A pregnancy begins when the sperm, which is a cell of the father’s body, unites with the ovum, a cell of the mother’s body, and a new human life begins. This individual life has a unique DNA, or biochemical identity, different from that of any other individual.

Conception normally takes place in the mother’s fallopian tube, and the newly conceived individual migrates to the uterus and implants in the uterine tissues. Infrequently, the implantation takes place in the fallopian tube. As the implanted human being grows larger, a point will be reached at which the tube will rupture, imperiling the mother’s life. Surgical intervention is mandatory, and unfortunately the developing child dies. But this is not considered an abortion.

There are other medical conditions that may occur during the mother’s pregnancy. About these, Dr. C. Everett Koop, America’s Surgeon General during President Reagan’s administration, said, “During my 36 years of pediatric surgery I have never known of one single instance where the child has to be aborted to save the mother’s life.”

The purpose of abortion is simply to get rid of an unwanted child, but rationalizations are common. Many women feel that adoption is cruel, and that aborting the child is more humane. Another viewpoint expressed by quite a few unwed mothers is that lack of money and time for childcare may result in a neglected and ill-nourished child who ends up living on the streets or becoming a criminal. These mothers feel that the birth may be a “wrongful life,” and aborting the child may be preferable. Abortion is also being used as a family planning technique. When contraception has been overlooked or fails, many married women resort to abortion. Abortion exists for the mother’s convenience, not necessity.

How did abortion become legal? For 100 years prior to 1967, every state in the union had a law prohibiting termination of pregnancy except to save a mother’s life. But during the 1960s, a sexual revolution took place at the colleges and universities of America. So many unwanted pregnancies occurred that pressure was put on state legislators to liberalize the abortion laws. In 1967, California and several other states did so. Then in 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision, making abortion legal throughout the United States.

Since that time more than 50 million unborn babies have been killed by abortion. This is far more human lives than the entire population of California. According to the Guttmacher Institute, one out of every three women of childbearing age has had one or more abortions. Furthermore, abortion has become the most frequently performed surgical procedure in America.


What the Bible says
It is relevant to consider what the Bible has to say about unborn life. In Psalm 139, the psalmist David refers to himself in the womb. He makes it clear that he was there personally, not as a blob of tissue that later turned into him. The prophet Jeremiah wrote that the word of the Lord came to him saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born. I set you apart…” What these texts make clear is that every child in the womb is a unique person. The millions who have been aborted in America were killed because Roe v. Wade says that the unborn child is not fully a person. Thus the child is not protected by our Constitution, which states in both the fifth and the 14th amendments that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of the laws.

Beyond the personhood question, the Bible has a basic moral code to which every person must adhere. A primary commandment is, “you shall not murder.” What is murder? In God’s Word it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. Is abortion deliberate? Is the unborn child innocent? Need we ask?

What’s wrong with abortion is that it is murder. Then why does American law allow it? The answer to this question comes from the 18^th century English jurist William Blackstone. In his great work, Commentaries on the English Law, Blackstone makes clear that all of a nation’s law must conform to the biblical standard. By this standard, abortion in America is ungodly and perverted.


How to fix it
What will it take to get our nation straightened out? First and foremost the Church of Jesus Christ must rise to its proper position. Instead of taking directions from the state, the church should begin to exercise its moral authority. The pulpits of America need to tell the people that, in God’s eyes, abortion is murder and that the practice must be completely stopped. Every Christian must be urged to be involved and join in the work of enacting a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution. This will stop abortion forever.


Smith is founder of Crusade for Life Inc., producer of “The Silent Scream” film and author of “Innocent Blood America’s Final Trial.”