Abortion and the Christian Bible: A Consistent-Life Perspective

Posted on December 10, 2024 By

by Fr. Jim Hewes

Biblical Foundations on the Sanctity of Life

While the Bible may not explicitly address every modern issue, its teachings provide a framework that values life at all stages. There’s a difference between something that is unbiblical (contrary to biblical teachings) and something non-biblical (not found specifically in the bible).

For example, Jesus never directly mentions abortion. Jesus also never speaks specifically about nuclear deterrence or stem cell research. But Jesus offers a clear framework of compassion for understanding the sanctity of life.

There are key biblical passages which demonstrate that God has complete dominion over human life. Then there is the overarching principle that children are a blessing (“Children are a gift from the Lord. Babies are a reward.” Psalm 127) – counter-cultural for the time.

Jesus also pays special attention to those who are unwanted, rejected, despised, insignificant, on the margin, the least of our brothers and sisters, as the pre-born are so often treated today.

Problematic Passages and the Value of Life

One of the passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, Deuteronomy 21:18-21 is problematic if not scandalous if taken literally, without further biblical understanding including Tradition.

If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not listen to his father or mother, and will not listen to them even though they discipline him,  his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders at the gate[a] of his home city, where they shall say to the elders of the city, “This son of ours is a stubborn and rebellious fellow who will not listen to us; he is a glutton and a drunkard.”  Then all his fellow citizens shall stone him to death. Thus, shall you purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.

While some biblical passages, can be troubling if interpreted literally, they must be read in the context of Jesus’s teachings. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus elevates the commandment “You shall not kill” by teaching that even harboring anger toward another can be spiritually harmful (Matthew 5:21-22). His message underscores a profound respect for every life.

Another example is in Exodus (21”22-25):

When men have a fight and hurt a pregnant woman, so that she suffers a miscarriage, but no further injury, the guilty one shall be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands of him, and he shall pay in the presence of the judges.  But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Some argue that this passage implies unborn life is of lesser value. However, the Bible’s overall message emphasizes the sanctity of all human life. The Israelites wrote this text before today’s scientific understanding of human development. While they lacked the tools of modern biology, their reverence for life is clear. It wasn’t written to be a textbook in embryology or perinatology, so at that time one could not fully know who the pre-born exactly was, where today we have a “window to the womb” with ultrasound.

Whether the Bible is prescriptive or not on abortion, it’s descriptive about the value of life, including condemning strongly the cultural practice of child sacrifice. The Bible is the word of God, but in the words of humans. It is neither exclusive nor limited, but there are numerous passages in the Bible about the value of life within the womb and the reverence for that life.

The Value of Life in the Womb

The Bible contains verses that reflect God’s intimate involvement in the creation of human life, especially in the womb. For instance:

  • the prophet Isaiah declared, “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb, he named me” (Isaiah 49:1).
  • In Jeremiah, God affirms, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5).
  • Psalm 139 further captures the depth of God’s role in human creation: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14).

In the New Testament, when Elizabeth hears Mary (who is pregnant) Elizabeth responds: “the infant leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41), illustrating the presence of life and joy even before birth. Similarly, Jesus, the Word made flesh, and experienced every stage of human development, affirming the continuity and value of human life from the very beginning.

This continues after Jesus in the writings such as of St. Paul: “But when [God], who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased” (Galatians 1:15)

Jesus’s Teachings on Life and Value

Jesus is the clearest and fullest revelation of who God is and who we are. The very Word of God, Jesus, was made flesh within the womb of Mary and from that moment he was fully human, experienced every stage of human development; first as a zygote, then as an embryo, and a fetus.

At no point would one ever hold that the Word of God made flesh was not a person in any part of his pre-natal existence. God affirms that there’s present a person in His only Son before and after birth, as well as affirms every one of us also in our same journey within and outside our mothers’ womb.

There isn’t any passage in the entire Bible that makes a distinction between an embryo and a fetus, or if the pre-born child is viable or not. It’s an unbroken chain, where all are loved and valued by God.

While Jesus doesn’t specifically discuss abortion, he presents a clear framework for understanding the value and the sanctity of human life. Jesus frequently speaks on the importance of caring for those who are marginalized or vulnerable, showing special compassion for “the least of our brothers and sisters.” This respect for life extends to the vulnerable unborn, who are also equally deserving of protection.

Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the Christian community, even on issues not directly addressed in Scripture: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16:12-13). This assurance helps Christians navigate contemporary ethical questions, including abortion, through the principles established in Scripture, and Tradition.

It is this all-powerful God who has created the entire universe becomes a tiny, helpless, vulnerable pre-born person within Mary’s womb. So, human beings, at whatever stage of development, are always image bearers of God their creator, which is not earned or achieved, but a gift of God.

Abortion, on the other hand, is an act of violence that intentionally and directly disrupts the chain of existence that God has planned for everyone. This is why the psalmist states: “I kept from violence because of your Word.” (Psalm 17:4)

For “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work.”  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The importance of biblical influence is reflected in Pew Research, where 2/3 of adults with children and 62% of adults without children who read scripture at least once a week would make abortion illegal in all or most cases.

So, these Bible passages remind us that when we openly and prayerfully encounter the world through the lens of the Word of God and speak the divine truth, we will really know about the value of each precious life, created in the image and likeness of God.

Early Christian Views on Abortion

The second generation of Christians definitely could be counted on to faithfully preserve and follow what their parents were taught directly by the apostles, including on the issue of abortion, developed in the Roman culture. Romans practiced widely both abortion and infanticide, treating children like disposable property. The early Christian Community strongly condemned both acts of violence.

In The Didache, an early Christian text, it is clearly stated: “You should not kill the fetus by abortion or destroy the infant already born.” This reflects the early church’s unwavering stance on the sanctity of life. This was directly opposite to society’s view at this time, which saw this life as property of the parents (which many still do today). An overwhelming number of other early Church theologians carefully examined the methods, motives, and morality surrounding abortion. They unanimously described all abortions as a heinous sin,

Conclusion: A Call to Protect Life

There’s a consistent theme, a pattern of meaning over and over in the entire Bible, a trajectory or thrust in the Bible as a whole, about a God who values and loves each human life, both outside and within the womb. We don’t need to be fully formed to be loved by God. As we reflect on these teachings, let us reaffirm the Bible’s enduring call to respect and protect every life, both born and unborn, made in the image and likeness of God, truly God’s daughters and sons.

==========================

For more of our posts from a Christian perspective, see:

The Consistent Life Consensus in Ancient Christianity 

The Early Christian Tradition

Nukes and the Pro-Life Christian:

Insights from Mennonites

On Praying for the Military

Fratelli Tutti – Consistent-Life Excerpts

December 28: The Day of the Massacre of the Innocents

 

For more of our posts from additional religious perspectives, see:

Why the Interfaith Approach is Important

Abortion and War are the Karma for Killing Animals (Hinduism)

Breaking Stereotypes in Fearful Times (Islam)

The Consistent Life Ethic and Traditional Tantra (Hinduism)

Ancient Roots of the Consistent Life Ethic: Greece

 

Get our SHORT Biweekly e-Newsletter



Email & Social Media Marketing by VerticalResponse

Facebooktwittermail

Christmas literature


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *