Abortion: A Biblical Perspective (1)

Abortion: A Biblical Perspective (1)
Tim Haile

Abortion is defined as “the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy - any of various procedures for terminating a pregnancy.” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary). Regardless of one’s feelings or convictions about the practice of abortion, whether one believes that it is right or wrong, and whether or not one believes that the embryo or fetus constitutes “human life” or not, there remains the indisputable fact that abortion “removes” or “terminates” something! It takes the life of something! People may disagree over the “quality” and “value” of that life, but it is “life” nonetheless. This fact is settled by medical science and observation. A baby’s heart beat can be detected by as early as 7 weeks of development. Medical books can delineate the process and stages of the physical development of the embryo, but we must turn to a different book in order to settle the question of the value of that life. We must turn to the Bible. We will see that the Bible categorizes the unborn child as a human being, even using the same word (baby, Gr. brephos) to describe a baby whether it is in the womb (Luke 1:41) or out of the womb (Luke 2:12).

Since the 1973 Roe V. Wade Supreme Court ruling on abortion, over 50 million innocent and defenseless human beings have been tortured and killed by abortion. These aborted babies represent the price that millions of selfish people are willing to pay for their so-called “freedom” and “right to choose.” The only “freedom” that is actually reflected in the practice of abortion is the freedom from responsibility. Aborted babies are the victims of the irresponsible and promiscuous behavior of their parents. And the only “right to choose” that is granted by abortion is the “right” (ability) of a stronger person to impose his will upon a weaker person! On the basis that abortion is “legal,” such convoluted reasoning opens the door to open-ended killing of weak humans by those who are strong! If this sounds like the evolutionary principle of the “survival of the fittest,” that is because it is. The practice of abortion is acceptable only to those people who reject what God says about the definition and sanctity of human life.

Though the practice was finally banned, too many innocent little babies lost their lives to the gruesome practice of partial birth abortion. Bill Clinton vetoed all legislation banning this godless procedure, but George W. Bush signed the ban into law in November of 2003. The babies of such abortions are removed by “intact dilation and extraction” (or “evacuation”). In these procedures the (living) babies are partially delivered, then killed before full delivery. Death is accomplished as a result of a pair of scissors being forced into the skull and opened up. A suction device is then used to suction the brain and collapse the skull for easier delivery. I will not here delve into all of the horrific details of this abominable procedure. Even the most generic description of this practice is disturbing to sane minds. It assaults our sensitivities and defies our very nature as humans. It is unbelievable that such an inhumane procedure was ever legal in our land. Sadly, however, there are millions of Americans who have no moral objection to the practice to this day! All sorts of organizations exist whose purpose is to rid the world of what they describe as the “unethical” treatment of animals. Meanwhile, some people not only defend abortion, but even the partial birth method of abortion! Some folks need to recalibrate their moral compass. God’s word can help.

Look for part two of this study in next week’s paper. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: parkwaychurch@yahoo.com or timhaile@mac.com.

Tim Haile, for the Parkway Church of Christ