Hot Topic – Week 4 – Is Abortion Wrong?
Genesis 1:26-31
August 21, 2022
There are a lot of Hot Topics in our news and media right now and one of them is abortion. While things have cooled down just a little bit since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, I can guarantee you that things will begin to heat up very soon again with midterm elections right around the corner and the Presidential elections not that far behind.
Just to give you a little history that I found on abortion. Originally, abortion was legal in the United States before what they called, “quickening”. “Quickening” was when the woman could first feel movement of the baby in the womb. This is generally around the fourth month of pregnancy.
According to the History Channel, regulations were first introduced in the 1820s and 30s mainly because of the drugs that were being sold for abortions were dangerous and fatal at times. Criminalization of abortion began to come around in the 1850s. The American Medical Association didn’t really have a medical reason it was really trying to eliminate the competition from midwives.
Others were also concerned that immigrants would have more babies that white protestant women and so they should not be able to abort their babies. 1869 saw the Catholic Church ban abortion at any stage of pregnancy and by the 1880s abortion was illegal in most of the United States.
By 1950 abortion was illegal in every state except when necessary to save the mother’s life. The feminist movement in the 1960s began to see some change in views of abortion and loosening of laws in some states. 1960s the Supreme Court ruled on some cases ruling that laws pertaining to restricting birth control violated the right to privacy and began to pave the way for Roe v. Wade. States also began to legalize abortion and at the time of Roe abortion was legal in Hawaii, Alaska, New York and Washington.
Thirty one states however still held abortion to be illegal with the only exception being to save the life of the mother. This was the case in the state of Texas where Roe v. Wade would originate. In 1970 attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of Jane McCorvey known as Jane Roe, and all other women, “who were or might become pregnant and want to consider all options.” The suit was filed against the District Attorney of Dallas County and it would eventually make its way to the Supreme Court. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision, struck down the Texas law opening the way to legalizing abortion nationwide.
Later states would begin to impose restrictions on abortion as the debate would rage on over the rights of the woman verses the rights of the unborn life. In 2022 the case Dobbs. V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization would make its way to the Supreme Court. Without getting too deep into this the right to make abortion decisions was returned back to the states so each state now makes its own laws when it comes to abortion. As you all know whether you applaud that decision or think it is appalling it for sure has caused a lot of ruckus around the United States.
With that said I get the privilege or challenge of talking about this subject this morning. Whichever side of the issue you are on I simply ask that we all listen to the Word of God with an open mind. We digest and wade through what it has to say. I also pray that as always we reserve judgment for God and not for us. If you agree or disagree with me this morning I don’t love you any more or any less. Together we wade through the Word of God and it challenges us in our everyday lives, together. Scripture is my truth and guide and so if you don’t believe in the words of scripture you might have a harder time with this today.
So let’s crack open our Bibles and keep them handy, I will also have various passages up on the screen as well. First this morning I want us to look at Genesis 1:26-31.
So nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Thou shall not have an abortion.” What I want to do this morning is to uncover what God thinks about his creation, when does scripture indicate that life begins and how does it all fit together with God’s law.
What we see here in Genesis that it is God that is the one that created man. All the way back in the beginning it was God that created male and female, Adam and Eve if you will. This was not just another creation of his however. This was a creation in his own image. Man(female) is special. Everything that God had made to this point had been good but this creation of male and female, no this was different.
Man was made in the image of God. We are God’s greatest creation. Man was given the ability to reason unlike animals. Man was given dominion over all of the rest of creation but most important thing to recognize is that male and female are special to God, not that all creation isn’t but he chose to make us in his image/in his likeness and us to have dominion over everything and so much more and then he said it was VERY good.
God also values life. Exodus 20:13 says, “You shall not commit murder. He values human life especially, Leviticus 24:17-18, 17 “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. Just so you know that God values human life more than anything else it says in verse 18, 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. You have to pay restitution killing someone’s animal for you should be put to death if you take another life. Yes, that sounds harsh and we aren’t here to debate the death penalty just purely to show you the gravity that God places on human life. Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
So where then does abortion fit? There are several questions when it comes to abortion and one of those is, when it is considered a life. Some will say that the baby is purely a mass of tissue until it is born and so therefore it is not a life. How does God view this? Again, we go to scripture to try to find those answers.
God made man and God makes babies. Yes, I know biologically how it works but who created the biology? God. Job 31:15 says, “Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? While some often want to take God out of the equation and reduce it to simply biology, he very much is still a part of the process.
The exchange of information begins to take place as soon as the cells begin to form and God has a plan at conception. Jeremiah 1:5
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
In fact God had a plan even before conception. This was him talking to the prophet Jeremiah but couldn’t it be for all of us as well. Don’t you think that God has set us each apart from the rest of creation because he wants us all to bring the good news of Jesus? That has to be the desire of God for each one of his creation, to bring glory and praise to him. We have a purpose to fulfil and abortion would be denying that. God, my will trumps yours.
From conception we are God’s creation: Isaiah 44:24
24 “This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,
who spreads out the earth by myself,
Day 22: heart begins to beat with the child’s own blood, often a different type than the mothers’.
Week 3: By the end of third week the child’s backbone spinal column and nervous system are forming. The liver, kidneys and intestines begin to take shape.
Week 5: Eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop.
Week 6: Brain waves are detectable; mouth and lips are present; fingernails are forming.
Week 7: Eyelids, and toes form, nose distinct. The baby is kicking and swimming.
Week 8: Every organ is in place, bones begin to replace cartilage, and fingerprints begin to form. By the 8th week the baby can begin to hear.
Weeks 9 and 10: Teeth begin to form, fingernails develop. The baby can turn his head, and frown. The baby can hiccup.
Weeks 10 and 11: The baby can “breathe” amniotic fluid and urinate.
Week 11 the baby can grasp objects placed in its hand; all organ systems are functioning. The baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation.
Week 12: The baby has all of the parts necessary to experience pain, including nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus. Vocal cords are complete. The baby can suck its thumb.
Week 14: At this age, the heart pumps several quarts of blood through the body every day.
Week 15: The baby has an adult’s taste buds.
Month 4: Bone Marrow is now beginning to form. The heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood a day. By the end of month 4 the baby will be 8-10 inches in length and will weigh up to half a pound.
Week 17: The baby can have dream (REM) sleep.
Week 19: Babies can routinely be saved at 21 to 22 weeks after fertilization, and sometimes they can be saved even younger.
Week 20: At 20 weeks the baby recognizes its’ mothers voice. At 20 weeks, the unborn child is capable of feeling pain. This is also the earliest at which partial-birth abortion is performed.
Psalm 139:13-16
13 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.
God’s incredible creation that abortion eliminates. To me it is pretty obvious how God looks at life. He views the unborn as his creation and God views it as a precious life with a purpose and that we have to right to take that life.
I will also tell you that the official stance of IAYM is also supports this view of abortion. Section 8.7 of the Discipline reads: Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends believes abortion to be contrary to the will of God. Friends are urged to work to develop compassionate alternatives to abortion such as adoption, moral education and counseling, and supportive social structures for the parents.
You may agree or disagree with my argument this morning. That is fine but what I want to end with today is what should we be focused on? I will tell you that I have stood outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic was prolife people held signs about killing your baby and tried to get women to come and talk to them. I still am not sure how I feel about that.
You see God tells us 1 Corinthians 7:2 This is God’s plan for marriage
2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.
When the marriage bed is kept pure a baby is welcomed into the marriage and there is no question of abortion. We live in a broken and fallen world however and we know that this is not always the case and we are forced to deal with unwanted pregnancies.
I think our history has been to shame and condemn this when it happens. Is it a sin? Yes. Can it be undone? No. The church needs to do a better job of talking about God’s intentions for sex and marriage. The church also needs to do a better job of loving a being a place for those who find themselves in this situation to come to and to not feel judgment but instead to feel love. IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!
Abortion seeks to undo a sin, which we know is not possible but we do know that God can forgive the sin and we as a church better be willing to do the same. That single mom will now need help and support. If that dad chooses to be a part of this child’s life the church should walk along side of them as parents instead of making them feel like this is the last place they would want to be.
Yes, but what about the cases of rape and incest. According to a May 24, 2019 article written in the USA Today, by Alia E. Dastagir, 1% of women obtain an abortion because they became pregnant through rape, and less than 0.5% do so because of incest. And it prochoice advocates beat this drum hard even though the percentage is so small it really doesn’t even deserve to be part of the debate. Who are we to say that God can still not make something beautiful out of a horrible situation? There are lots of couples who cannot have a child that are waiting to adopt these beautiful creations of God and to give them loving homes.
The church is stepping up. Most crisis pregnancy centers are supported by churches and they outnumber Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics dramatically. These centers offer care to the mother both pre and post birth. They help with learning how to be a mom as well as things like diapers and formula. More of these places are offering help to the baby daddies to teach them also how to become a parent.
My choice, my body? Mmmmm….not really, you have a choice with your body to walk naked through the streets but you will be arrested for it. The bible also tells us this..
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Remember you are God’s creation and you have been redeemed by the sacrifice of your creator, you belong to God.
Let me end with this. At the end of the day, only you can make the decision on how you feel about abortion. This Hot Topic issue is not going away….ever! I can simply tell you how I see God defining it according to his Word.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, please know that first of all, God does not turn his back on you. He still loves you unconditionally and offers you his grace just like any other sin. Will some judge you in the church? Yes, but know that there are more that will surround you and support you with the love and grace of Jesus. I will!
Also know that if you are carrying around the guilt and shame of an abortion or having pushed someone into an abortion or if you ever find yourself there, that there is still grace to be found in Jesus Christ. You have not committed a sin that is too big for Jesus. Is the hurt and shame real? Yes, but know that there is peace and redemption found in Jesus. Please don’t keep it in but find help. Counseling and maybe you will someday be able to help someone else.
Okay, this was a lot but we have to be able to talk about it. We can’t turn and run from it. Yelling at each other across the street does no good but talking and dialoging, praying, showing compassion and the love of Christ. That is where it is at.
Proverbs 15:1
15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Amen
