THOUGHTS ON THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
This Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, which marks the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The National Sanctity of Human Life Day is (usually) the third Sunday of the New Year (last weekend we celebrated the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) The date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1984.
This issue of the sanctity of human life continues to be a very divisive issue in our nation. There are a variety of opinions—even among those most likely to read this blog.
● Some would say abortion is wrong all the time, no matter what.
● Some would say they are personally opposed to abortion, but the final choice should be left to the mother.
● Some would say it’s wrong but permissible under certain circumstances.
● Some would say it should be legal up to a particular point in the pregnancy.
● Some would say that it should always be legal and that it’s not morally wrong.
In addition to being a divisive issue, the sanctity of human life is also a very sensitive issue. There are probably people who will read this who have either HAD an abortion or who have HELPED (or been complicit in helping) someone obtain an abortion.
Abortion has touched my life twice. When I was in high school, I helped a friend obtain an abortion (I was not the father). She told her parents she would be at a friend’s house for the weekend and another friend and I drove her to a clinic where the abortion was performed. Another time (before I was a Christian) a young woman I was dating told me after-the-fact that she had chosen to abort our baby. At the time I was relieved.
Although I do think that it would be helpful and wise to have further conversation regarding those rare and nuanced instances when an abortion is carried out in the setting of rape, incest and medical complications during pregnancy, the following statement by Greg Koukl[1] is an excellent thesis statement to apply in the vast majority of instances: “If the unborn are not human, no justification for elective abortion is necessary. Yet if the unborn are human, no justification for elective abortion is adequate”.
For many women (and men) who have chosen abortion along the way, there can be a lot of sadness, guilt, and shame that might be permanently present. You might even be reading this having had an abortion that no one in your life is even aware of. According to Scripture, God offers you complete and total forgiveness and freedom as you confess and repent (as I have). And, if you would like to talk to someone and/or receive prayer, please let myself or Pastor Tina know and we will arrange the appropriate connections.
God is a God of mercy, restoration, and renewal. The issues surrounding the sanctity of human life may seem to be complex, but as we look to both Scripture and science, I think we will find that the issue itself is not as complex as some would have us believe.
The Great Commandment found in Matthew 22:37-40, becomes an excellent place to start for considering the primary focus of the Christian’s life and has implications for this discussion.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
For the sincere follower of Jesus, all of life flows out of our call to love God supremely and then to love people completely. God desires to use His people and His Church to bring about restoration and renewal.
With that said, I’d like to consider some Biblical perspectives as well as some scientific findings with implications for what it means to be pro-life from the womb to the tomb. But, let me be clear that the scientific arena is NOT my area of expertise so my comments will be more general. Finally, I want to cite a few verses and thoughts regarding how to have a compassionate conversation with someone who has a very different viewpoint than yours. The verses, as well as my comments, will be applicable to other areas of disagreement (including theological issues) whether in our church or in the larger culture in the setting of the political brokenness we are experiencing.
Let’s take them one at a time:
Scripture
● “…Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5). The unborn are known by God and have been set apart for a purpose.
● “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16, emphasis added).
● John the Baptist “will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).
When Elizabeth and Mary met when they were both pregnant two things happened: 1) Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (1:41) and “The baby leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:44). What is detailed in the above passages is a distinct human person that is cognitive in the womb, which makes Ephesians 1:4a (which we addressed last Sunday in our Ephesians series) even more poignant: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
It certainly seems clear from Scripture that God sees the unborn as human beings, created in God’s image and created by God’s hand in the womb, and the unborn are to be treated as such. They are to be prized and protected.
Science
There is really just one question that we need to answer: “What is the unborn?” Other ways to ask the same question include, “When does life begin?” “Does life begin at conception?” “Does life begin at the second trimester?” “The third trimester?” “Does life begin at birth?”
As stated above, IF the unborn are NOT individual humans, then an abortion is no big deal. An abortion is no different than having a cyst or a tumor removed. However, if the unborn ARE humans, it is extremely difficult to justify an abortion.
If an abortion is going to be performed, it should be conclusively proven that no harm is being done to another “human being”. It would be reasonable to apply the same standard to this issue that we use in our court system. Pro-choice advocates should be able to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the pre-born child in the womb is not yet a human being and be able to define the developmental landmark at which they do become a human being.
At conception, the sperm with 23 chromosomes unites with an egg with 23 chromosomes to form a distinct entity–the zygote that has 46 chromosomes. This is the same number as adult humans and is sufficient to direct the entire development of a member of the human species. This “product of conception” (as some abortion providers describe the unborn) is a complete and genetically unique entity distinct from its human parents. This new single-cell human being immediately produces specifically human proteins and enzymes, and genetically directs his or her own growth and development. In fact, this genetic growth and development has been proven not to be directed by the mother.[2] The zygote contains the entire genetic blueprint that accounts for every detail of human development—sex, hair color, eye color, height, and skin tone, and even personality traits. This new human being, the single-cell human zygote, is biologically an individual, a living organism and an individual member of the human species.[3] Additionally, the 9th edition (2015) embryology textbook, Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects states this: “The zygote and early embryo are living human organisms.”[4]
Probably the greatest scientific breakthrough regarding the sanctity of human life has been the advancement of the ultrasound and the resulting sonogram. While all ultrasound machines use soundwaves and computer software to ultimately create an image of a developing baby, the result accurately reflects the reality in the womb. The most recent advancements allow medical staff and the parents to see remarkably clear and sharp images with ever-increasing definition and resolution. During pregnancy, an ultrasound is usually performed at 7-8 weeks of gestation. At this time, the heartbeat can be detected and due dates can be established by measuring the “crown to rump” length of the developing embryo. By the end of the 10th week of pregnancy, the developing infant is no longer considered an embryo–it is now called a “fetus”. It will remain a fetus until birth. Another ultrasound is typically done at 20 weeks’ gestation and shows the active fetus in the womb clasping his or her hands, sucking his or her thumb, stretching, getting the hiccups, and/or covering his or her ears from a loud sound nearby.[5]
Scientifically, it certainly seems that human life is a continuum beginning at conception and ending at death. Both Scripture and science seem to indicate that from the moment of conception human life exists and does not cease to exist until that person dies. The baby is not just a part of the woman’s body, the baby is a unique human person within and supported by the woman’s body. I hope you can see the difference.
Humble, Prayerful and Compassionate Dialogue
A few thoughts regarding how to have a conversation with someone who has a very different view than yours:
Consider asking to hear and then listen sincerely to the person’s perspective and story, including their understanding of the facts. Acknowledge and empathize with where they’re coming from. If God provides the opportunity you might begin by sharing The Great Commandment (see above).
Every unborn child is our “neighbor”. Not only is the unborn child our neighbor but so are the mother and father. Followers of Jesus and churches MUST be willing to come alongside single moms with crisis pregnancies or struggling couples/families who simply do not see how they can carry a baby to term and/or afford the hospital cost, let alone the cost of raising a child.[6] We cannot simply relegate this important issue to our politicians and/or social service systems.
We also need continued conversations on both a local as well as a national level related to one of the main objections that women have. They (collectively) don’t trust men to tell them what to do with their bodies. Women have endured various forms of abusive patriarchy (which I understand to be distinct from a complementarian view, and I believe to be anti-gospel) for literally millennia—both outside as well as inside the Church. There needs to be a humble reckoning where the Church (and men specifically) repents and acknowledges this as a sinful pattern and proactively seeks to rebuild trust and care by honoring uniquely female contributions and partnerships in the gospel.
Additionally, during and after the most recent Supreme Court decision (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 2022), a main concern of pro-abortion activists was (is?) while Evangelicals may be anti-abortion, we do not seem to be pro-life regarding other social issues. The Church must have its own serious dialogue regarding what it looks like to be pro-life from cradle to grave including issues surrounding social services, the death penalty and “death with dignity” laws.
I have experienced HRAC seeking to be a church that honors these principles. We have several foster parents, adoptive parents, and even one who made the choice to be a surrogate. I am grateful to serve a church with a commitment to being pro-life from the womb to the tomb.
A few final thoughts: Jesus taught His followers to be an alternate society in which sex, money, and power are to be used in life-giving ways that differ sharply from the practices of the broader culture. We need to acknowledge and be repentant over the reality that the public trust in the Church and in pastors is at an all-time low. Even though the vast majority of pastors are humble and dedicated servants, this mistrust is warranted because of the many high-profile, catastrophic moral failures in the church around money, power, and (most relevant to abortion) abusive sexual misconduct. What would it look like to “walk our talk” as we stand up for the dignity and rights of the most at-risk of the human population—the unborn.
In a current article in Christianity Today, Russell More writes, “We live in an age when the church in America needs to relinquish its anxiety about public influence so that it can be rebuilt as a moral community. The theologian Stanley Hauerwas’s quip that the first responsibility of the church is to be the church has always made intuitive sense to me.”
Agreed.
Along the way in our relationships with family, friends, and co-workers who do not hold or express a Christian worldview, we will hear them articulate a plethora of reasons why they find the Christian faith difficult to embrace: It may be the Biblical ethic of marriage being a covenant between one man and one woman for one lifetime. It may be the Christian view of sexual morality which states that sexual union should be reserved for marriage. It may be gender issues related to sexual identity. Or, it may be because of not understanding God’s purpose in allowing pain and suffering. It may be because of our pro-life stance. While we cannot apologize for where Scripture is clear in these areas, we CAN apologize for how these Scriptures have been used as a club by some to demand that society conforms to our Biblical perspective and principles, even when we have not lived-up to our own standards. Oftentimes people outside the church do not sense a Great Commandment infused love coming from us or our churches.
In closing let me suggest to you that the questions of sex ethic, morality, the problem of pain and suffering, or a pro life stance do not address the REALLY important and essential question…
The most essential question will always be, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” If Jesus rose from the dead, then we need to humbly and prayerfully engage all that He said and then deal with the implications; if He didn’t rise from the dead, then we are free to pick and choose principles that He taught that seem right in our own eyes.
The issue on which EVERYTHING hangs is not whether or not you understand, or even like all of the teachings of the Bible, but whether or not Jesus rose from the dead.”[7]
[1] Precious Unborn Human Persons, Stand to Reason 2014: 7. Koukl is a Christian apologist, radio talk show host, author, speaker, and the founder of the Christian apologetics organization Stand to Reason.
[2] Holtzer et al., "Induction-dependent and lineage-dependent models for cell-diversification are mutually exclusive," Progress in Clinical Biological Research 175:3-11 (1985); also similar work by, e.g., F. Mavilio, C. Hart.
[3] Dianne N. Irving, M.A., Ph.D. WHEN DO HUMAN BEINGS BEGIN? “SCIENTIFIC” MYTHS AND SCIENTIFIC FACTS, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 1999, 19:3/4:22-36.
[4] Keith L. Moore & T.V.N. Persaud. Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects, W.B. Saunders Company, 9th edition 2015: 500.
[5] See “Fetal Development,” MedlinePlus, accessed January 21, 2011, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm; and “Your Pregnancy Week by Week: Weeks 17-20,” WebMD, accessed March 15, 2011, http://www.webmd.com/baby/ guide/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-17-20?page=2.
[6] According to a 2017 (6-years ago!) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is $233,610. With inflation, that would be about $284,570.
[7] Adapted from Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.