Abortion is defined as
“induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of survival as an
individual.” The controversy that currently rages with respect to the legality
of abortion centers on the question of whether life as a person begins
at conception. All are agreed that a fetus in the womb of a human mother is
living, but many believe that the human fetus does not become a “person” until
birth. To the minds of those who believe this, abortion is not murder, but
merely the destruction of tissue.

  There are several passages
in the Bible that affirm that life as a person begins at conception, not birth.
First, the same Hebrew and Greek words are used in the Bible for a child in the
womb and a child after birth (compare Exod. 21:4 with 21:22 and Luke
1:41,44—“babe”—with Acts 7:19—“young children”).

  Second, Jeremiah was
sanctified by God as a prophet before he was born (Jer. 1:5; see also Isa.
49:1-5). Thus if Jeremiah’s mother had decided to have an abortion she would
have put to death God’s prophet. Third, we might ask, “When did the eternal Son
of God take up residence in His human body? Was it at His conception or at His
birth?” In Matt. 1:20 we read, “The angel said to Joseph, Fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”
What had the Holy Spirit conceived in Mary? Was it just a bunch of tissue (as pregnant
women are advised today) or was it the Person of the eternal Son of God?

  Finally, we consider two
passages in the Psalms that identify personhood with conception or with the
fetus. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”
(Psa. 51:5). “Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my
mother’s womb…. My frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret,
and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my
unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were
ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psa. 139:13-16, NASB).
The Bible does not speak of fetal life as a mere chemical activity or growth
and development of living tissues. Rather, the psalmist vividly describes the
fetus in the mother’s womb as being formed, woven, made, and skillfully wrought
by the personal activity of God. Just as God formed Adam from the dust of the
earth, so He is actively involved in fashioning the fetus in the womb. If
everyone realized this wondrous truth, who would dare terminate purposely God’s
creative activity in the womb by abortion?

  Thus it appears that
Scripture implicitly condemns abortion as another form of murder, and we do
well to condemn it openly as well. But, some may ask, are there not special
cases where abortion should be permitted? What if the mother’s life is
endangered? What if it is determined that the child is likely to have a serious
birth defect? What if the pregnancy is a result of rape? Nowhere in Scripture
is there a hint that abortion should be condoned in such special cases. The
whole tenor of Scripture is opposed to the notion.

  The first question about
the mother’s life being in danger may be pretty much an academic question. A
former Surgeon General of the United States and longtime pediatric surgeon, Dr.
C. Everett Koop, has reported that in his 36 years of medical practice he has
never encountered a case where abortion was necessary to save the life of the
mother. There were always other alternatives.        What about potential birth
defects? No doubt a number of our readers, along with the writer himself, would
not be alive today if abortion of all fetuses showing evidence of serious
physical defects was in practice. However, this is not an adequate answer to
the question. Let us turn to Scripture and listen to what the Lord Jesus
Himself has to say about this:“And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was
blind from His birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has
this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made
manifest in him” (John 9:1-3). Yes, God sometimes allows babies to be born with
deformities. While the parents may tend to view this as a great inconvenience,
perhaps greatly interfering with their lifestyle, yet God may have allowed it
in order that His works might be displayed in that deformed or defective
child. If we are desirous of dedicating our lives to the Lord, presenting
ourselves a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1), then we should be willing to
accept whatever God is pleased to give us in the way of either healthy or
deformed babies as with all the other circumstances of life. Just as we would not
think of killing our child because he or she incurred a physical defect or
debilitating injury after birth, neither should we give the slightest thought
to killing our unborn baby because of a potential defect detected before birth.

  Finally, what about pregnancy
due to rape? First of all, it is exceedingly rare for rape to result in
pregnancy, and less than 3% of the abortions currently performed are due to
conception from rape or incest. Scripture refers on different occasions to rape
and incest but never hints at the possibility of abortion or death of children
that might be produced in this way. Surely it is true that becoming pregnant in
this way can be quite traumatic and a severe trial to the woman. Indeed, such
an incident surely calls forth from us all of the emotional, spiritual,
physical, and financial support that we as Christians can offer, both during
the pregnancy and after the child is born. If we know of such a person, let us
offer all the encouragement and support we can for her to carry her baby to
birth. The Lord is able to bring much blessing out of a conception and birth
resulting from rape or incest. His blessing upon and care for the mother and
the child can certainly be counted upon as a reward for her faithfulness and
obedience to His Word.

  If it would be a great
difficulty for the mother to provide and care for the child, it might be wise
to explore with her the possibility of putting the baby up for adoption. There
are a great many families seeking to adopt children, and there are adoption
agencies that attempt to place children in homes of born-again Christians.

  Let us seek to be alert
equally to the great needs of those who, because of their own sin
(particularly, pre-marital intercourse), may be in a situation where there may
be much internal and external pressure and temptation to get an abortion. It
requires great delicacy and spiritual wisdom to be able on the one hand to help
such a woman to face up to her sin, and on the other hand to help her through
the grief, distress, guilt, loneliness, and rejection that might tend to propel
her into getting an abortion. May God grant us the needed wisdom (Jas. 1:5),
care, and concern for such.