What do the Scriptures Say about Abortion?

This information will primarily be of interest to Jews and Christians who respectively consider the writings of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (which collectively make up the Christian Old Testament) and the Bible to be the revealed Word of God.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of Planned Parenthood), abortion rates among those of religious, racial and ethnic groups thought to oppose abortion are high. Religious Jews and Christians who have abortions either are knowingly sinning against their God or are unaware of what their Scriptures teach.

As I write this, I must confess confusion at one AGI finding: Catholic women have an abortion rate 29% higher than Protestant women. I am confused because Catholics believe the Pope speaks for the entire Church and they are obligated to follow his pronouncements so long as they do not contradict Scripture. Given that the Catholic Church and the Pope have repeatedly and explicitly forbidden and condemned abortionas an abominable crime, one wonders if many of the “Catholic” women having abortions are truly believers. This is between each individual and God, but the contradiction is glaring. However the AGI finding that one in five women having abortions [consider themselves] born-again or Evangelical Christians shows that abortion is not just a Catholic problem, it impacts all denominations.

Abortion is a serious topic and deserves serious consideration by religious people. My intent here is not to persuade anyone to change his or her mind about abortion – although I would be happy if that occurred. My intent is also not to condemn those who have had abortions – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:25). My intent is simply to correct some misassumptions about what Judaism and Christianity does and does not say about abortion and to provide accurate information for future decisions.  (If one has had an abortion, I recommend investigating this site).

I will present two arguments: First, I will show how a contextual reading of the Scriptures implicitly repudiates abortion. Then I will show where the Scriptures explicitly recognizes the human value of unborn humans as equal to that of born humans. In addition, the Scriptures directly require punishment by those in authority for people who injure the unborn.

All Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version.

The Implicit Argument

The implicit argument is quite simple: Only two points need to be proved to conclude that abortion is wrong.

A) The Scriptures clearly state that murder is wrong. Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of one human being by another human.
B) The Bible is filled with examples showing that unborn children are considered human beings.

If points A and B are both found to be true, then Q.E.D., the Bible implicitly repudiates abortion. If either of these points is found to be untrue, then this argument is invalid.

Point A

Point A should be obvious to anyone who believes the Scriptures are the revealed Word of God. However a quick review is provided for those unfamiliar with the Scriptures. Cain, the first murderer, was directly punished by God for his sin (Genesis 4:8-15). When God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, one of them was Thou shall not murder (Exodus 20:13). With a few exceptions (for example, accidental manslaughter), the penalty for murder was death.

Point B

I will now use examples from both the Old and New Testaments to show that unborn children are formed by God in the womb and treated as human beings by God.

Several Prophets specifically stated that God formed people in the womb.

Jeremiah stated, Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.  (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

Isaiah proclaimed the Word of God Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb… (Isaiah 44:1-2)

Other Writings reinforce the message of the Prophets.

Even in the depths of despair, Job stated Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese, Clothe me together with bone and sinews? You have granted me life and favor and Your care has preserved my spirit. (Job 10:8-12).

King David, in one of his Messianic Psalms, states But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. (Psalm 22:9-10).

Psalm 119 – incidentally the longest psalm in the Scriptures – is a psalm of praise to God. In it, the psalmists thanks God for his creation, Your hands have made me and fashioned me; (Psalm 119: 73).

King David also praised God’s perfect knowledge of Man when he sang For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being unformed. And in Your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16).

Christians should also consider the implications of Luke 1:39-44.

Mary, while pregnant with Jesus, visited Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” So according to a woman filled with the Holy Spirit, the unborn babe leapt with joy. God honored the unborn child by allowing him to recognize the voice of Mary as the mother of his Lord.

Summary of implicit argument

The Scriptures clearly states that killing innocents is wrong and the Scriptures – in the voice of God the Father (e.g., through the Prophets and other Writings) and in the voice of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:39-44) – show that God creates children in the womb and values unborn children as much as He values adults. Therefore, abortion is implicitly wrong according to a contextual understanding of the Scriptures.

The Explicit Argument

This argument is primarily based upon Exodus 21:22-25. If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

So if a man causes a pregnant woman to go into premature labor and no harm was done to her or her unborn child, he was punished for risking their lives by a fine agreed to by the woman’s husband and the judges. Thus, the unborn are due protection and even potential threats to the life of the unborn are punished.

However, if a man causes a pregnant woman to go into premature labor and harm was done to her or her unborn child, he was punished severely. If the unborn child was stillborn or died after being born from injuries sustained in the fight, the penalty was death. Since the law of retaliation (life for a life, eye for an eye…) was equal punishment, invoking this law when an unborn child was killed shows that the unborn child had worth equal to that of the man who injured the unborn child. Even if the child was born early but lived, the offender had to pay a major fine for risking the unborn child’s life.

Thus, the Scriptures explicitly recognize the value of unborn humans is equal to that of born humans, that killing unborn children is murder, and that killing unborn children is clearly wrong.

Request for feedback

If you think I am quoting the Scriptures out of context or I am misinterpreting something, please contact me no matter what side of the issue you are on. I would also like some feedback if anyone found my thoughts useful and/or thought provoking. I will use your input to help decide where I spend my scare resource (time) in the future.

Best regards,
Admiral Quixote