Is Abortion Wrong? Yes, and Here’s Why.

Is Abortion Wrong? Yes, and Here’s Why.

1. Medical science has clearly demonstrated that human life begins at conception. As soon as the DNA from the mother’s egg and father’s sperm unite, a new human life begins. All of the genetic information which describes what that child will look like is already there. From that moment on, a new human being is alive and growing. Clearly, to abort that child, would be to take a human life.

2. If you even think that your baby might be a human being, then it would be wrong to have an abortion.

What if a deer hunter heard something rustling behind a bush, and shot at it without knowing if it was a deer or a person? Would that be right? Of course not.

Even President Obama, who has tragically promoted abortion more than any other president in American history, said that he did not know exactly when an preborn baby becomes a person. When asked by Pastor Rick Warren at what point a baby gets "human rights," (i.e., should be considered a person under the law) he answered, "…whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity…is above my pay grade."

If President Obama doesn’t know the answer to the question, then by promoting abortion, isn’t he just like a hunter shooting at something without knowing whether or not it is a person or a deer? Since that is the case, it is clearly not only irresponsible, but immoral for him to be promoting abortion.

3. The Bible clearly indicates that God considers your baby to be a human being and a person. Since this is the case, to abort your baby would be to break the tenth commandment: "Thou shalt not kill." How do we know that God considers your baby to be a person with the same rights as any other human being? Because of the following bible verses:

Exodus 21:22-23 "If men who are fighting 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."

Notice that God worded this command in such a way as to protect both the mother and the child, in case either of them was hurt. This verse clearly shows us that God regards a preborn baby to be a human being and a person. Not only that, but He considers the life and health of the baby to be just as important as that of the person who injured the child. If the mother or baby died as a result of the man’s careless action, then his life was to be taken too. If the mother or baby lost a hand as a result of the man’s recklessness, then the man’s hand was to be cut off. Why? God considered the preborn baby’s life to be just as important as that of the man who hurt him or her.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

God is all-knowing. He knows the future. He knew that your baby would be conceived long before it ever happened, and already has made plans for your baby. Before your baby was conceived, God already determined your child’s sex, eye color, hair color, complexion, talents and abilities. Your baby is not a part of you, or a lump of tissue, like a tumor that it is okay to cut out. Your baby is a unique individual, distinct from you. Your baby has his or her own genetic code that is different from yours. Yes, your baby is a unique person who was designed and planned by God before conception. If you were to abort your baby, you would ruin God’s plans for his or her life.

God planned that Jeremiah would be an important prophet before he was ever born. Who knows what plans God has for your baby? Consider the following people, for instance, who were born out of wedlock:

Confucius: His mother was a young girl, and his father was a military commander. Confucius brought great moral teachings to the Chinese people that are also found in the Bible. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, he gave the Chinese people a teaching very similar to the Golden Rule that Jesus was to later gave us. It is often called the Silver Rule: Don’t do anything to someone that you would not want done to you. The moral teachings of Confucius enabled many people to live happier lives, and helped to civilize China. What if Confucius’ mother had taken herbs to abort her baby? Think of how much more awful things would have been for the Chinese people if that had happened!

Thomas Paine: He is called "the father of the American Revolution" because of his books and pamphlets which advocated independence from Britain. His words greatly inspired the American people on to victory.

Alexander Hamilton: He was one of the great leaders of the American Revolution and became U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

Who knows what God’s plans are for your baby? Perhaps your baby will become a great leader like Confucius, Thomas Paine, or Alexander Hamilton. Perhaps he will be a heroic soldier who will save the lives of many people in battle. Maybe your baby will be a singer with a lovely voice that will delight countless people. Your baby could become a scientist who will find a cure for a deadly form of cancer. Your baby might be a loving wife and mother who will make a man and some children very happy.

And just think of how much babies enrich our lives! Just one sweet smile from your baby while standing in line at the supermarket could make some lonely elderly person’s day. And, of course, your baby will bring so much joy to your life!

But if you abort your baby, it will ruin God’s wonderful plans for your child. You will never know how many lives that child would have touched and enriched. The world may be a much sadder place without your child!

Luke 1:15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb."

Luke 1:41a "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb…."

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb. Clearly, this could not have happened if he was not a person, could it? Just like him, your baby is also a person, capable of joy and emotions, even while in the womb.

Questions, Objections, and Answers

Question: Okay, you have convinced me that abortion is wrong. But I am not married, and I am afraid of how my parents and my friends will react when they find out I am pregnant. What should I do?

Answer: Whatever you do, if you believe that abortion is wrong, don’t go for advice to someone who thinks, or who might think that abortion is okay. All that person will do is encourage you to do something you will regret and feel guilty about for the rest of your life. Instead, go to someone who believes just as you do, that abortion is wrong. That person will be much more likely to give you the support and encouragement you need. In particular, we encourage you to call a crisis pregnancy center. They are staffed by loving, caring people who want to help you and your baby. They will give you advice on how to best tell your parents. They will help you afford to pay for your baby’s prenatal care and birth. They will also help you with your needs after the baby is born.

Go to http://www.covenantnews.com/pregnant/ for a list of crisis pregnancy centers.

Objection: I already have one or more children and I just don’t know if I can handle the burden of raising another. Plus, I don’t know if I can love another child as much.

Answer: Being parents of seven children, we can tell you from experience that the joy and enrichment a child brings outweigh the extra work or "burden" they may be. We have found that our capacity to love has increased with each child; God gives you more love. Our life would seem so much more empty without any of our children. Each one of them has brought us so much joy!

Objection: I know that I cannot be a responsible parent yet. I am too young, or my life is simply too messed up!

Answer: Please consider adoption. Many young mothers say, "I just don’t think that I could give up my baby for adoption," and then proceed to abort their babies! What a selfish thing to do! That is definitely putting yourself above your baby. Let your baby live! Give your baby the opportunity to live a full and happy life with an adoptive mother and father who can give your child all the love and support he or she needs. There are many couples out there who would make wonderful parents, but simply are unable to have children. You could make that couple and your baby very happy by permitting them to adopt. That would be a wonderful, selfless thing for you to do. If you will contact one of the crisis pregnancy centers in the link above, they can help you with your pregnancy, and help you to place your baby for adoption with loving parents.

Objection: If I have a baby it will mess up my career plans.

Answer: Being a mother is much more fulfilling and satisfying than any career could be.

When it comes down to it, which is more important? Your child or your career? An old and very true saying is "people are more important than things." We regard anyone who considers things to be more important than people as a selfish person.

Is it right to kill a person so that you can have a thing? Of course not! That is one of the most selfish things anyone could ever do.

When you die, you will leave a legacy. A legacy is "something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past," Do you want the legacy that you bequeath to those around you to be, "Love your children." or "Sacrifice your children on the altar of your career."?

We encourage you to do the right thing, the selfless thing, and love your baby more than you love your career, which is only a thing.

Objection: I am being pressured by someone to have an abortion.

Answer: Don't do it! If you compromise your convictions and abort your baby, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Stand your ground. It is more important for you to obey God, than to obey man. Pray to God for courage and strength. He will give it to you. Call a crisis pregnancy center from the link above, and they will help you and encourage you. If someone is threatening to harm you if you keep your baby, don't hesitate to call the police to protect yourself.

As an assistant pastor, I and my wife once visited a young mother in the hospital who was being strongly pressured by doctors and nurses to have an abortion, because she had such severe nausea during her pregnancy that she had to be hospitalized and placed on an IV. They told her that her baby would probably not be healthy because of malnourishment. We encouraged her to stand her ground, and prayed for her and the baby. She did stand her ground, and guess what? Her baby was born perfectly healthy!

Objection: I was raped.

Answer: Was your baby the one who committed the rape? Why punish an innocent little baby for what his or her father did? Your baby cannot help how he or she was conceived. The father is guilty, so it is the father who should be punished, not the baby. God can bring good (your baby) out of even terrible things.

One rape victim who had an abortion said: "Now, nearly five years removed from the decision to have my abortion, I can say with some certainty that I regret it to the fullest extent possible. My heart hurts deeply with the wounds that came from my assault. But the pain of knowing that I will never meet my child hurts more deeply. While I continue to wonder how I could have coped with having a baby from rape, I know that killing him did nothing to heal my pain." You may read more of her story at http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/24/abortion-after-my-rape-just-added-to-my-pain-guilt/.

If you feel that you simply cannot raise the child, then please, give the baby up for adoption.

- Rusty & Julie Entrekin

Rusty Entrekin is a theology graduate of Louisiana College. He and his wife Julie have seven children, with four still at home, and four grandchildren. Currently, he resides in Kennesaw, GA. He writes apologetic and theological articles to help people come to know Christ and grow closer to the Lord.