What does the Bible teach about abortion?

One of the most sensitive issues in society today is the discussion of abortion – or the needless taking of an unborn child’s life.  Many people believe abortion should fall into the same category as murder and no one should ever have an abortion, even if it involves saving the mother’s life.  On the other extreme, many groups try to legitimize all abortions by trying to say everything centers solely on the reproductive rights of the mother, while ignoring any of the potential atrocities affecting the child in the womb.  Then you have a broad spectrum of people – in the center position of the issue – who believe that Scripture teaches abortion is wrong, many of whom also believe abortion should only be permitted in cases of incest, rape or to grave danger to the mother’s life.

In the Old Testament, one of the Ten Commandments includes the following commandment – “Thou shalt not murder.” (Exodus 20:13 NIV)  On the contrary, other parts of Scripture only teach against the needless taking of an unborn life, rather than having any direct commandments against it.  For example, the next chapter of Exodus seems to indicate that a child born prematurely, as the result of the mother getting hit during a fight, is treated the same as a regular person with the below words.

 

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.  But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21:22-25 NIV, italics added for emphasis)

  

However, to add to the confusion, various Bible versions often have varying translations of the words giving “birth prematurely.”  As a result, some people tend to have differing interpretations on the context of the words…whether they mean having stillbirth, a miscarriage resulting in the death of the unborn child, or an actual premature birth.  For example, the New Revised Standard Version uses the following words.

“When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman’s husband demands, paying as much as the judges determine.  If any harm follows, then 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. (Exodus 21:22-25 NRSV, italics added for emphasis)

To make things more complicated, there were also various Old Testament laws concerning chastity that had punishments of death for any violators – which unfortunately had no provisions for saving the life of any unborn children who may have been conceived as a result of any of these prohibited sexual encounters.  In other words, many innocent children still in the womb of the mothers were often killed – not murdered – as a result of the sins of their parents.  Listed below are a few of the laws concerning marriage violations.

“If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,’ then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin...If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.  She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house.  You must purge the evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 22:13-15, 20-21, NIV)

“If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die.  You must purge the evil from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22, NIV)

“If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife.  You must purge the evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 22:23-24, NIV)

In verses 25 through 27 of Deuteronomy chapter 22, Moses also included a law that any man who raped a woman was subject to the penalty of death.  Additionally, Moses dedicated most of Chapter 18 in the Book of Leviticus to laws teaching against incest with family members and the negative connotations associated with such behaviors.

On a positive note, there are several verses throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible that mention God knowing and consecrating people before they were even born.  In the Book of Luke, the angel Gabriel spoke to Zechariah and said their son John [the Baptist] would be filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born, evident by the baby leaping in Elizabeth’s womb.

“But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.  He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born…When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:13-15, 41 NIV)

Realistically, most people who have ever had children would never want to give them up, let alone imagine what their life would be like without them.  Unfortunately, many people make hard decisions everyday – and sometimes wrong decisions, that they often regret – regarding the future of children in the wombs of their respective mothers.  Overall, most reasons for present day abortions are wrong in so many ways.  Still, believers need to remember that abortion is not an unpardonable sin and they should have empathy for people who may have remorse for making such difficult decisions in the past.

In summary, Scripture does not have any direct commands against abortion.  However, it teaches about the importance of preserving the sanctity of life and the needless taking of another life, even the life of a child in a mother’s womb.  Scripture also teaches about the negative connotations associated with rape and incest.  Therefore, church leaders should empathetically teach against having abortions in most situations, while at the same time allowing individual believers to be led by the Lord in their decisions concerning abortions which may involve rape, incest and/or grave danger to the mother’s life…as well as encouraging adoptions as an alternative, when possible.