Thought for the Month - April 2017
"Abort! Abort!" by Barry Adair
(What does the Bible say about Abortion?)
At this time of the year our minds normally turn to thoughts of new life. As I write (middle of March) the first spring flowers have already burst into existence and the trees and shrubs are budding more and more every day. Mother Nature is a wonderful thing to observe, especially in the spring. But my thoughts turned this month to a vile practice that our world has only witnessed, certainly on a large scale, for the past 50 years. I want to write about the wilful termination of healthy babies in their mother's womb - legalised abortion on demand.
Can I start by saying that the Bible never specifically addresses the issue of abortion? But please don't stop reading, I believe that the Bible makes it abundantly clear what God's view of abortion is. More later…
So why write about abortion this month you may be asking? A couple of reasons really. I was reading about the death of Norma McCorvey, the woman behind the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion on demand in the United States of America. Norma McCorvey (aka 'Jane Roe') had challenged the constitutionality of abortion laws in Texas in 1971. At that time, it was illegal for women to have abortions unless their lives were at risk. The end result culminated in the legalization of abortion on demand in the US. And since that fateful day an estimated 50 million babies have been aborted in the US. By the way, in later life Norma McCorvey became an active anti-abortion activist and is on record as saying that helping to legalise abortion on demand was the worst decision of her life.
The other reason was that we recently had another election here in Northern Ireland and I was alarmed at the beliefs of some of our politicians with respect to abortion. Those in favour of legalising abortion on demand were expounding the right of the woman but never mentioned the right of the unborn baby. To be fair, many more were wanting the strict rules around abortion in N. Ireland relaxed only for cases of fatal foetal abnormality. I do understand this argument but the expression "give an inch and they'll take a mile" jumps to mind also.
From the Bible, we find out that we are known by God even before we are born (Jeremiah 1:5) and that the word used for 'baby' while in the womb is the very same word used for the 'baby' Jesus in the manger after He was born! We are also told that God was active in our creation and formation in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16) and that the same penalty (death) was prescribed for someone who caused the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who committed murder (Exodus 21:22-25).
For the Christian, the question of abortion is a matter of the life or the death of a human being made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6) and is not a matter of a woman's "right" to choose. "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)
It has been estimated that around the world, through abortion, 1 billion babies have been terminated in the womb. That's 1000 million babies - most of them healthy, created in love, each one a miracle of life. Abortion is surely the greatest deliberate slaughter of human beings in history! As a figurative comparison, 11 million people died during the First World War and 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust as part of Hitler's "final solution".
As I said in a previous Thought, I am not naive enough to think that abortions are never going to happen. I also know that before abortion was legalised that there were numerous horrific back street abortions. I realise too that unplanned pregnancies will always be a fact of life. What I detest is the inference from some that abortion is merely another method of "family planning".
The Bible teaches that human life is different from other types of life, because it tells us that human beings are made in the image of God. It describes children as a blessing and as a "gift from God". Killing of the innocent is condemned in Scripture and I can't think of anything more innocent than an unborn child!
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb…
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; (Psalm 139:13, 14)
Please consult the only authority we have on how we should live our lives - the Bible. It is the highest court on matters of life & death and is the Maker's guide on aspects of faith, hope & love, pride & humility, sin, pain & gain, eternal salvation & having a personal relationship with the God who made us all.
And to take a quick peek at life in the womb at only 20 weeks, just go here.
Not so much a "bunch of cells", more like a healthy, bouncing, beautiful baby!
"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19, emphasis mine)
Until next month (DV)…
Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!