The value of a human life, according to God.
Throughout Scripture, God affirms the value of every human life—from children in the womb to the elderly.
At the moment of conception, development of a human being begins, when the sperm from the father merges with the egg from the mother.
A fetal heartbeat may first be detected by a vaginal ultrasound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after conception. That’s when a fetal pole, the first visible sign of a developing embryo, can sometimes be seen. But between 6 1/2 to 7 weeks after gestation, a heartbeat can be better assessed.
Within a span of 9 months, development progresses from a single cell into a zygote and then into an embryo and fetus.
The fetus is connected to the mother through the umbilical cord and the placenta, which allow the fetus and mother to exchange nourishment and waste. The fetus is protected by the amniotic sac.
God is involved in the miracle of pregnancy before conception and during the entire gestation period.
Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
God told Jeremiah that He had great plans for him before he was conceived. God being God, knows who will be conceived in the future and has plans for their lives.
Psalm 139:13-16 NLT
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. [14] Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it. [15] You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. [16] You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Society’s justification for abortion.
I have reproductive rights.
Only before conception. At that time your reproductive rights are null and void. Now God is creating and developing a person.
I can choose what to do with my body.
Your kidney is part of your body, your lung is part of your body, your eye is part of your body and yes you can choose what to do with your body. However at conception you become a caretaker for a person being created. You are responsible for protecting and nourishing the baby during the pregnancy. At delivery, the baby and placenta leaves the mother. You don’t pass a kidney or a lung. Your body is intact just like it was before conception. Therefore the baby is not part of your body.
My life is at risk.
Abortion becomes a decision of mother and father with their doctor’s diagnosis if the mother’s life is truly at risk. A second medical opinion should be considered before this life and death decision is made.
It is not human until birth.
An argument that is so absurd that addressing it here seems senseless. If the baby during the entire gestation period was not disturbed, what would it be called at birth? It would be called a baby boy or girl, a person, a human being. It would not be a monkey, dog or a cat. It would be born a person. So, logically speaking, if the baby was aborted during the pregnancy at any stage a human life was terminated. That is murder, plain and simple.
God says:
Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT
There are six things the LORD hates- no, seven things he detests: [17] haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, [18] a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, [19] a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
Isaiah 5:20 NLT
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Matthew 18:14 NLT
In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Proverbs 24:11-12 NLT
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. [12] Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
Matthew 19:18 NLT
“Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely.
Exodus 20:13 NLT
“You must not murder.
Genesis 9:5-6 NLT
“And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. [6] If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.
Exodus 21:22-25 NLT
“Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. [23] But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, [24] an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, [25] a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
Genesis 1:27 NLT
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Romans 1:28-32 NLT
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. [29] Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. [30] They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. [31] They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. [32] They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Job 31:15 NLT
For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb.
There are alternatives to abortion if the situation in a person’s life does not allow them to care for a baby. Check out Focus on the Family and Life Line. Links to their websites below.
Focus on the Family – Alternatives to Abortion: Pregnancy Resource Centers
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/alternatives-to-abortion-pregnancy-resource-centers/
Alternatives to Abortion: Life Line
https://lifelinewilmington.com
As stated above, abortion is murder in God’s eyes. However, God is forgiving God.
1 John 1:8-10 NLT
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
If you had an abortion and confess your sin to God, He will forgive and cleanse you for that sin. The hard part is forgiving yourself. You may carry that guilt and regret with you for the rest of your life.
You cannot focus on yesterday, it has past. You cannot focus on tomorrow, it is not here yet and you are not guaranteed it.
Focus on today, and rest on God’s promise of forgiveness and His love for you.