Introduction
Fewer topics have caused more controversy, debate, and/or vitriol than the topic of abortion. Whether you are pro-choice, or pro-life, it is a fair bet that you have very strong feelings about it, and you probably aren’t very shy about sharing them.
As I have stated before, I am pro-life. In this post, my intention is to present my side of the topic, my own personal corner of the war of words that is known as the abortion debate.
As always, if you are thin-skinned and need a safe space when faced with opposition, you are likely going to be very unhappy in the next few minutes. Please note that I do not care, as I will be using strong, politically incorrect language throughout this post. I refuse to sugarcoat things, folks.
Before I go any further, allow me the opportunity to knock aside one common argument; that is the idea that my gender somehow precludes me from expressing an opinion on this topic. If that’s your argument, move on. I have neither the time, patience, or inclination for such nonsense.
The truth is, at conception, a human child is a 50/50 mix of their parent’s genetics. That means that both mother and father contribute equally to that child’s genetic makeup. As such, barring any mitigating circumstances, they should both have an equal say in the future of that child. (To all feminists, sorry, not sorry)
As this post continues, I will be presenting my reasoned arguments in support of the pro-life movement. My hope is that you, the reader, will take something away from this.
As always, I happily invite open dissent into my comment section. If you disagree with me on any, or all points, I most definitely want to hear from you. In fact, I will reply to dissenting comments first. Without further ado, I present my argument against abortion.
My Conclusion
I will be as succinct as I can be, abortion is not just murder, it is the willful and deliberate shedding of innocent blood, and an utter abomination. It is disgusting, horrifying, and inhumane. What’s more, those who support and encourage the practice are guilty of being complicit in a decades-long campaign of mass-murder that has claimed the lives of millions of the most vulnerable and defenseless members of our species. Tragedy is not a strong enough word to describe it, not by a long shot.
That those who support this practice are absolutely horrible human beings is without question, in much the same way as the people living close enough to Auschwitz were horrible human beings; in other words, they knew what was going on, but chose to keep silent. Silence is compliance, people. However, it goes beyond that. None of this addresses the people who actively participate in this bloodbath.
I am, of course, referring to the mothers, Doctors, Nurses, Medical Assistants, receptionists, everyone. This list even includes the construction crews who built, maintain, and renovate/remodel the facilities used to perform abortions. All of these people have blood on their hands, and darkness in their heart’s. They have, in effect, completely abandoned their humanity.
By now, I am sure some are looking at this, and seeing the usual “anti-choice” vitriol, and they would be right. However, there is always more to the story. What I have presented, thus far, is my conclusions. From here on out, it is time to present the “why” of those conclusions. As I am a Christian, I’ll start with the document that is the most important to me: the Bible.
Scriptural Justification
Motivation Matters
In Amos 1:13, we find, “Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.” In other words, He took issue with their greed, violence, and their wanton shedding of innocent blood.
We must see to the defenseless
In Phillipians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” We are commanded to look out for each other, to care for one another. This is important because we often face harsh criticism when we speak out against evil.
Similarly, we are also commanded to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Proverbs 31:8, “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”
According to the Barnes’ Notes commentaries, Proverbs 31:8 says, “In contrast with the two besetting sins of Eastern monarchs stands their one great duty, to give help to those who had no other helper.
Such as are appointed to destruction- literally, “children of bereavement”, with the sense, either, as in the text, of those “destined to be bereaved of life or goods”, or “bereaved or fatherless children”.” In other words, we are obligated to speak out for those who do not have a voice, regardless of how we personally feel. It is mandated by God.
The unborn are people, too
In the Book of Exodus, God directly confers personhood on unborn children when He says, “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:22-25
What this means is, if two men are fighting, and they accidentally manage to injure a pregnant woman during the fight, thereby causing her to go into labor, then they are liable to her husband.
If the baby comes, and is uninjured, then the one who hurts the woman takes whichever punishment her husband decrees. However, if harm does come to the unborn child, then the perpetrator will suffer the exact same injury, even unto death. This is where personhood is conferred.
If that child were not considered a human, then the punishments involved would likely have been monetary. Yet, the full weight of the law is called upon anyone who causes harm to an unborn child, even if it means executing the perpetrator as one would do for murder.
Similarly, Psalm 139:13-15 continues the theme of personhood, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
The going theme is that not a one of us was made without God’s knowledge.
Consciousness of the Unborn
Many might not know that John the Baptist was also Jesus’ cousin. The story of John the Baptist goes a long way towards establishing that unborn babies are conscious. “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” Luke 1:41-44
Children a Reward From God
Each child born is a blessing, regardless of the circumstance. Psalm 127:3-5, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Does this mean that children won’t be born into awful circumstances? Absolutely not. However, we as a society should do what we can to mitigate that.
Scientific Justification
Some on the pro-choice side of the argument like to claim that science has settled the issue, and an embryo is nothing more than an unconscious clump of cells without any value but that which is given by the mother. (See the phenomenon of Fetal Victim Laws) I have had pro-choice supporters tell me that a human embryo is not alive and not a human. Thankfully, Embryology texts teach different.
For example, “Although life is a continuous process, fertilization (which, incidentally is not a “moment”) is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is formed when the chromosomes of the male and female pronuclei blend in the oocyte.” -O’Rahilly and Müller, “Human Embryology and Teratology”, 3rd Ed., 8
Note that the phrasing is “genetically distinct human organism”. This means that each and every baby is a genetically distinct human. Are they completely dependent upon their mother’s body for their existence? Yes, but this does not mean that they are part of their mother.
At no point does the mother have four hands, four feet, two heads, two brains, etc. This means that the baby is an individual growing inside their mother.
This is further borne out by Dr. Bradley Patton, in “Human Embryology”, 3rd Ed., when he states, “The formation, maturation and meeting of a male and female sex cell are all preliminary to their actual union into a combined cell, or zygote, which definitely marks the beginning of a new individual.”
Even some on the pro-choice side have admitted that an unborn human child is in fact a human being. For example, David Boonin in “A Defense of Abortion” writes, “Perhaps the most straightforward relation between you and me on the one hand and every human fetus on the other is this: All are living members of the same species, homo sapiens. A human fetus after all is simply a human being at a very early stage in his or her development.”
In “Common Ground and Uncommon Conversations”, Stephen Wagner makes my next point very plain. “Why are sexism and racism wrong? Isn’t it because they pick out a surface difference (gender or skin color) and ignore the underlying similarity all of us share? We should treat women and men, African-Americans and Whites, as equal and protect them from discrimination. Why? Because they all have a human nature. But if the unborn also has that same human nature, shouldn’t we protect her as well?”
Legal Justification
Allow me to begin by stating unequivocally that I am most certainly not an attorney. However, a law degree isn’t required for this part; just a conscience and the ability to read, reason, and comprehend.
The online legal dictionary at Law.com defines murder as, “the killing of a human being by a sane person, with intent, malice aforethought (prior intention to kill the particular victim or anyone who gets in the way) and with no legal excuse or authority.” In other words, for it to be murder, one must make a conscious decision to end the life of another human being.
As I have previously established, an unborn child is a human being in the eyes of both science and the Bible. As such, they are entitled to the full protection of the law. This means anyone who kills an unborn baby is a murderer, and those who help in any way are accessories.
This includes the people I mentioned at the beginning, from the construction workers to the receptionists, to the medical staff carrying out the abortions. All are guilty, and all have innocent blood on their hands.
When it comes down to it, no matter how you try to look at it from different angles, murder is murder. When someone commits murder in our country, they are punished to the fullest extent of the law. That is, unless the human they murder happens to be an unborn child in a medical facility.
