Is abortion ever acceptable to God?

Site Menu

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

| Back | Home |

Is Abortion Ever Acceptable To God?

On this controversial subject, I've personally written to several well known ministries to express my concerns. Generally, there is no response and on the rare occasion in which a reply is received, it fails to address the subject adequately. The balance of this document is composed of an edited version of one of those letters. I've published in this venue in the hope that my words may be helpful to those faced with hard decisions, finding themselves in need of Biblical counseling.

Here is a "famous" quote often spoken by well meaning, Christian leaders:

"Abortion should be illegal except in cases of "rape, incest, or to save the mother's life."

The conditions listed above would be a great improvement over the current law which generally allows abortion on demand for any reason during all three trimesters of a pregnancy. Opting for the lesser of two evils may well be the reasoning employed by many of those touting this view, but the implications are untenable. These same leaders vociferously claim personhood for the unborn, yet they openly acquiesce to the shedding of innocent blood in certain situations. The purposeful taking of innocent life is murder and the Bible clearly states in Exodus 20:13: "You shall not murder." No exceptions are listed!

I listened to one of these teachers as he spent an appreciable amount of time helping a caller understand a difficult passage in Ezekiel. The scripture was this:

Ezekiel 18:2-4
"What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel saying, 'The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children's teeth are set on edge'? "As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die."

Further down in the text it gives additional clarification.

Ezekiel 18:20
"The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Keeping the above in mind, in the case of rape, taking a baby's life in the womb would be tantamount to an execution of the child for the sin of the father. The passages above make it manifestly clear that this is not to be.

The following scriptures describe God's direct involvement in the creation of life and the consequences for taking it.

Psalms 139:13-16
     "For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. 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.

Gen. 9:6
     "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

We are all, even the child who is the product of rape or incest, the handiwork of God, created in His image. Even if the child were in some fashion culpable for the sins of the father, God hasn't given us, as individuals, any authority to exercise judgment and impose a death penalty.*

Choices during a crisis pregnancy are fallible because they are made in the midst of great emotional stress and, if the truth be known, in most cases there is a bit of lightly disguised, but deeply rooted selfishness added to the mix.  Pregnancy due to rape or incest, is never desirable. By terminating the life of the child we are putting an end to a problem, avoiding shame or removing a hurtful reminder of a bad experience. These feelings are commonplace and in fact are shared by those who favor abortions, but these feelings are not an excuse for taking a life.

The first two criteria (rape and incest) proposed as legitimate excuses for abortion, can readily be seen for the naked sin they are in reality, but the last choice (to save the mother's life), is a much more difficult and complex situation.

There is a battle that rages in each of us when our loved ones lives are in the balance. It is this battle which taints our judgment and which renders our decisions suspect. As difficult as it may be, if we really believe that the life of a child in the womb has an equal value to those of us on this side of birth, then we must think carefully before daring to choose one person's life over another. The life of the child and mother are in the hands of God and as previously stated, He hasn't given individuals the right to make life and death decisions. God sees the "Big Picture" and only He, can make a right determination of who lives and who dies.

The only possible exception might be in a situation where the baby, due to certain complications, has no chance for survival and inaction on the part of the Doctor would jeopardize the life of the mother, also. In this rare instance, a choice to save the mother's life would be acceptable. However, this can be a slippery slope as there may be situations when it appears prudent to take action to terminate a pregnancy, but the outcome of continuing the pregnancy isn't so sure. It is on these occasions that we must use extreme caution and not jump to an irreversible conclusion. There are eternal consequences to our decisions so ensure those offering the choices share your values on life.

The points I've made regarding all three exceptions, aren't popular and are definitely politically incorrect. The same can not be said for the quote mentioned at the start of this page. In fact, it is likely to elicit limited applause from those in pro-abortion groups. These three conditions are an open admission on the part of all who hold to them, that the value of human life in the womb is, after all, purely subjective. In spite of all the rhetoric about the sanctity of human life, when it comes right down to it, given the right circumstances, these leaders also view a baby's right to life as a choice.

Those who teach the Bible have a great burden of responsibility to the Christian community. Many individuals aren't discerning. They look to their teachers for answers but fail to make any effort to test what is being taught against God's Word. They believe blindly and may be easily led astray.

* There are valid conditions for the death penalty, but it does not apply here and is not the intended subject of this particular document.

| Back | Top of Page | Home |

gospel terminology biographies doctrinal statements beginnings wondering thru scripture internet favorites questions feedback Knowing God thru Technology theological technological