Abortion in scripture

WARNING: This article contains very graphic language detailing what happens during an abortion. This is not for the faint of heart.

In January, 2011 a Philadelphia abortion doctor was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder. The district attorney said that the doctor “induced labor, forced the live birth of viable babies in the sixth, seventh, eighth month of pregnancy and then killed those babies by cutting into the back of the neck with scissors and severing their spinal cord.” The Philadelphia district attorney rightly accused this man of murder (assuming the allegations are true). My question is, why is it murder if the baby is outside the womb but not if the baby is inside the womb?

Let me explain my position. Here is what actually happens in an abortion:

• “Dr. Johnson had gotten the baby’s body out by now and was searching for the head. This largest part of the baby’s body is usually the last to come out. The head must be located and crushed before it can pass through the cervix. Usually it is first deflated – by suctioning out the brain and all the other contents.” (Blood Money, by Carol Everett, page 11. Carol formerly ran an abortion clinic, but is now a Christian fighting against abortion)

• “Dilation & Extraction [a method of abortion] — Then an ultrasound device and forceps are used to reach in and grab the baby’s feet. The little body is pulled downward until just the head remains in the cervix. Next the abortionist grasps the nape of the neck and cuts open the back of the skull with blunt scissors. A device called a cannula is then inserted into the wound and the brain material is sucked out. If kidneys or other organs are desired, they are removed while the child is still partially in the vagina. Initially at least, these surgical procedures are performed on a live baby who has not specifically been anesthetized (although the mother’s medication may reduce some of the pain). (Annihilating Abortion Arguments, Hank Hanegraaff, Christian Research Institute apologetic)

Yes, I know this is gruesome, but it is actually what happens when a child is murdered while still in the womb. Do you see how similar this form of murder is to the Philadelphia doctor’s method? Yet, this goes on every day in America, but, because of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, it’s completely legal.

The word of God tells us this type of cruelty comes about as a result of man’s depravity. Romans 1:

“25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (my emphasis added)

This is the result of exchanging the truth of God for a lie, for suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Note that God tells us this results, in part, in murder (v. 29). Not only that, those who know that these things are wrong and that people who do such things are worthy of death, the depraved mind gives “hearty approval to those who practice them”. It’s obvious we know these things are wrong, because we arrest people who do these things to babies outside the womb. But when it comes to the same action done inside the womb, the depraved mind actually approves! Does this not describe America (and every other country in which abortion is legal)?

When people exchange God’s truth and suppress it in unrighteousness, it should be no surprise that society becomes degenerate. Note that Romans 1 does not say that God punishes a nation for doing certain things (such as abortion/murder, or even homosexuality). Rather, God turns people over to a depraved mind when they do not acknowledge Him as God (v. 28). That is to say, these kinds of degenerate things happen because God is not acknowledged. God desires to be glorified, and He will not share His glory with another. He says plainly in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” We are seeing this depravity writ large in the world on a daily basis, because the world does not acknowledge God as God.

So, what’s a Christian to do? In America, God has given us a government that allows for our voices to be heard, so let’s let our government leaders know that we want to see abortion made illegal. However, the most important thing we can do is pray. Pray that God would have mercy, and that He would bring a revival. Pray that God would make His church bold in preaching the gospel, that many would be saved. We cannot force people to change, nor can we legislate morality; indeed, people cannot even change their own hearts. Jeremiah 13:23 says it well, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.” The point being that those who are accustomed to doing evil cannot do good. Only a God given heart of flesh, a born again spirit, will want to see righteousness practiced. This is why we must preach the gospel. We can also rest in the assurance that, despite the degeneracy we witness and hear about on a daily basis, we know that this is not our home, we are just passing through. Any day now, the Lord Jesus will return, so let us all be ready. Even so, come Lord Jesus!