Billy Graham, the internationally famous evangelist, asserts on page 21 of his publication entitled The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook, “Abortion has divided our nation like no other issue in recent times. . . . The Bible places the highest value on human life.  It is sacred and of inestimable worth to God, who created it ‘in His own image.’”

And, on page 264 of his book entitled Answers to Life’s Problems,Graham says,

The widespread acceptance of abortion is a symbol or sign of something deeper within our society that should also concern us greatly.  This is the tendency today to decide moral issues or questions only on the basis of whether or not they are convenient or bring pleasure to a person.

In this article we will address the following three primary questions pertaining to abortions:

  • Do women have the right to do what they want with their own body?
  • Do civil laws make it alright to have an abortion?
  • Are Christians inconsistent in opposing abortion if they support having a strong military?

Do Women Have the Right to Do What They Want with Their Own Body?

It is often argued that women should be permitted to do whatever they want with their own body.  However, abortion involves not just a woman’s body, but also the body of her unborn child who, as we shall discuss, is a living human being from the time of conception.  Furthermore, laws do not allow women to do some of the things that they may want to do with their own body.  For example, practicing prostitution is generally against the law in our country.

In any case, many women who are considering whether or not to have an abortion are apparently led to believe that during at least the early weeks of the first trimester of the gestation period, an unborn child is “just a fetus,” not a human being in the early stage of development.  Psalm 139:13-16 indicates otherwise.  In this scripture, the psalmist says,

For You [God] have formed my [David’s] inward parts; You have covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought . . . . Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

[Note:  When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James (NKJ) version of the Bible, unless indicated otherwise.]

Consider also Jeremiah 1:5, in which God tells the prophet, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  This scripture and Psalm 139:13-16 indicate that God regarded both David and Jeremiah as human beings prior to being formed in the womb.  This suggests that God regards every unborn child as a person, even before they are conceived, and we should do likewise.

For women who are Christians, the Bible teaches that they (as well as men who are Christians) should submit to God in the way they conduct themselves.  For example, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul says, “[D]o you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body. . . .”

The term “bought at a price” refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on a cross as atonement for the sins of everyone who trusts in Him as their Savior.  Jesus, by living a sinless life and then willingly dying on a cross as a perfect (i.e., faultless) sacrifice, paid the price necessary to atone for the sins of everyone who trusts in Him.  Therefore, genuine Christians do not need to suffer the punishment that God would otherwise impose on them for their sins.

Nevertheless, every authentic Christian should be willing to make genuine efforts to obey God (i.e., avoid sinning).  This includes avoiding any behavior that violates biblical teaching, including abortion, which disregards the sanctity of human life.

Some people argue that the vast majority of women who seek an abortion do so after they have considered the other alternatives and have come to the conclusion that abortion is their best option.  However, it is doubtful that many of these women are adequately informed of the potential negative consequences of having an abortion and the potential benefits of giving birth to the child.

Although many women who are seeking an abortion may think that they know what is best for themselves, a number of them realize retrospectively that they really did not know what was best at the time that they made their decision to have an abortion.  As a result, these women are likely to live the remainder of their life with regret and/or guilt about their decision to terminate the existence of their unborn child.

Do Civil Laws Make It Alright to Have an Abortion?

On page 266 of Answers to Life’s Problems, Graham declares,

The issue [of] abortion is not whether you have a right to terminate the life of a child.  The real issue is whether or not you will insist on running your own life according to your own standard, or whether you will instead let God run your life.

The Sixth of the Ten Commandments declares, “You shall not murder.”  [Note:  In addition to the NKJ version of the Bible, a majority of the other recent translations of the Bible translate the Hebrew word ratsach in the Sixth Commandment as “murder,” rather than “kill,” as in older translations.]

However, many of the abortion laws in our country imply that it is not murder to kill an unborn child during some period within the first trimester of the gestation period.  These laws infer that an unborn child is not a human being until after that period.  Thus, most abortions are not regarded by our civil laws to be a crime, provided that the abortion is done according to the stipulations of the applicable law. (Although such laws are contrary to biblical teaching, there may be some circumstances in which abortion is not murder, such as when the life of a mother would be seriously jeopardized if her pregnancy continues or if it is determined that her unborn child would be born with severe mental retardation or serious physical problems.)

In any case, we believe that it is arbitrary to designate a certain period during which an abortion is permissible.  Does a fetus suddenly becomes an unborn child the day immediately following the last day of permissible abortions?  We do not believe that there is a scientific, logical, or any other credible basis for making such a distinction.

Consider the following example that illustrates how illogical current abortion laws are.  In at least some states, if an unborn child is killed during the permissible abortion period by someone other than a doctor performing an abortion authorized by the mother of the child, the person who killed the unborn child may be tried in court for negligent homicide, manslaughter, or even murder in either the first or the second degree, depending on the circumstances.  In other words, according to current laws, a mother is permitted to have a doctor kill her unborn child by abortion during the permissible abortion period and neither she nor the doctor is guilty of a crime, whereas anyone else who kills the unborn child during that same period is likely to be regarded as having committed a serious crime such as manslaughter or murder.

Either human life has value or it does not, regardless of what many people or government laws may declare.  God is the ultimate judge, not us.  And, as previously discussed, the Bible indicates that human life begins at conception, not after birth or after the end of a permissible abortion period.  Every unborn child is a human being and many, if not most, of them have the potential to make a significant contribution to the lives of others.  But, if their lives are snuffed out before they are born, they will never have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the life of anyone.  [For a discussion of pro-abortion arguments which indicate that unborn children are not human beings, see the Addendum following the Conclusion of this article.]

There are reasons to believe that God loves every child, even before the child is born, so each time another unborn child is aborted, it must make God sad and/or angry.  So, if God regards unborn children as worthy of His love, we should treat all unborn children as having value.

Are Christians Inconsistent in Opposing Abortion If They Support Having a Strong Military?

Some people argue that warfare is a violation of the Sixth Commandment, which pertains to murder and, therefore, Christians are inconsistent in opposing abortion while supporting having a strong military to engage in warfare, but are these people correct?

Webster’s Dictionary defines murder as “the unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another.”  Our nation’s use of lethal force in dealing with terrorists or reprobate countries does not fit this definition, since such action is in accordance with our laws and is generally not malicious.

Furthermore, in the Old Testament there are a number of accounts of God instructing His followers to engage in warfare with other people (e.g., Deuteronomy 20:1-18) or God assisted them in such conflicts, even if He did not specifically instruct them to engage in the warfare.  Surely, God would not have encouraged His followers to engage in warfare if doing so would violate any of His Commandments.

Summary and Conclusions

Many, if not most, Christians believe that human life begins at conception rather than at an arbitrary time during the gestation period – a time that is determined by laws that seem to have limited regard for the humanity of unborn children.  Therefore, a large percentage of Christians regard abortion as legalized murder.

The Bible indicates that every unborn child is a human being who has been created by God.  An unborn child does not suddenly become a human being after the end of a permissible abortion period during the mother’s pregnancy.  Therefore, permissible abortion laws are based upon an arbitrary decision to designate a period during pregnancy in which abortions are permissible.  As a result, these laws make an unfounded distinction that a child is a living human being,  but a fetus is not.

Although there may be a few circumstances in which an abortion can be justified to God, having an abortion in most circumstances is not consistent with the biblical position on the sanctity of human life.

In any case, there are biblically-based reasons to believe that God loves each and every unborn child.  And, if God regards even unborn children as worthy of His love, we ought to treat all unborn children as having value.  Therefore, the life of an unborn child has value, regardless of what many people – or even the government – may declare.

For women who have had an abortion, the Bible offers assurance of forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9), provided that they are genuine Christians and contritely confess to God their sin for having had an abortion.  For those who are not Christians, but want forgiveness for having had an abortion or for any other sins, click on the title of our article entitled “What Must a Person Do to Have Assurance of Eternal Salvation?”]

Addendum

Does the Bible Support the Belief  that Unborn Children Are Not Human Beings?

To support their pro-abortion views, many people argue that a fetus is not a living person until it draws its first breath.  And, some pro-abortion advocates even cite several Bible scriptures that they think support this belief.  The scriptures that follow are among those that they cite  most frequently in this regard.

Genesis 2:7: And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

This scripture indicates that by breathing into Adam, the first human being, God initiated life in him.  Prior to this, there were no humans in the world, so it was necessary for God Himself to bring the first human to life by breathing into him the breath of life.  Beginning with Eve, mothers were given the ability to automatically provide their unborn children with the breath necessary for them to live.   Thus, even though unborn children cannot breath on their own, they have the breath of life even before they are born.

Job 33:4: The Spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

God created life and He is the one who ultimately provides every living human with the ability to breathe.  However, as previously indicated, God relies on mothers to provide their unborn children with breath until they can breathe on their own.  Thus, even before children are born, they are living human beings, despite the fact that they cannot breathe on their own.  This is somewhat analogous to situations in which people are dependent on a ventilator to enable them to breathe.  Although those on a ventilator cannot breathe entirely on their own, they are living human beings.

Exodus 21:22-23: If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life. . . .

Some pro-abortion advocates may argue that this scripture indicates that the punishment for causing a miscarriage resulting in the death of an unborn child is much less severe than the punishment for causing the death of the child’s mother.  However, we believe that the distinction made by this scripture is not between being fined (i.e., a relatively lenient punishment) for causing a miscarriage versus being put to death (i.e., obviously, a very severe punishment) for causing a pregnant woman to die, as some pro-abortionists argue.  Instead, we believe that the distinction in punishment is based upon whether or not either a pregnant woman or her unborn child dies as a result of the misbehavior of another person.  Therefore, this scripture indicates that causing the death of an unborn child is to be punished as severely as causing the death of a pregnant woman.