The Torah Network

3 yrs

When abortion rights are under attack, people feel it around the world. The U.S Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade will remove the right to abortion in America and could damage reproductive rights across the world. And since the court overturned the ruling, I had many, many people asked me what the Bible say about abortion. Let us then take a look at the Word of Elohim.

Miscarriage may be planned, accidental or natural. Pregnancy is interrupted and the unborn baby dies. Planned miscarriage is called abortion and ranges from destruction of the fertilized egg to the dismemberment and forced ejection of the full-term baby. A great controversy rages today concerning abortion, focusing on the issue of whether the unborn baby (or foetus) is truly a person and at what stage of development that foetus becomes a viable human being. The issue centres on the sacredness of human life. Does human life begin at conception, at birth, or at some point between the two? Who would argue that at birth the baby is fully a human being? The argument is whether the unborn child is fully a human being. The other part of the controversy is whether there are justifiable reasons for abortion. Most believers would argue against abortion as a means of birth control. Some would argue that abortion is acceptable if it will save the life of the mother, or in the case of rape or incest, or if the unborn child is known to be brain damaged or deformed. Ultimately the core question is: In the process of conception and birth, when does human life begin? But a second question is parallel to the first, and may be equally important: What value do we place on the developing unborn child?

What does YHVH say about life in the womb?

Persons have worth even before they are born:
I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as My spokesman to the world. -- Jeremiah 1:5. YHVH knew you, as He knew Jeremiah, long before you were born or even conceived. He knew you, thought about you, and planned for you. When you feel discouraged or inadequate, remember that Elohim has always thought of you as valuable and has had a purpose in mind for you.

YHVH is at work in a person’s life even while in the womb:
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your Workmanship is marvellous -- and how well I know it. -- Psalm 139:13-14. Elohim’s character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that Ruach HaKodesh is ready and willing to work within you. Elohim thinks of you constantly -- Psalm 139:1-4. We should have as much respect for ourselves as our Maker has for us.

Abortion IS a sin against YHVH:
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of Adonai, as his ancestor David had done. -- 2 Chronicles 28:1. Imagine the monstrous evil of a religion that offers young children as sacrifices. YHVH allowed Judah to suffer heavy casualties in response to Ahaz’s evil practices. Even today the practice hasn’t abated. The sacrifice of children to the harsh gods of convenience, economy, and whim continues in sterile medical facilities in numbers that would astound even the wicked Ahaz. If we are to allow children to come to Moshiach -- Matthew 19:14, we must first allow them to come into the world.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1 -- When does life begin?
Psalm 51:5: I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. -- The Bible makes it clear that life begins at conception, not merely at birth.

2 -- Does the Bible say anything about human qualities in the unborn child?
Psalm 51:5: I was born a sinner -- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. – Sinfulness; perhaps the most unmistakable human quality; was present not only at birth but even as far back as conception.

Elohim is actively involved in our development before birth:
Psalm 139:13-16: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your Workmanship is marvellous -- and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion… You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your Book. -- Elohim is present continuously during the nine months of pregnancy; forming, watching, creating, and even scheduling each day of the unborn baby’s life. The value of an unborn child is priceless.

3 -- Does Elohim have any personal relationship with the unborn child?
Jeremiah 1:5: I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. -- Elohim knew us each as persons before we developed in our mother’s womb. He establishes a purpose for us before we are even born.

4 -- Some people call abortion murder. If it is murder, what are the consequences?
Genesis 9:5-6: Murder is forbidden. Animals that kill people must die, and any person who murders must be killed… for to kill a person is to kill a living being made in YHVH’s image. If the unborn child, at any stage of pregnancy, is a person, then terminating that pregnancy is murder. Elohim sees all human beings, regardless of age, as special creations with eternal value. He also makes it clear that killing another human being is punishable by death. Capital punishment originated with YHVH’s Commandments and in the Old Testament it was the penalty for murder.

5 -- Did YHVH really want me to be born? Does He have a plan for me?
Jeremiah 1:5: I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born set you apart and appointed you as My spokesman to the world. Psalm 139:13-16: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your Workmanship is marvellous -- and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. -- Elohim not only knew all about you before you were born, He wanted you to be born and He has a plan for your life.

6 – Don’t I have a final say over what happens to my body?
1 Corinthians 6:12-13: You may say, [I am allowed to do anything.] But I reply, [Not everything is good for you.] And even though [I am allowed to do anything,] I must not become a slave to anything. But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for Adonai and He cares about our bodies. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of Elohim and that the Ruach of Elohim lives in you? He will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For YHVH’s temple is holy and you believers are that temple. -- Our bodies are YHVH’s temple; His Ruach lives within us. Body, mind and heart must do what is honouring and pleasing to Him.

7 – Is abortion absolutely wrong?
Genesis 9:5-6: Murder is forbidden. Proverbs 24:11-12: Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For Elohim knows all hearts, and He sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and He knows you knew! And He will judge all people according to what they have done. -- Every child needs a champion, even the unborn child. If abortion is taking the life of an unborn human being, then it is murder and it is absolutely wrong.

8 – Can YHVH forgive me for having an abortion?
Psalm 51: I recognize my shameful deeds -- they haunt me day and night… Create in me a clean heart, Elohim… Restore to me again the joy of Your Salvation. -- Just as King David experienced the joy of total forgiveness after committing adultery and murder, so we can know YHVH’s forgiveness -- for any sin -- if we confess our sin to Him. Isaiah 1:18: No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. Psalm 103:3: He forgives all my sins. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. Ephesians 3:18: May you have the power to understand, as all Elohim’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. -- YHVH can cleanse and heal us from any and all sin, no matter how big or terrible it might be. No sin is beyond YHVH’s forgiveness. No matter what you may have done in the past, let YHVH restore you to wholeness.