500 Clothman On Abortion, Part 2
“Clothman, I’m shocked at your suggestion that the pro-life movement no longer try to overturn Roe-v-Wade. The Bible and God are crystal clear that abortion is not only wrong, it is murder. To allow a law to stand that condones the taking of innocent life is both immoral and heretical.” -Jennifer
One of the things that keeps the abortion battle so inflamed is the notion that the Bible clearly addresses it. This has led folks on both sides to believe that God is on their side and that the other side is at the least heretical, and probably under judgment.
Since both sides affirm the value of life after birth, the biblical argument over abortion centers on when a fetus becomes a living being. Is it at conception or at birth? What does the Bible say?
Pro-choice defenders site Genesis 2:7 saying that just as Adam wasn’t a living soul until he breathed, so too the fetus becomes a living soul upon taking a breath. They also say Genesis 1:26-28 identifies humans as persons created in the image of God, distinct from the animal creation. That personhood is not a physical likeness but rather the capacity to be spiritual, personal, relational, moral and intellectual – capacities that they say a fetus is incapable of.
Finally, the pro-choice movement uses Exodus 21:22-25 to point out that the Bible doesn’t equate the fetus with full personhood. In this text, the protection given to a woman and that given to a fetus are not the same. The woman has full standing whereas the fetus only has a relative standing.
Pro-life defenders say that when Psalm 139:13-16 says “you formed me in my mother’s womb” it means that both body and soul are being formed in the womb. A person, they say, has the same identity before birth as after. They substantiate this with Jeremiah 1:5 which says, “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.” Thus, personhood begins at conception.
Another key pro-life passage is Luke 1:41 where Mary (pregnant with Jesus) visits Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist). Elizabeth tells Mary that “as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” This shows that John was an alert person in the womb.
Both sides add secondary Bible verses to defend their view but I just gave you all of the passages that are said to “clearly” demonstrate the Bible’s view of abortion. That it! Six short sections of scripture; each of which has serious contextual challenges when forced into speak about abortion.
It seems both sides shaped their agenda then went to the Bible looking for passages to substantiate it. In sports we’d call this a technical foul. Biblical interpretation calls it proof-texting.
Honesty demands acknowledgement that the Bible doesn’t speak directly about abortion and what it says indirectly is certainly not definitive. We can apply general biblical principles to our social, medical and scientific data to form an opinion about abortion, but to say that the Bible and God are “crystal clear” about abortion is unfounded. Furthermore, it creates unnecessary animosity. No wonder the 30 year war over abortion continues unabated, as do abortions.
Enough! Let us embrace an honest faith and a politics of cooperation. Let us drop our religiously charged rhetoric and take up a nobler common cause: reducing of the number of abortions. We don’t have to agree on everything to work together on something.
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