That is the question.
In fact, in 1973 when abortion became a legal right in the United States, not being able to discern when life begins was a major convincing factor in the fateful decision:
"We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer...we do not agree that, by adopting one theory of life, Texas may override the rights of the pregnant woman that are at stake."
Here's what strikes me in the above paragraph: "When those trained in the respective disciplines of...theology are unable to arrive at any consensus..."
As Christians, the question of when life begins should be as easy a question as "who are we created in the image of?" If we read our bibles, we know that God knitted us together in the womb, that human beings are created in His image, and that the murder of an innocent is prohibited. We have made complicated these simplicities. I am not suggesting that the circumstances around the truth are simple, many times they certainly are not. What I am saying is that to the person who knows Jesus, the basic truth of when life begins is simple.
The below article nails it:
Argument For The Silent: A Biblical Case Against Abortion
"...if the unborn are human beings, killing them is forbidden because it is an attack on the image of God... It is a scientifically certain fact that the event of conception (or, perhaps more narrowly, fertilization) is the first event in the history of the human being. Prior to conception, what exists are a mother’s egg and a father’s sperm. When fertilization is complete a new human being is brought into existence that is genetically distinct from the mother and father and that exists as a distinct entity. Therefore, from the moment of conception what exists is a human being with potential for growth and full realization." Read the full article here.
"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13
9 comments:
Hi Sarah!
This is a controversial subject but you are discussing it in a really confident way. These things do need to be talked about and I am glad you are doing this!
Collette xxx
Great post. People need to hear this. Life begins at conception.
This is so well said.
I used to think abortion was ok, that a woman had the right to chose what she did with her body.... then I became a christian, asked Jesus in to my heart... and started reading HIS word. I don't think that way any more, I'm glad to say.
Thank you for discussing this controversial subject.
Hugs
xxx
Sarah, thank you for being open and honest...there is no middle ground when it comes to abortion.
Blessings,
Kathy
Here's a thought that occurred to me as I was drinking my morning coffee this morning and looking out the window at the trees...
Wouldn't you say that a tree who's limbs are laden with lush glossy green leaves is alive? Yes, it is "alive", and yet it does not have lungs and does not breathe as humans breathe. All things on this earth share the common thread of being creatures and plants built from complex strands of DNA. A human fetus growing inside it's mother's womb may not be able to use it's lungs quite yet...but how can we truly say it is not "alive"??? The baby's DNA is busy creating...doing things...the organism inside the mother has it's own unique sequence of DNA. It is truly appalling to me....that some people can say that a fetus is not "alive" because it has not taken it's first breath yet, all the while the fetus is breathing...just not with lungs....It's DNA is actively creating.
I hope I make sense!
I believe that something is not alive when it's DNA is fully degraded. You have to look at the cells....when the DNA stops working....then it's fully gone. I do not understand how...scientifically people can deem a fetus to be "nonliving". It is pure denial. It is living. It's just extremely dependent on the mother for survival. The fetus's cells are actively multiplying. Cellular metabolism...even from hour 1 at conception....is quickly processing materials and creating. Even the tiniest embryo is alive. It is pure denial to say that it is not alive. There are those who could say that an embryo is just like a clump of cancer cells....except cancer cells are very different from a human fetus's cells. They both grow exponentially....but the outcome is extremely different. One produces the death of the victim and the other produces a whole new person. The biggest difference is in the DNA. Cancer cells are damaged human DNA that do not operate as they should. Broken DNA. The DNA of a fetus in utero is the combination of the mother and father's DNA in equal amounts. It is not broken because it is operating as it should in order to produce healthy offspring. Once the egg and sperm combine...the embryo's DNA is different from the mother and father. In the future...I think we will use our DNA to establish identity much as we use thumb prints today. If the tiny embryo has it's own DNA...different from the mother...how can it be her choice to kill it?
DNA establishes you as a unique organism. If your DNA is alive and healthy...synthesizing proteins that tell your body what to do in order to maintain your body's health....the you are alive. A fetus is alive. An embryo is not "potential" life. It IS alive. A fetus is not a mutation. It is a unique person...it's just not a fully developed person because it takes time to grow that many cells. But you have to start somewhere!
I believe that in the future...we will have a better understanding of human rights and we will abolish the abuses that we now exercise against the most vulnerable human beings. A fetus cannot stand up for his or herself. Everything about that person is already there....wrapped up in subatomic particles called deoxyribonucleic acid. Nothing new happens when a baby is birthed from the womb. Nothing genetically changes....nothing switches on....except for maybe the natural instinct to nurse...but there are many fetal images depicting baby's sucking their thumbs in utero. Sorry for rambling...my point is just that DNA is the standard for life. We could not live without it. Once it is formed it is a living thing....a human person, and that person has rights too.
People are making this harder than it is, (not here), what I mean is that by trying to find reasons why our fetus' and embryos are not life is making it harder than it is.
I feel that when one has to make so many arguments for something that is so clear, then it's obvious that it's no issue at all. Babies are humans, alive, life and all that at the moment the egg is fertilized!
The world has become so caught up, I think, in making a point to say that we all have rights and no one has to do anything they do not want to do because we live in America, blah blah blah, but in reality, we live in God's world and we need to stop trying to make it anything other than that!
smooches,
Larie
Totally agree with you my dear. Well put!
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