by Edgar Pearlstein Lincoln, Nebraska

The Bible doesn't explicitly mention abortion; so we have to be indirect, and see what it says about some of the arguments used in the dispute. Opponents of abortion say that:

(a) Human life, for moral purposes, begins at conception. (Biological or legal definitions are not relevant here.)

(b) Human life is sacred.

The idea that human life begins at conception just isn't supported in the Bible, and sacredness of human life is contradicted all over. So people who consider abortion to be murder might be shocked to learn that they are thereby in disagreement with the Bible!

In several places the Bible defines life as breathing, and I found no place where it defines life otherwise. For example, Genesis 2:7, which also defines the entrance of the soul: “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul”. Other references are Ezekiel 37:10, I Kings 17:17-21, and James 2:26. Since a fetus doesn't breathe, it isn't life and doesn't have a soul, according to biblical definition.

Additional evidence that a fetus is considered to be less than a human life is that the biblical penalty for causing a miscarriage is only a fine to be paid to the woman's husband (I don't know what is to be done if she doesn't have a husband!), while for an injury to a born person, it is life for life, eye for eye, etc. (Exodus 21:22-25, Leviticus 24:17-21). Even an infant under the age of one month is considered to be worth a lot less than an adult (Leviticus 27:1-8, Numbers 3:15,28,34,39,40,43). Also, the god once punished David by killing his newborn son (II Samuel 12:14-19); so apparently the right-to-life of the infant was not important.

The sanctity of life, born or “unborn”, is denied in many places. Two examples: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling....” (I Samuel 15:3), “they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.” (Hosea 13:16)

A lot of the discussion on abortion has to do with “illegitimate” pregnancies. An adulterous woman is to be killed (Lev.20:10); with no mention of an exception if she is pregnant. And “A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even unto the tenth generation..” (Deut. 23:2). So according to the Bible neither the fetus nor the born child is worthy of much consideration.

Note also that Jesus talked of being born again. He didn't say conceived again.

Some quotes that anti-abortion people use out of context: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee..” (Jeremiah 1:5) This is claimed to show that the “soul” starts at conception. But reading the entire chapter, including the remainder of the sentence quoted, it's clear that the god is talking specifically to Jeremiah, not to the entire human race, as he is telling him that he was born to be a prophet.

“...he hath blessed thy children within thee.” (Psalms 147:13). Again, this is supposed to mean that human life begins before birth; i.e. that a fetus is the same as a child. But read the rest of the psalm, and see that thee refers to the city of Jerusalem, not pregnant women!