Abortion: How do we know which view is right?

Abortion – What is it?

Is it moral? Is it right? Is it murder? Is it something we Americans practice to protect a new mother from embarrassment? The Bible has a lot to say concerning the issue of abortion, but so does society. The problem is, these views are opposing. So how can we know which one is right?

Let’s begin by examining what society tells us about abortion.

Jan. 22, 1973, was the date that the Supreme Court declared abortion legal. Since this date, many Republicans have tried several times to ban the procedure of partial birth abortion. Many woman desire abortions either because they know they can’t afford a new baby, or they weren’t expecting to become a mother. Society tells us that abortion is OK because the baby is not really a person until birth, and a mother has a right to her own body.

This sounds convincing at first glance, but let’s look at the facts of a tiny life.

As early as week seven, the baby is able to kick and recognizable facial features are evident. Its little heart begins to beat at six weeks. These facts show us that a baby is a person from the moment of conception. So, if a baby is a human life, and abortion is destruction of that human life and abortion must be murder.

Now, to bring God into the picture, let’s take a look at the Bible. The most practical example lies in Exodus 20:13, which is part of God’s commands to us, saying, “You shall not murder.” God has a plan for each and every person, no matter how small, and He created each person lovingly. Psalm 139:13 tells us that God “created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” The destruction of this life is an assault on the unique work of God. Abortion involves the shedding of innocent blood, something that is banned by God in the Bible. God is the only one who can give life, therefore, He is also the only one who can take a life away. It’s not the doctor’s or the mother’s decision whether or not the baby should live – it’s God’s.

Since 1973, 57,000,000 babies have been killed by abortion. Fifty-seven million! Imagine, if these babies had not been aborted, what they would have grown up to be! One of them may have found the cure for cancer! Think of all the discoveries that could have been made by one of those babies. What if George Washington’s mother had had an abortion? What if Abraham Lincoln’s mother had had an abortion?

What if your mother had had an abortion?

Abortion is never the answer. Adoption, however, is an excellent alternative, because there are many families who desire children but are unable to have their own.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Abortion: How do we know which view is right?."