Abortion

 

The abortion question is one of the most morally, socially, and politically sensitive issues confronting America today. There are more than one million induced legal abortions performed in the U. S. annually.

 

There are two major views on the right and wrong of this subject: they are Pro-Choice and Pro-Life.

 

Pro-Choice advocates believe that the expectant mother has control over her body and is the one to determine if her pregnancy should be terminated or not. They speak of the fetus/baby as a series of cells. They indicate that the fetus/baby is a non-person until it is born. 

 

Pro-Life advocates believe that the expectant mother is “The Temple of God” and God determines if her pregnancy should be terminated or not. There are two views when the fetus/baby becomes a real person: 1) at conception; 2) when the fetus/baby is able to sustain life on its own.  

 

There are religious groups on both sides of this issue and this always causes confusion. The problem seems to arise because Pro-Life advocates believe that the Bible is God’s final word and Pro-Choice takes the Bible as a set of guidelines that mankind can follow or not.

 

Medical research has proven the following about the fetus/baby:

 

1.      Between 3 and 4 weeks after conception, the embryo has a beating heart tube which sends the blood, nutrients and oxygen through its body from the mother.

2.      By the 10th week, the fetus/baby is fully formed with all essential organs, fingers and toes.

3.      By the 12th week, the fetus/baby is very active (kicking, swallowing, and sucking its thumb) but the mother cannot yet detect this activity. The sex of the fetus/babies can be identified, and it has fingerprints that will identify him or her throughout life.

 

Food for Thought

 

There are common arguments that come up in favor of abortion, such as an unwanted child, rape, endangerment to the mother, and the diagnosis of mental or physical impairment to mention just a few. Some of these situations have no easy answers.

 

The Unwanted Baby:  This is a painful decision, but the baby could be put up for adoption and this seems to be a more loving choice than taking its life. 

 

The Mentally or Impaired Baby: To argue that it is better to kill a deformed child in the womb than to allow him or her to live is an affront to the thousands of people born with severe

 

handicaps or those who become handicapped during their life by injury, but still live meaningful and productive lives.

 

The Endangered Mother: The ideal solution is to save both lives. If the mother’s very life is threatened and during the treating of her and her baby is lost, this may be the unfortunate outcome. 

 

Suffering

 

Sometimes we suffer as the consequence for our own choice and sometimes we suffer as a consequence of another’s sin, such as rape.  Most of the time, we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. Life is not without suffering.  To kill babies in the womb in an attempt to avoid suffering is to try to manipulate or avoid God’s purposes in our lives.

 

Walking with God through the difficult times allows God to demonstrate His grace and power in our weakness and gives us the opportunity to grow in love and grace and character. 

 

God’s Insight

 

The Bible provides mankind with a set of values and guidelines to live by. The Bible states the following:

 

1.      God created each and every baby uniquely.  Psalms 139:13-16

2.      God has a definite purpose for babies before their conception. Three examples are Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:4; other examples are John the Baptist in Luke 1:5-17; Jesus in Luke 1:26-33.

3.      God is the giver of life. Genesis 2:7

4.      The death of an unborn child brings about punishment. Exodus 21:22-25; Genesis 9:5-6

5.      The unborn is referred to as a baby, not a fetus. Genesis 25:22; Jeremiah: 1:4

6.      Killing is condemned both in the OT (Exodus 20:13) and the NT. Matthew 5:21 and 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; and Romans 13:9.

 

Summary

 

Life is made up of a series of choices we make and we need to make those decisions wisely after much prayer and counseling.  

 

If someone (the father, mother, some relative or friend) in the past has chosen an abortion, he/she needs to always remember God loves them and wants them to accept His love and forgiveness.  Each individual’s sins can be removed from them as far as the east from the west.  Psalm 103:12

 

Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:19 “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…”