Is Abortion Moral?

  January 22, 2019 was the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade; the 1973 supreme court decision to legalize abortion. It remains today one of the most controversial cases in US history. America is split nearly 50/50 on this issue. So I have decided to share some scientific as well as biblical information on the subject.

  Is it human?

  Given that a common pro-choice argument is "her body, her choice" I figured that I would quickly address it.

  In most of biology you need two parents, a mother and a father. Each parent is responsible for providing half of the offspring's DNA. The father provides a sperm, and the mother provides an egg. Once the sperm fertilizes the egg it becomes an embryo. This is the only exchange of genetic information made throughout the pregnancy. This invalidates the argument completely. The moment the egg is fertilized it has a new genetic code, completely separate from both the mother and the father. And it is now 100% human.


  Is it alive?

  There is often a debate on when the child is alive, and therefore, at what point is it moral to abort its life. While there is much debate in the scientific community on what makes something alive, there are five criteria that serve as a good starting point.

1. Organization
2. Growth
3. Responds to surroundings
4. Reproduction
5. Energy
 
  Organization is referring to how an organism develops in a specific order. Humans have 23 sets of two chromosomes for a total of 46. These chromosomes store all the information needed in a human body. They are very well organized and provide the child with the information needed to grow properly.

  This brings us to number two, growth. An embryo grows like any other cell, it divides itself in half  and then they grow to their full size and repeat. This cycle goes on the rest of the pregnancy until the baby is large enough and strong enough to survive outside the womb.

  Number three, it responds to its surroundings. An embryo responds like any other cell would, they can feel and sense the same as every other cell in your body. This becomes more evident as it grows, in a matter of a few weeks it will be able to move freely and respond to stimuli.

  Next is number four, reproduction. When most people hear reproduction they think about reproducing offspring. However it also refers to reproducing its own cells. For instance, a mule is the offspring of a horse and a donkey. A mule can't reproduce offspring but is still classified as alive because it can reproduce its own cells.  In the same way as an embryo is to young to produce offspring, it can reproduce its cells.

  The last one is number five, energy. In order for an organism to be an organism, it must either produce or absorb energy. In the first weeks of an embryo's life, it is attached to a tiny yolk sac which provides nourishment. Later the placenta will provide the nutrients to the child. While it's true that the mother provides the child with the energy, it is still using it which is the only requirement.

  Is it moral?

  Through research I was able to determine that 1. an embryo is human, and 2. that it is alive. The last question that needs to be answered is, "Is it moral to end the life of an unborn baby?". This will rely entirely on your world view. As a Christian I believe that humans are made 100% in the image of God, and that we have intrinsic worth. (Genesis 1:27) I also believe murder is a sin that I am commanded not to commit. (Exodus 20:13) 

  Since Roe v. Wade there have been more than 61 million abortions in the US. Since 1980 there have been over one and a half billion abortions worldwide. (Source)

  Proverbs 5 verse 16-17:" There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

  haughty eyes,
  a lying tongue,
  hands that shed innocent blood,"

  What blood is more innocent then that of the unborn?

  And as time goes on the situation only gets worse. Recently, New York passed a bill that would allow abortion up to birth.New York set to legalize abortion up to birth

  As you read this children are dying. Christians must band together to help stop these horrible practices, if not, morality will be lost forever.


Additional Information:

Prageru abortion

Answers in Genesis