was still legal, did they only care about the rights of black people and no one else? This accusation is not grounded on anything. 2) Along with the accusation, a popular quote from a Methodist pastor claims:

“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus, but actually dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.²

Essentially, the pastor believes that the unborn are easy to advocate for and do not fit into the categories of the other overlooked people groups mentioned in the Bible, so they do not deserve as passionate a fight for justice. Theologian and Author Randy Alcorn addresses this directly, saying:

Being pro-life does not end with advocating for the protection of unborn children. However, because they are the smallest and weakest and most vulnerable human beings, and because they are killed at the highest rates and in the greatest numbers [Pew Research shows in 2022 that there are more than 500,000 abortions each year in the US alone ³], and because countless people and even the law of the land argue for the right to destroy them, being pro-life certainly begins with defending the unborn.⁴

I would even personally dare to argue that calling the unborn a convenient group to fight for is ignoring the orphans, rejected by society and seen as a burden, completely (and literally) voiceless. Yet, we are called to protect the mute, the frail, the weak (Proverbs 31:8). 3) Lastly, I would encourage you to look into pregnancy resource centers, which are pro-life, non-profit, local centers designed to help women give birth and care for their babies. There are over 3,000 of them, outnumbering the 600 Planned Parenthood clinics by more than 3 to 1, and they are easily accessible and cost nothing for the women who come to them.⁵ The women are not only aided in giving birth to the child, but most centers will even help women out of abusive situations, find a job or apartment, and provide free materials like diapers to care for their child. Sustainable, independence-growing help to women and the unborn? Now that’s empowering women (for more information on pregnancy resource centers, see lozierinstitute.org and focusonthefamily.com).⁶ ⁷

So much more could be said on protecting the lives of the unborn, but the Bible is already clear. It declares that the fetus is actually a child- a living human being, distinct and unique in God’s eyes with his/her own purpose planned before conception. It is not the mother’s body we are speaking of, but the child’s. It is not the mother’s life we are arguing against, but the child’s life that we are arguing for. Defending the life of the unborn is not a humanist fight for social justice that will end with this world - it is a fight to protect the life that God Himself has declared sacred and eternal. John Piper explains our call to protect the unborn:

We consider persons on respirators or dialysis to be human beings. The unborn cannot be disqualified from human personhood because they are dependent on their mother for food and oxygen. In fact, we operate on the exact opposite principle: The more dependent a little one is on us, the more responsibility we feel to protect him, not the less. We know what we are doing.⁸

Not being able to hold the infant because it is in the womb does not mean that its distinct body is its mom’s body, just as its spirit has already been given a unique spiritual purpose from its mother’s spirit. Their dependence on their mother only makes them more vulnerable, and we should seek to protect the defenseless and voiceless as Christ did.

2. We should consider others as more significant than ourselves.

The scripture is clear that we are to consider others as more significant than ourselves. This is clear in Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” and Mark 12:31: “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The argument of “my body, my choice,” in the context of pregnancy, is a direct contrast to the call to hold others more significant than ourselves. Not only is the body and identity of the infant of the womb distinct from its mother’s body and identity, but God word also teaches that for a woman to carry a child in the womb is a part of the way He designed our bodies - to care for and protect the vulnerable lives of our children, rather than viewing it as a limb or another possession we own (Isaiah 49:15; Psalm 139:13).

Yet, it is argued that abortion is not selfish because it is necessary, and that abortion is justified in unwanted circumstances of the needs of the mother. I think it is important here that we look at the most common reasons for abortion to understand what this necessity is based on. A study conducted by Guttmacher institute in 2016 analyzed women in 14 different countries, including the US, to see their reasons for having an abortion. According to the study, the most common reason (27-40% of responses) for having an abortion was due to socioeconomic concerns. The other common reasons include limited childbearing (20-64%), wanting to postpone having children (15-30%), and concern about the health of the mother (44%).⁹

Looking at these reasons for an abortion, despite vocalized opinions of the media, both the Bible and research show that none of the reasons show that an abortion is necessary. As already discussed, there are pregnancy centers all over the US to help women with obstacles in motherhood, including financial issues. As for other countries that may not have this help - focusing on legalizing abortion rather than providing financial aid to single mothers does not help these women in financial dilemmas, but simply results in uncountable deaths of innocent children. Even in financially insecure circumstances, the child can be adopted rather than aborted. There is a myth that if a mother chooses to put the infant up for adoption rather than abortion, the infant will end up in the foster care system. This myth is not supported by any research, though research actually shows that unaborted babies are immediately adopted after birth. In fact, the mother gets to pick 1 of the 2 million families waiting to adopt a child, and they are contacted as soon as the mother makes the final decision (this is clearly explained by adoption agencies, including New Beginnings Adoptions and Aim Adoptions, to name just a couple of the many other agencies).¹⁰ ¹¹

As for the concern of the mother’s health, that is, high-risk pregnancies, many doctors explain that abortion is actually never medically necessary and that abortion is not as safe or effective as other options for at-risk pregnancies. Kendra Kolb, a neonatologist, explains that in situations where the mother’s health is at risk in the pregnancy, the baby should be induced for preterm delivery, clarifying that this is very different than an abortion because it is with the intention to help both the mother and baby survive. An emergency C-section is also a fast and safe option for women who need an immediate delivery due to their life or the baby’s life being endangered.¹² The assumption that an abortion is necessary to save the mother ignores the many other options available to protect the mother and baby.

One of the most emphasized points of abortion, at least in what I have observed from media and personal interactions, is that abortion provides an option to escape shame or trauma for women who were victims of incest or rape. I have known several people in my life who were adamantly against abortion until considering this point. First, it is important to clarify that we should certainly extend love and sympathy towards women who have had such a traumatic experience. Our God is “near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” and “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 34:18; Psalm 147:3), so likewise, we should seek to comfort the hurting rather than reject them. While these are tragic circumstances, our solution of punishing the child for their father’s crime by taking its life is not really a solution at all, and may only bring guilt to the suffering mother. It is important to remember that despite the sins of the father, the unborn infant is still a living human being with a God-given purpose. Instead of abortion, these women need to be supported, counseled, and perhaps even removed from a harmful living space (these services are offered by pregnancy resource/care centers for free).

The arguments that support the necessity of abortion do not acknowledge or seek out the solutions already available that negate any room for necessity. I do not say this to point fingers at those who support abortion or who have had an abortion themselves. Rather, it is important that we understand that the sway of the media is powerful, but it seeks to affirm the ideas of humanity rather than the truths of God.

God says it is wrong to kill innocent human beings.

If the infant in the womb is a human being, a person created by God and bearing His image, to “terminate” the fetus in the womb equates abortion to the definition of murder, according to the Oxford Dictionary.¹³ The scripture is very clear that our God is a just God, and that we are to do good to others rather than take advantage of the helpless. “‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen’” (Deuteronomy 27:25). To shed the blood of the innocent is not only hated by God but considered an abomination to Him (Proverbs 6:16-19). This may seem like an obvious point to some, but culture now views abortion as a necessity to fight for. Many who advocate for abortion will even admit that it is wrong because it takes the life of an innocent human being, yet consider abortion a lesser evil compared to unwanted circumstances.¹⁴ But God addresses this argument through the apostle Paul: “Why not do evil that good may come? – as some people slanderously charge us with saying” (Romans 3:8). Paul is addressing people who take his message of God’s grace to mean that evil is acceptable if it allows good things to happen. But Paul addresses this by saying “their condemnation is just,” meaning they will still be condemned by God for justifying their evil, regardless of the outcome (Romans 3:8). To allow and even promote what is evil by saying it will have good outcomes is an attempt to take sovereignty into our own hands. It is as if we control what is truly good and what the future holds, not God. As the prophet in Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). In the hands of humanity, evil never turns into goodness. For righteousness and goodness to reign, evil must be destroyed (1 John 3:8).

I will end with this stirring quote from Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman, a theologian and professor of historical theology, as he condenses many of the points I have made and explains how the acceptance (even encouragement) of killing the unborn reflects upon our modern world:

Debates about abortion today are typically not focused on the question of when life starts. Rather, they are debates about when personhood begins… In other words, the abortion debate is really about human identity, about who and what human beings are. And the fact that babies can be aborted and then disposed of like so much excrement is a telltale sign… that we live in a [God-rejecting] world. Abortion, too, is a deathwork – not simply because it works the death of the unborn child but because it profanes that which the [Christian] world regarded as sacred: human life made in the image of God from the moment of conception. It revises the definition of what it means to be a person and also makes that which was once thought to be a person into something akin to a piece of garbage or excrement. It is therefore antireligious because it takes that which is most sacred in the social order, life itself, and flushes it down the toilet without a second thought. And it is antihistorical because it erases the physical consequences of the sexual act between a man and a woman. In short, it is an act that can be deemed routinely acceptable only in a world that has repudiated any transcendent framework in favor of the individual preferences of the immediate present. Abortion presupposes a metaphysics, or, perhaps better, an antimetaphysics.¹⁵

In other words, abortion is not created by a desire to honor God but from the rejection of what He has said about humanity so that we can satisfy our immediate desires. As believers in Christ, let us first defend the eternal truths of God before we defend the finite and sin-tainted desires of the world.

Resources

1. Sproul, R.C. What is the Great Commission? Reformation Trust, 2015.

2. Barnhart, Dave. “Dave Barnhart > Quotes.” Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5817207.Dave_Barnhart. Accessed June 20, 2022.

3. Diamant, Jeff and Besheer Mohamed. “What the Data Says About Abortion in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 27 May 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/05/27/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s/.

4. Alcorn, Randy. “Is It True Pro-life Proponents Only Care about Fetuses and Do Nothing to Help Children Who Are Already Born?” Eternal Perspective Ministries, 26 Jan. 2022, https://www.epm.org/blog/2022/Jan/26/pro-life-only-care-fetuses.

5. “Our History.” Planned Parenthood, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-history#:~:text=Today%2C%20Planned%20Parenthood%20affiliates%20operate,%2C%20men%2C%20and%20young%20people. Accessed June 20, 2022.

6. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/alternatives-to-abortion-pregnancy-resource-centers/

7. https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-pregnancy-centers-serving-women-and-saving-lives-2020/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20there%20are%20approximately,mobile%20units%20as%20separate%20locations).

8. Piper, John. “We Know They are Killing Children - All of Us Know.” Desiring God, 22 Jan. 2013, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/we-know-they-are-killing-children-all-of-us-know.

9. Chae, Sophia et al. “Reasons why women have induced abortions: a synthesis of findings from 14 countries.” Contraception vol. 96,4 (2017): 233-241. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2017.06.014

10. “Understanding Pregnancy Options.” New Beginnings Adoptions, https://newbeginningsadoptions.org/im-pregnant/pregnancy-options/#adoption. Accessed June 21, 2022.

11. “Unplanned Pregnancy Statistics.” Aim Adoptions, https://www.aimadoptions.org/unplanned-pregnancy-options/unplanned-pregnancy-statistics/. Accessed June 21, 2022.

12. Kolb, Kendra. “Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary.” Live Action- Pro-Life Replies, https://prolifereplies.liveaction.org/medically-necessary/#transcript/. Accessed June 21, 2022.

13. "murder, n.1 and int." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2022, www.oed.com/view/Entry/123858. Accessed 4 June 2022.

14. “Beautiful: Pastor vs. Ladies.” Youtube, uploaded by Apologia Studios, 14 June 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiyHYjFcX50&ab_channel=ApologiaStudios.

15. Trueman, Carl R. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. Crossway, 2020, pp. 101-102.