A Comparison of Life: Born and Unborn

A Comparison of Life: Born and Unborn
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ

As I mentioned last week, discussions about abortion often lead to discussions about individuality and the quality of the unborn life. As last week’s study indicated, medical science makes it difficult for one to deny the “life” status of the unborn child. So, the dispute is now over the value of the unborn life. Is the “life” of the unborn baby as valuable as the life of the baby that is born? Is there something about the condition or status of the unborn baby that would allow one to destroy it, but would not allow one to destroy the born baby? (Incidentally, the practice of abortion always leads to the practice of infanticide, genocide, euthanasia and other forms of murder. The same lack of respect for the sanctity of life that allows the one practice also allows the other.)

Experience and observation show that one thing is certain: To the mother who loves and wants her baby, prenatal care is every bit as important as natal care. This is her baby, whether it is in her womb (Luke 1:41, 42), or out of her womb (Luke 2:12). Her natural inclination is to care for and protect that baby regardless of its physical location.

A Bible passage answers our question about the value of the unborn human life. Moses said, “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise” (Exodus 21:22, 23). The Law of Moses contained both civil and spiritual laws for the Jews. We are not under this law today, but we may learn from its definitions and examples (Rom. 15:4).

Moses describes two possible scenarios: 1) A man hits a pregnant woman causing a premature delivery with possible complications but no death. 2) A man hits a pregnant woman resulting in the death of her unborn baby. Under Jewish civil law, the punishment matched the crime. Under the Law of Moses it was a capital offense for one to kill an unborn baby. Quite notably, the word for “life” in Exodus 21:23, is the same Hebrew word both times. This means that the “life” of the unborn baby was equal to the “life” of the man who caused the unborn baby’s death – “life for life.” The conclusion is unavoidable: The Bible places the same value on the life of the unborn as it places on the life of the born.

View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. 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: timhaile@mac.com.