Those who argue for abortion tell us it’s a woman’s choice whether to have a baby. They argue that it is her body and her choice. After all, it is her body . . . right? We know that an appendix or kidney is part of your body and has no separate consciousness. When someone has an emergency appendectomy or a kidney transplant, there are no moral questions about the life of the appendix or the kidney. An embryo is completely different—in fact, an embryo is a child in an early stage of development.
Embryology textbooks note how in the placenta, the syncytiotrophoblast controls nutrient flow between the mom and the fetus. It also acts as a barrier between the maternal immune system and the baby’s, both of which would otherwise react to the other as foreign objects. Clearly, the health of each would be compromised were not the immune systems of both mother and fetus kept from attacking each other. Biologically, the baby’s body is not the mother’s body! Also, about half the time, the baby is a boy, with male-specific genetics and developing body parts. Does the mother suddenly have a Y chromosome? If the baby is part of the mother’s body, that’s the logical outcome!
When did “you” become “you”? Is this a scientific question or a theological one? Ultimately, the Bible tells us that God created each of us as unique beings from our mothers’ wombs. The Bible, because it is true, will not disagree with genuine science. Furthermore, the Bible is the only valid and consistent basis for making moral judgments since it comes from the Creator of the whole world and all the people in it. The answer starts in Genesis.
God said that he made man in his own image in Genesis 1:26. So when is each human being made? At conception! Unborn life is not worth less than life that has been born. Murder is murder regardless of the age or level of development of the victim. All life is precious because each human being is made in God’s image and skillfully wrought together by him (Psalm 139:13–16). Life does not begin after a baby emerges from the protection of his or her mother’s womb; life begins at fertilization and should be protected from that moment.
This means we actually shouldn’t be talking about what mom can choose to do with her body. We should be talking about the life and body of someone else: an unborn child. A sad statistic is that at least 50% of all “patients” who go into an abortion clinic die.
Think of it this way. A woman gives birth and soon realizes her baby is a lot of work. She’s overwhelmed. Would that justify killing her newborn? No! But what if that baby were 24-hours younger and were still in the womb? Is it okay then? No! Murder is wrong, whether the child is born or unborn, because it’s taking the life of someone made in God’s image.
