ABORTION
INTRODUCTION Abortion is a controversial topic that sharply divides two camps: The Pro-choicers and the Pro-lifers. The Pro-choicers believe that a woman should not be maligned for her choice, and the Pro-lifers believe that women should be discouraged from having an elective abortion. This issue is so divisive that even some church congregations can find themselves split on opposite sides of the fence.
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES Although the Bible doesn't directly state "Thou shalt not have an elective abortion", there are many scriptural references one should meditate on when abortion is being considered:
This Scripture makes no distinctions as to how far along the pregnancy is, or whether it is the mother or the baby that gets hurt, thus encompassing every outcome of the situation. Although this situation doesn't exactly involve an elective abortion, it reveals that God regards the life of an unborn child as equal to someone to has been born.
These Scriptures show that nothing really belongs to us, God owns everything, even our very lives. Since everything includes...well...everything, this means that the life of the unborn child belongs to God as well.
These Scriptures clearly show that God is the producer of the life in the womb. Scripture also tells us that the gift of childbearing comes from God Himself:
Unfortunately, many continue to disregard these scriptural facts, continuing to hold to the "my body, my choice" concept. However, these ones fail to realize that an embryo is a separate body from the mother because of the DNA factor: As soon as the egg is fertilized it becomes an embryo with DNA from something other than the mother (as from the father's sperm), causing the DNA of the embryo to actually be different from the mother's. If this weren't true, then all embryos would have to be exact clones of their mothers. Since the embryo has it's own unique DNA, it is not a part of the mother's body, thus not really her choice. This is supported by the these simple facts:
Plainly, the embryo is NOT a part of the mother's body, nor her choice to remove. Removing it through elective abortion is the same as pulling the tubes and wires out of a person on life support without their consent. Another thing to consider is that the embryo has completely human DNA; i.e. it isn't developing into anything else, it is thoroughly human.
EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT By the time a woman discovers she is pregnant, this little human already has a brain, heartbeat, and is growing. By ten weeks it already has fingers, toes, bones, and more. Although very young and very small, this little embryo is capable of realizing danger, and feeling pain; facts proven by authentic video footage showing that an embryo is aware of the invading abortion instrument, and clearly tries to dodge the object. As the object dismembers the embryo, it can be seen actually silently screaming in pain as it is being sliced to pieces. This video footage can be found at the following link:
RAPE, INCEST, AND ABUSE Scripture makes it clear that children are a gift and a blessing from God. Even if the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or sexual abuse, God still loves the little life growing in the womb. Remember, the unborn child is as much a victim of the crime as the woman is -- God continues to love them both. We aren't saying that God orders the rape; nor are we saying that God causes a rape to result in pregnancy. However, although He doesn't cause the pregnancy, He may not necessarily prevent it either. The unwanted pregnancy can become a blessing for a childless couple seeking to adopt a child. The child may even grow to become a signifcant person: Doctor, scientist, emergency worker, etc. ...only God knows the reason for allowing the pregnancy to continue. By allowing the unwanted pregnancy to continue, the woman is actually experiencing the privilege of being used as an instrument of God, even if she doesn't know the outcome of the child's life.
CONCLUSION Although the convenience of discarding an unwanted pregnancy may be a tempting option, it is important to consider all of this information: The fact that God actually owns the unborn child, the pain felt by a baby being torn to pieces, the love God feels for the pregnant woman as well as the unborn child, and the way God can transform the situation into a blessing. Please consider your choice carefully. Make a choice that won't jeopardize your relationship with God. He will care for you through the pregnancy, He will be sure you get whatever help you need. Trust Him, even when you don't understand what His plan is. For more discussion on this topic, please see the blog post here.
Crisis Pregnancy Links: Abortion Changes You.com
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