Abortion

In our day in time, we have turned this topic into a hot button issue. It has been a source of debate for many years in this nation. Many believe that the discussion began in the 70s with Roe v. Wade, but it has been examined for years. Elective abortions (abortions that are manually performed) have actually been debated for millennia not just decades. I have heard that the reason that the Scriptures do not deal with abortion is because they did not exist during the period of time that the Bible was written. The evidence speaks otherwise. The Assyrians had a code of conduct around the same time that the Code of Hammurabi was written. It states,"If a woman of her own accord drop that which is in her, they shall prosecute her, they shall convict her, they shall crucify her, they shall not bury her. If she die from dropping that which is in her, they shall crucify her, they shall not bury her." This was written in 1075 BCE. I have read one translation that said that they should impale her. I am not suggesting that this should be practiced today. I'm just using this for an example showing that abortion has been around for thousands of years. The Hypocratic oath that is still taken by physicians today was originated in the 4 century BCE by Greek physicians. It states, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly, I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art."

Therefore, we know that abortion was practiced during the time of the writers of the Scriptures. This brings up the question of why the Bible doesn't mention the topic. Some say that the scriptures do not address the issue because God doesn't care about it. Well, this isn't necessarily the case. When we look at the letters that Paul wrote to the churches, we see a common trend in them. Paul addresses specific issues that are either asked about by the churches or are a problem in the churches. 1 Corinthians 5 and 7 are perfect examples of this. When we look at what is said about the Jews in the Old Testament, we see that they believed that children were blessings from God. Furthermore, we have literature from the 2nd century AD that shows Christians strong opposition to abortion and infanticide.

There is an interesting verse in the Old Testament that sort of hits on this topic. Exodus 21:22-25 states, "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." In other words, God saw harm in this case as a significant thing. Some say that the harm mentioned in this verse is dealing with the woman and not the child. My question is, "Why mention that she is pregnant?" If the child in this case doesn't matter, then there would be no reason to mention the pregnancy. The fact is that God does consider children significant. Christ says in Matthew 18:4, "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Two verses later, he states that if anyone causes one of them to stumble, it would be better for them to have a millstone wrapped around their neck and cast into the sea. So, we can see how God thinks of children.

The New Testament does not deal with this issue directly. As state above, Christ saw children as something special. Furthermore, I have already pointed out that the absence of a topic doesn't mean that God doesn't care about it. To illustrate this, opium and other substances were used in this time by surrounding cultures. The New Testament doesn't condemn the use of these substances. However, it says over and over that we should be sober minded. This principle covers several individual practices that aren't mentioned in the New Testament. 

We do have other texts from the early 2nd Century AD (100-150). For instance, the Didache states, "You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born." Likewise, the Epistle of Barnabas (just the name) states, "Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion, nor shalt thou kill it when it is born." The specifically address, not only abortion, but the practice of infanticide that was performed during the Greco-Roman world. It was a common practice for the patriarch of the family to decide whether or not the child was good enough to be accepted into the family. If he or she was not, then they would take them to a desolate place and allow them to die by exposure. Often times, the child would be taken in by either a Christian family that would except them as their own or by someone that would use them for prostitution.

Infanticide and abortion have been practiced for centuries by Godless nations and pagan societies. This is just a truth found in the pages of history. This still goes on today in many cultures. The sad thing is that nations that are primarily composed of people who claim to be followers of God and his word are allowing these practices to continue. We allow murderers and pedophiles to walk the streets free, but condemning abortion is taboo. When thinking on this fact, I am reminded of God's condemnation of Israel and Judah in Ezekial 13:19, " And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?"