These following questions go hand-in-hand and they also bring us to where the emotional rubber meets the road for most people and I completely understand why. However, the Bible actually has much to say about the value of all life, even unborn life, as we have seen throughout the past blogs.
Question #5: Should we allow abortion in the case of rape or incest?
First, I think we should look at the statistics of why women have abortions (These statistics are given by the research arm of Planned Parenthood and are several years old, but all research indicates that these statistics stay relatively consistent from year to year):
- 76% concerned by how the baby would change their life.
- 68% said they could not afford a baby right now.
- 51% problems with relationships or desire to avoid single parenthood.
- 31% I am not ready for the responsibility
- 31% I don’t want people to know that I have had sex or that I’m pregnant.
- 30% Not mature enough
- 26% Have all the children I want or my kids are grown
- 23% my husband or partner wants me to have the abortion
- 13% The fetus could have health problems
- 7% I have a health problem
- 7% My parents want me to have the abortion
- 1% victim of rape or incest
You might rightly ask at this point, “So, what about the one percent who are victims of rape or incest?” I answer with a passage from Deuteronomy 24:16: Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. Sin in the life of a father (i.e. a man raping a woman causing her to become pregnant) has no bearing on the child according to Scripture. As heinous as acts of rape or incest are, these sins do not in any way devalue the life that results! Which one of you after finding out that your father forced himself on your mother in conceiving you would conclude that your life is unworthy of being lived?
Question #6: Should we allow abortion when the pregnancy or birth may cause harm to the mother?
The issue of harm to the mother follows the same logic that I offered in question #5 above. The law currently states that a woman can have an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy for any reason when there is agreement between the woman and the doctor. Then, in the second three months the state usually controls where the abortion will happen. A woman can still have an abortion for any reason but it must happen at a hospital. In the final three months are usually only allowed in order to protect the life or health of the mother. This seems to limit the mother’s ability to have an abortion in the third trimester until we look at what the legal definition is of “protecting the health of the mother:” any factor which might damage the woman physically, socially, or psychologically.” The word “might” is enough to make any perceived limitations practically non-existent, but then the law adds the possibility of injury to a woman’s “social or psychological health” as a factor in determining the viability and legality of late-term abortions. So, in practice, the law allows for abortions for any reason and for no reason even in the third trimester.
Dr. C. Everet Coop, the former surgeon general of the United States, said in thirty six years of pediatric practice he did not he did not encounter one single case where the mother’s life was in danger. This helps us understand the miniscule percentage of abortion cases that result from true physical harm to the mother, but again, the question is rightly asked, “So, what about those few mothers who are in danger of serious physical harm or death?” To this question, I answer with a question, “What mother or father of a child would not give their life for their son or daughter?”
Question #7: Should we allow abortion in cases where the child may have severe disabilities?
Women go to their physicians every day in this country, test their unborn baby for Down syndrome, get a positive result back and choose to abort the child. Some would be quick to say, “What if the tests are wrong! What if the baby’s perfectly healthy!” Although this sound to some like a good argument, it is truly beside the point. I ask, “What if the baby is born healthy and three months later he or she is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy?” Do we euthanize our sick and diseased? No!
In Exodus 4:11, the Lord Himself asks, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” We look at disabilities from our human perspective and say “oops.” God, though, never says “oops.” God always has a redemptive purpose in everything that he allows on this earth. Do we trust him?
We label these children with diseases “dis-abled.” How many “abilities” must a human being lack before their life has no value? Deciding which lives have value or are worthy to be lived is a very slippery slope. A person who concludes that any life that inconveniences their life is dispensable is morally bankrupt.
Your turn…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Abortion Part 5
Question #4 in our abortion series: Is man permitted by God to end life before birth? First let me say that I’m thrilled with those of you who have commented on this blog series and I’m further impressed with those of you who have engaged in dialogue with other readers! This has been my prayer since the inception of this blog – to facilitate healthy dialogue and discussion among the readers! So, let’s continue:
In Exodus 21, we find a very interesting and important passage for our discussion. God is defining penalties for severe crimes among the Israelites:
If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life, (Exodus 21:22-23)
Here we find that an individual is punished in exactly the same manner for killing an unborn child as if they are killing an adult! This is a strong indicator of how God feels toward unborn children.
I want to make the case that we are not permitted to end life before birth by also using a common-sense example to hopefully force the question: What’s the difference? You’ll see what I mean as you read on:
Scenario: Mother A and Mother B become pregnant at exactly the same time. Mother A has her child prematurely but was planning to have an abortion a in only a few days. Three weeks later both mothers decide to end the life of their respective babies. Yet, mother A cannot legally end her child’s life because the child is now outside the womb. Mother B however can end her baby’s life legally for one reason only – the child happens to still be in the womb! Here we have the exact same circumstances, the exact same developmental stage of the child, yet one can be killed and the other cannot. One mother will walk out of the abortion clinic a free woman; the other will be tried for murder.
I want to get you thinking about the next blog as well. I’ll address the issues of rape and incest as well as look at the question of severely disabled babies in the womb. These three issues are often broached in a discussion on abortion and I’ll address them in my next post.
Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net
In Exodus 21, we find a very interesting and important passage for our discussion. God is defining penalties for severe crimes among the Israelites:
If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life, (Exodus 21:22-23)
Here we find that an individual is punished in exactly the same manner for killing an unborn child as if they are killing an adult! This is a strong indicator of how God feels toward unborn children.
I want to make the case that we are not permitted to end life before birth by also using a common-sense example to hopefully force the question: What’s the difference? You’ll see what I mean as you read on:
Scenario: Mother A and Mother B become pregnant at exactly the same time. Mother A has her child prematurely but was planning to have an abortion a in only a few days. Three weeks later both mothers decide to end the life of their respective babies. Yet, mother A cannot legally end her child’s life because the child is now outside the womb. Mother B however can end her baby’s life legally for one reason only – the child happens to still be in the womb! Here we have the exact same circumstances, the exact same developmental stage of the child, yet one can be killed and the other cannot. One mother will walk out of the abortion clinic a free woman; the other will be tried for murder.
I want to get you thinking about the next blog as well. I’ll address the issues of rape and incest as well as look at the question of severely disabled babies in the womb. These three issues are often broached in a discussion on abortion and I’ll address them in my next post.
Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Abortion Part 4
Let’s continue our attempt to answer the top ten questions asked in relation to the topic of abortion. We’ve answered Question #1: “Who’s in charge of life and death?” and #2: “When does life begin?” Today we’ll start with Question #3: “Is God concerned with unborn children?”
I have a rather lengthy but I believe important answer to this question. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reveal that God has an interest in us not just from conception in the womb but also from conception in His Eternal Mind! We are conceived by God in His own mind from eternity past, eons before we are ever physically conceived in our mother’s womb. In Isaiah 49:1 we read, “Before I was born the Lord called me; form my birth he has made mention of my name.” Then, in Jeremiah 1:5 we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before I was born you set me apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
God knows us before we are physically conceived. Some argue here that these quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah are nothing more than poetic verse meant only to establish the close relationship that these prophets have with God. Those who see this as nothing more than poetic verse, say that it is figurative language, not to be taken literally. Others will say that this kind of relationship with God was only reserved for a select few men of God such as the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. To those who charge that it is only poetic language I simply say that an eternal God has no reason to speak of eternity and of knowledge within that realm in a poetic way. He alone experiences eternity and he alone can speak of it. Who are we to question what we read and assume upon an eternal Being? Who are we to say that these verses must be poetic because we cannot understand such language literally? These types of arguments show a disregard for the potential magnitude of God both in existence, experience, and action. If God is eternal then such language taken literally is completely reasonable.
To those who suggest that these verses describe a relationship with God that only a few great men experienced should rethink such an argument. God does use some men for greater earthly purpose but he says time and time again that he desires that all should be saved and that none should perish! (2 Peter 3:9) Further, he tells us that “before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2) he gave us the hope of “eternal life” (Titus 1:2) through Jesus Christ. Each of us are made in God’s image and are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139) We alone are made in God’s image and in this way we are unique in all of God’s creation. Each one of us then was conceived in the mind of God from eternity past and share with Jeremiah and Isaiah the blessing of these words, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
So, does God show concern for unborn children? The answer can be summed up is this way: God is not only concerned with children in the womb, he is concerned with every child that has been fashioned in His eternal mind, those in the womb as well as those who, at present, exist as Divine Idea. My contention is that life begins before biological conception. Or, to put it another way, life began for all of us in the mind of God. Science cannot debate such a matter of faith and my conclusions may seem too “out of the box” for even the most mature believers. Scripture, however, bears out my conclusions in spades.
Your thoughts?
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!),
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
I have a rather lengthy but I believe important answer to this question. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reveal that God has an interest in us not just from conception in the womb but also from conception in His Eternal Mind! We are conceived by God in His own mind from eternity past, eons before we are ever physically conceived in our mother’s womb. In Isaiah 49:1 we read, “Before I was born the Lord called me; form my birth he has made mention of my name.” Then, in Jeremiah 1:5 we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before I was born you set me apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
God knows us before we are physically conceived. Some argue here that these quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah are nothing more than poetic verse meant only to establish the close relationship that these prophets have with God. Those who see this as nothing more than poetic verse, say that it is figurative language, not to be taken literally. Others will say that this kind of relationship with God was only reserved for a select few men of God such as the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. To those who charge that it is only poetic language I simply say that an eternal God has no reason to speak of eternity and of knowledge within that realm in a poetic way. He alone experiences eternity and he alone can speak of it. Who are we to question what we read and assume upon an eternal Being? Who are we to say that these verses must be poetic because we cannot understand such language literally? These types of arguments show a disregard for the potential magnitude of God both in existence, experience, and action. If God is eternal then such language taken literally is completely reasonable.
To those who suggest that these verses describe a relationship with God that only a few great men experienced should rethink such an argument. God does use some men for greater earthly purpose but he says time and time again that he desires that all should be saved and that none should perish! (2 Peter 3:9) Further, he tells us that “before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2) he gave us the hope of “eternal life” (Titus 1:2) through Jesus Christ. Each of us are made in God’s image and are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139) We alone are made in God’s image and in this way we are unique in all of God’s creation. Each one of us then was conceived in the mind of God from eternity past and share with Jeremiah and Isaiah the blessing of these words, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
So, does God show concern for unborn children? The answer can be summed up is this way: God is not only concerned with children in the womb, he is concerned with every child that has been fashioned in His eternal mind, those in the womb as well as those who, at present, exist as Divine Idea. My contention is that life begins before biological conception. Or, to put it another way, life began for all of us in the mind of God. Science cannot debate such a matter of faith and my conclusions may seem too “out of the box” for even the most mature believers. Scripture, however, bears out my conclusions in spades.
Your thoughts?
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!),
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Abortion Part 3
A few days ago I posted a blog attempting to answer the question, “Who's in charge of life and death?" This question is the first of ten questions I’ll answer that are often asked in relation to the abortion debate. Question #2 is – “When does life begin?” The debate over when life begins is actually more relevant to the abortion debate than our first question regarding who’s in charge of life.
So, what is the answer to this important question from a biblical perspective? In Job 31:15 we read, “Did not he [God] who made me in the womb, make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” Then, in the Book of Psalms, we read,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them cam to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
The “secret place” and “the depths of the earth” are references to the womb. We are known by our God in the womb. We are fashioned by Him in that secret place. God’s Word helps us to see that life begins at conception. Scientists are even agreed on the fact that there is a complete genetic package the moment that sperm and egg unite. Nothing from that point is added to the mix except time and nutrition.
Science and medicine also support the idea that life starts at some point in the womb. Fetal medicine has progressed to the point where doctors routinely treat unborn children for certain diseases, perform surgery in utero, and give blood transfusions.
I often hear the argument that brain function should be used to determine when life has ended and yet I have heard little discussion on the possibility of using brain function to determine when life begins. Brain waves are recorded within six weeks after conception. The heart of an unborn child begins to beat around the eighteenth day after conception. So, science and the Bible should be able to agree that we have a living being within at least six weeks after conception. Yet, these facts are ignored.
Finally, we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, decides to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, John (not yet born) “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb.” (Luke 1:41) We see here that John responds to the fact that Mary and the as yet unborn Jesus have arrived.
We find from the Bible that we are fashioned in the womb by God. We see that all indicators of life even by modern science force us to see life from a very early point in utero. Then, we look again to the Bible to see that John, as an unborn child, responds to the presence of Mary with Jesus in her womb. God and science then should agree that we have life in utero very soon after conception. The idea then of middle or late term abortions is something that the scientific community should be able to agree to even if they cannot bring themselves to agree that life begins at conception. Further, though, we read of God’s connection with all that happens in the womb and cannot find any hint from the biblical text that life begins at come point after conception. We are therefore forced to err on the side of life at conception.
Next time…do we find evidence that God is concerned with children in utero?
Until then…respond to you heart’s content!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
So, what is the answer to this important question from a biblical perspective? In Job 31:15 we read, “Did not he [God] who made me in the womb, make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” Then, in the Book of Psalms, we read,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them cam to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
The “secret place” and “the depths of the earth” are references to the womb. We are known by our God in the womb. We are fashioned by Him in that secret place. God’s Word helps us to see that life begins at conception. Scientists are even agreed on the fact that there is a complete genetic package the moment that sperm and egg unite. Nothing from that point is added to the mix except time and nutrition.
Science and medicine also support the idea that life starts at some point in the womb. Fetal medicine has progressed to the point where doctors routinely treat unborn children for certain diseases, perform surgery in utero, and give blood transfusions.
I often hear the argument that brain function should be used to determine when life has ended and yet I have heard little discussion on the possibility of using brain function to determine when life begins. Brain waves are recorded within six weeks after conception. The heart of an unborn child begins to beat around the eighteenth day after conception. So, science and the Bible should be able to agree that we have a living being within at least six weeks after conception. Yet, these facts are ignored.
Finally, we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, decides to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, John (not yet born) “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb.” (Luke 1:41) We see here that John responds to the fact that Mary and the as yet unborn Jesus have arrived.
We find from the Bible that we are fashioned in the womb by God. We see that all indicators of life even by modern science force us to see life from a very early point in utero. Then, we look again to the Bible to see that John, as an unborn child, responds to the presence of Mary with Jesus in her womb. God and science then should agree that we have life in utero very soon after conception. The idea then of middle or late term abortions is something that the scientific community should be able to agree to even if they cannot bring themselves to agree that life begins at conception. Further, though, we read of God’s connection with all that happens in the womb and cannot find any hint from the biblical text that life begins at come point after conception. We are therefore forced to err on the side of life at conception.
Next time…do we find evidence that God is concerned with children in utero?
Until then…respond to you heart’s content!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Abortion Part 2
I decided to let your comments keep coming over the past few weeks before engaging in the comment dialogue from my last post on abortion or posting a new blog for several reasons:
1. Several of you had a lot to say about this topic that was very engaging and I wanted to give the rest of our readers a chance to read and reflect upon your many comments.
2. The comments from the past two subjects (suicide and abortion) have far outweighed comments on any other topic besides “The DaVinci Code” series I did many months back.
So, as the activity has lessened over the past few days I’ve decided to move forward.
I’ve decided to frame this series with the “top ten” questions people have about abortion (we’ll see if I get to ten or not, but I thought I’d challenge myself a little). This may be too in depth for some of my readers who have made up their mind about abortion and find my engagement with the topic rather tedious. So, for you I have a deal to make: read my blogs on abortion over the next four to six weeks and I promise I’ll break up the monotony with some entries on different subjects that I hope you’ll read.
Here we go! These are the questions that I’ve heard, in no particular order about this difficult topic:
Question #1:
Who is responsible for life and death?
For those of you who read my blog series on suicide last month you’ll find that this question mirrors some of the comments I made regarding suicide but I feel strongly that any dialogue on the topic of abortion must address this question biblically.
If we look to our own American culture, we find several different views on who’s responsible for life and death. Dr. Kevorkian advocates that doctors should make the choice or that patients make the choice and doctors should allow them to choose when they die. Planned Parenthood advocates that mothers of unborn babies make the choice for their babies. So, who’s right?
We find some very clear passages from the Bible regarding life and death:
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)
Abortion rights groups will be quick to pounce on this question. They will say, “No problem. We’ll let God choose when life ends. But, what we want to know is…when does life BEGIN?” They will then make the argument that a fetus isn’t a life; it’s a wad of tissue…a bundle of potential. If they’re right then there’s nothing more to say. We should stop the debate and side with former US Attorney General Josslyn Elder who said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus.” If an unborn baby isn’t a living human being then, no big deal. But, again, if God actually weighed in on the question of when life begins then followers of Christ must place their own feelings, opinions, and leanings aside and submit to the Truth that we find in the Bible.
This post is getting lengthy and if I attempt to address the question, “When does life begin?” in this post it will be extremely lengthy. So, I’ll leave you with your own perspectives on when life begins until next time. If any of you are chomping at the bit though to answer this question then feel free to beat me to the punch and post a comment!
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
1. Several of you had a lot to say about this topic that was very engaging and I wanted to give the rest of our readers a chance to read and reflect upon your many comments.
2. The comments from the past two subjects (suicide and abortion) have far outweighed comments on any other topic besides “The DaVinci Code” series I did many months back.
So, as the activity has lessened over the past few days I’ve decided to move forward.
I’ve decided to frame this series with the “top ten” questions people have about abortion (we’ll see if I get to ten or not, but I thought I’d challenge myself a little). This may be too in depth for some of my readers who have made up their mind about abortion and find my engagement with the topic rather tedious. So, for you I have a deal to make: read my blogs on abortion over the next four to six weeks and I promise I’ll break up the monotony with some entries on different subjects that I hope you’ll read.
Here we go! These are the questions that I’ve heard, in no particular order about this difficult topic:
Question #1:
Who is responsible for life and death?
For those of you who read my blog series on suicide last month you’ll find that this question mirrors some of the comments I made regarding suicide but I feel strongly that any dialogue on the topic of abortion must address this question biblically.
If we look to our own American culture, we find several different views on who’s responsible for life and death. Dr. Kevorkian advocates that doctors should make the choice or that patients make the choice and doctors should allow them to choose when they die. Planned Parenthood advocates that mothers of unborn babies make the choice for their babies. So, who’s right?
We find some very clear passages from the Bible regarding life and death:
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)
Abortion rights groups will be quick to pounce on this question. They will say, “No problem. We’ll let God choose when life ends. But, what we want to know is…when does life BEGIN?” They will then make the argument that a fetus isn’t a life; it’s a wad of tissue…a bundle of potential. If they’re right then there’s nothing more to say. We should stop the debate and side with former US Attorney General Josslyn Elder who said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus.” If an unborn baby isn’t a living human being then, no big deal. But, again, if God actually weighed in on the question of when life begins then followers of Christ must place their own feelings, opinions, and leanings aside and submit to the Truth that we find in the Bible.
This post is getting lengthy and if I attempt to address the question, “When does life begin?” in this post it will be extremely lengthy. So, I’ll leave you with your own perspectives on when life begins until next time. If any of you are chomping at the bit though to answer this question then feel free to beat me to the punch and post a comment!
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
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