Download Abortion - David Field

Abortion
1. Rhetoric
- is there such a thing as an objective discussion?
- what is good and what bad about dispassionate discussion?
- language – use of words
- who talking to and with what intention?
- what place emotive language?
- choice
- product of conception / conceptus / tissue
- pro-life / pro-choice
- is abortion murder?
- intentional killing
- sins of inadvertency/wandering – Lev 4.2, 22, 27 5.15, 18
- how Bible talks of evil:
- promises blessing to those who shun evil
- denounces and threatens
- expostulates and urges
- what agree on?
- a world without the need/desire for abortion would be great
- a world in which every child conceived would be regarded as a blessing
and received with love
- argue against the best arguments
- what arguing about?
- moral
- legal
- permissive law – no-one has to have an abortion
- funding
- time limits
- who has abortions and why? (Christians may be the last to know …)
2. Resources
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http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_0756
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Piper - http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2007/1951/
http://www.lifecharity.org.uk/
http://www.cmf.org.uk/index/abortion.htm
http://www.ccfon.org/index.php?tid=4
http://www.spuc.org.uk/
http://www.careconfidential.com/
http://www.righttolife.org.uk/
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http://www.bpas.org/index.php
http://www.cbhd.org/
http://www.naral.org/index.html
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http://www.plannedparenthood.org/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abortion.htm
Abortion and the Early Church – 8pp – quotes available from DF
Important and famous pro-abortion argument by Judith Jarvis Thomson – “A Defence of
Abortion” – Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1 (Fall 1971): 48-53. Reprinted in LaFollette,
pp.63-71
Interesting answer to Thomson by Doris Gordon: “Abortion and Thomson’s Violinist:
Unplugging a Bad Analogy” – at http://www.L4L.org
Bruce Waltke – “Reflections from the OT on Abortion” – JETS 19, 1976, pp.1-13
Jeremy Hobson: "Psalm 139 and the contemporary abortion debate" - Oak Hill BA dissertation,
2003
Excursus: CMF briefings on HFE Bill - Executive Summary
http://www.cmf.org.uk/ethics/hfebill_briefing_papers_summary.htm
The HFE Bill threatens human dignity (proposals to create animal-human hybrids), family life (further
commodifying children and deliberately creating fatherless ones), and life itself (by liberalising
abortion law and embryo research).
Animal-human hybrids are unnecessary and unethical. They undermine human dignity and identity,
damage historicity and lineage, change the nature of relationship within families, insult the 'image of
God', and breach the prohibition on mixing 'kinds'.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). We oppose any extension of practice and believe that it
should be used, if at all, only in life threatening single gene disorders.
Sex selection. CMF welcomes the ban on sex selection for non-medical reasons being maintained, and
its extension to sperm sorting techniques, but even where carried out for medical reasons, sex selection
devalues the vulnerable.
Saviour siblings. We should not use people as a means to an end. We uphold the biblical
condemnation of 'Let us do evil that good may result'.
Fatherless children. We uphold historic Christian teaching that children should be born into a family
headed by two parents of the opposite sex, legally married for life.
Abortion: upper time limits. Because of improved neonatal survival, foetal awareness, and growing
perceptions of the humanity of the foetus, CMF advocates an immediate substantial reduction.
Abortion: discriminatory abortion for disability. Discriminatory abortion to term should be ended.
Affected women could still access abortion on other grounds.
Abortion: a Charter for Informed Consent. CMF supports access to comprehensive balanced
counselling independent of abortion authorisation or provision, and a compulsory short cooling-off
period.
Abortion: independent oversight of legality and consequences. CMF advocates an independent
board to monitor health consequences and to provide objective health information to doctors,
counsellors, pregnant women and those close to them.
Abortion: 2-doctor certification to remain. The current medico-legal requirement protects the
woman, her foetus, and the doctors. It should be retained and enforced.
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Abortion: who can perform and where. Only qualified medical practitioners should perform
abortions and current premises licensing arrangements should be retained.
Abortion: conscientious objection. Current legal rights should be upheld and subject to compliance
with appropriate professional guidelines, those with ethical concerns about abortion must in principle
be allowed to counsel patients.
Abortion: extension to Northern Ireland. Abortion is a devolved issue which must be left to the
democratically elected representatives of the citizens of Northern Ireland.
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3. Opinions on Abortion – British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)
This represents a mainstream UK pro-abortion position in its own words. It is worth taking time
critically to analyze the arguments presented and the position adopted.
“The arguments for legal abortion
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The embryo or foetus should be respected as potential human life but does not have the same value
as a born person.
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Women are capable of making the right moral choices and can follow their own consciences.
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A pregnant woman understands her own personal circumstances better than anyone else and so is
in the best position to know whether or not she should or should not have a child.
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Legal abortion is relatively safe and is likely to cause a woman less harm than forcing her to
continue her pregnancy and have an unwanted child.
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It is better for children to be born to parents who want and love them.
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It is not possible to prevent unwanted pregnancies by contraception alone.
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Public opinion supports legal abortion.
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When abortion is illegal women tend to travel elsewhere because they are so desperate to avoid
having to continue an unwanted pregnancy.
What does BPAS believe about abortion?
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BPAS believes that abortion should be legal and that women should be free to decide if, and when,
they have children.
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Those who oppose abortion are a minority. They are entitled to their views and values but they
should respect the views and values of others.
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Better sex education and improved contraceptive services would help women avoid unwanted
pregnancy but would not eliminate the need for abortion entirely. Contraception is not 100%
effective and a planned pregnancy may become a problem.
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Abortion is an essential part of health care and should be freely available through a publicly
funded NHS.
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Abortion can be a responsible choice. It has no fewer morals than the decision to have a child.”
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4. Ethical Codes Relating to Abortion
Historically medical ethical codes have been based on the Hippocratic Oath, the relevant part
of which states:
“I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest such counsel, and in
like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.”
As a result of the outcome of the Nuremberg trials the early post-war period saw the adoption
of two other highly significant ethical declarations by the World Medical Association. The first
of these, the Declaration of Geneva, included the following affirmation:
“I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception; even
under threat I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.”
In 1983 the words “from the time of conception” were amended to “from its beginning”.
The International Code of Medical Ethics affirmed that:
“a doctor must always bear in mind the importance of preserving human life from the
time of conception until death.”
In the 1980s (?) the words “from the time of conception until death” were excised. The revised
version reads, “A physician must always bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life”.
(From Abortion, CMF publication, n.d.)
5. History of legal abortion
1861- The Offences Against the Person Act
Sections 58 and 59 outlaw abortion and make it a crime to assist in attempting an unlawful
abortion by any means whatsoever.
1929- The Infant Life (Preservation) Act
The crime of child destruction filled a gap in the law and protected babies who might be killed
in the course of being born. If a pregnancy had lasted for 28 weeks the child was presumed to
be 'capable of being born alive' and was protected. This act was specifically left unaffected by
the Abortion Act 1967, but has virtually been set aside by the 1990 Act (see below).
1938- The 'Bourne' Case
Gynaecologist Aleck Boume was acquitted of performing an illegal abortion on a girl who had
been raped. After this case it was accepted that a woman's mental state could be considered as
well as her physical condition.
1967- The Abortion Act (as amended by the Human Fert-n and Embryology Act, 1990)
This does not give a woman the right to an abortion but protects from prosecution a doctor who
performs one - if two doctors certify that in their opinion, formed in good faith, an abortion
should be carried out.
The grounds for legal abortion under the amended Abortion Act 1967 are:
A risk to the life of the mother
B to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the mother
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C risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the mother greater than if the
pregnancy were terminated
D risk of injury to the physical or mental health of existing (i.e. born) children
E substantial risk of the child being born seriously handicapped
F in an emergency - to save the mother's life
G in an emergency - to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health
of the mother
Abortions done on grounds C and D may be performed only up to 24 weeks. Abortions
done on other grounds may be performed up to 40 weeks.
Same act – effective since 1991, it has been legal to freeze, experiment upon and dispose of
human embryos up to the age of 14 days.
6. Statistics
a) 50% of conceptions abort naturally
b) by the age of 45 yrs, 43% of women in the US have had at least one abortion
c) global – massive ignorance – possibly 10-20 million p.a. 1920-2006 reported abortions
globally, 804,000,000. (World pop at 2008, c.6.6 billion)
d) England and Wales - 2006
- 193,700 residents – highest ever figure absolutely and highest ever rate per 1000
women residents aged between 15 and 44 (18.3) (There were 669,601 live births
in England and Wales in 2006)
- 530 per day; 22 per hour, one every 3 minutes
- 1% under grounds A and B; 97% under ground C; 1% under ground D; 1% under
ground E; “abortions are rarely performed under grounds F or G” (none
exclusively on these grounds in 2006)
- 2,036 under ground E – risk that child born handicapped (436 Down’s Syndrome)
- 6.6 million since 1967
- 136 abortions over 24 weeks gestation (34 at over 32 wks)
- 1042 abortions to girls aged 14 or under
- greater London – c.100,000 live births p.a. and c. 51,000 abortions
7. Statutory grounds for abortion
A legally induced abortion must be certified by two registered medical practitioners as justified under
one or more of the following grounds:
A. the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than
if the pregnancy were terminated (Abortion Act, 1967 as amended, section 1(1)(c))
B. the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of
the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(b))
C. the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy
would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or
mental health of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(a))
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D. the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy
would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or
mental health of any existing children of the family of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(a))
E. there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental
abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped (section 1(1)(d))
or in an emergency, certified by the operating practitioner as immediately necessary:
F. to save the life of the pregnant woman (section 1(4))
G. to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman section
1(4))
8. How abortions are done
a) Medical
1. RU486 (the abortion pill) (antiprogesterone) (mifepristone)
This is a drug which can be given up to the 9th week of pregnancy. It prevents nourishment
from the mother reaching the child, causing its death. The mother is also given prostaglandins
(see above) to help her body expel the child, perhaps days later. The woman will usually have
to go to the hospital or clinic three times. 24% of 2005 England and Wales
b) Surgical
1. Vacuum Aspiration (suction abortion)
Under anaesthetic, the neck of the womb (or 'cervix') is opened by probes (or 'dilators') and a
tube is inserted. When the vacuum machine is switched on, the unborn child is sucked, in
pieces, down the tube into a disposable jar. if the head is too large it may be crushed before
being removed. This is the most common method of early abortion. About 80% of abortions in
England and Wales are done this way. 71% of 2005 England and Wales.
2. Dilatation And Curettage (D & C) / Dilatation And Evacuation (D & E)
Instead of a tube, a scraping instrument (or curette) is used and the unborn child is scraped, in
pieces, from the womb. As with every abortion, unless all the parts are removed infection may
set in. / Instead of a curette, small forceps are used to crush the body and pull it out in bits. As
this is used later, the body is larger and, as with D & C, someone must check that every part of
the body had been removed. 5% of 2003 England and Wales
c) Feticide: “For abortions at 22 weeks or beyond, feticide is recommended prior to the evacuation of
the uterus.” (DOH Statistical Bulletin)
1. Prostaglandins (induced premature labour)
This method takes place on the ward, not in the operating theatre. Hormones called
prostaglandins are injected to bring on labour, which may last for 8 to 22 hours. The labour is
intense and the child is expelled from the womb. If this method is used later (after 18 weeks)
the child may be alive for at least a short time after delivery. To prevent this, a poison (called
urea) may be added to the waters of the womb to kill the child before delivery. If the neck of
the womb has not opened enough, the head will be crushed with forceps so that the rest of the
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body can be removed. Many late abortions are now performed by bringing on labour in this
way. 32 feticides in 2005.
From UK Abortion Statistics, 2006:
There is one principal medical method, involving the use of the abortifacient drug Mifegyne
(mifepristone, also known as RU486). The main surgical methods are vacuum aspiration,
recommended at up to 15 weeks gestation, and dilatation and evacuation (D&E) recommended
where gestation is greater than 15 weeks. D&E may be used in combination with vacuum
aspiration; such cases are recorded in the statistics as D&E. Medical abortions accounted for
about 30% of the total in 2006. The proportion of medical abortions has more than doubled in
the last five years. There has been a continuing upward trend in medical abortions since 1991
when Mifegyne was licensed for use in the UK. Vacuum aspiration was used in for 64% of
abortions in 2006 and Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E) alone in about 6%. For abortions at
22 weeks or beyond, feticide is recommended prior to the evacuation of the uterus to stop the
fetal heart. In 2006, 65% of abortions performed at 22 weeks and over were reported as
preceded by a feticide and 28% were performed by a method whereby the fetal heart is stopped
as part of the procedure. Of the remaining 6%, at the time of publication, we had not been able
to confirm whether feticide had been performed for the majority of cases.
From Care Confidential:
There is a variety of ways abortion is done:
Medical abortion:
Early Medical Abortions
An early medical abortion (EMA) is one that takes place in the first trimester, usually between 5-7 and
14 weeks of pregnancy.
How is an early medical abortion done?
On your first visit to the hospital or clinic, you will be given a drug called Mifegyne. This makes the
lining of the womb unsuitable for the pregnancy to continue. This drug can make some women feel
sick. If vomiting occurs, a second pill has to be given. After this, you can go home.
During the next 48 hours, you may start to bleed and experience stomach cramps. Some women expel
the pregnancy at home.You will be expected to go back to the clinic or hospital at a pre-arranged time
and four tablets will be placed in your vagina. The drug (called prostaglandin) causes the womb to
contract and expel the foetus. You will be given painkillers for stomach cramps. Most women expel
the foetus within 1-6 hours whilst at the clinic or hospital.
Late medical abortions
Late medical abortions are those that take place after 12-14 weeks of pregnancy. Some clinics and
hospitals now prefer a medical termination as an alternative to surgical abortion if you are over 14
weeks of pregnancy.
The upper limit for this procedure varies across England and Wales so you will need to ask for local
information from your nearest pregnancy crisis centre, GP or family planning clinic.
How is a late medical abortion done?
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Late medical abortions up to 16/17 weeks use the same medication as an early medical abortion, but
will probably involve taking prostaglandin vaginally and by mouth. Stomach cramps can be quite
strong, but again you will be given painkillers.
After 16/17 weeks, the uterus may also injected with prostaglandin to induce contractions and a
substance to ensure that the foetus is not delivered alive.
A late medical termination can take longer to complete because the cervix has to dilate much more
than with an early medical abortion. There is a possibility you will see the foetus.
What are the health risks of medical abortions?
 Medical abortions are generally safer than surgical ones because you don’t have to have a
general anaesthetic and no instruments are introduced into the womb. The risk of infection or
physical damage to the cervix or womb is therefore reduced.
 There is a risk of the pregnancy not being terminated but this is rare.
 The termination might not be ‘complete’ i.e. some tissue may be retained which can cause
infection and abnormal bleeding.
 Excessive bleeding can occur and may need to be treated.
 Late medical terminations may result in the placenta being retained. An operation may be
required to remove it.
 The risk of heavy bleeding is also greater with late medical terminations.
Surgical abortion:
Surgical abortion can be offered as an alternative to a medical abortion, but in some places it is not
now the preferred method. Local information about procedures needs to be sought from your nearest
pregnancy crisis centre, GP or family planning clinic.
Early Surgical Abortion
How is an early surgical abortion done?
Up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, a suction method (called vacuum aspiration) can be used. The woman is
usually given a general (but sometimes a local) anaesthetic. A suction tube is inserted into the womb
and the developing baby (foetus) is removed. After this, a woman usually bleeds for up to 14 days.
Late surgical abortion: How is a late surgical abortion done?
Up to 19 weeks of pregnancy, the developing baby is larger so surgical dilatation and evacuation
(D&E) is used. This means that, under general anaesthetic, the opening of the woman's womb is
stretched open and forceps (a metal tool) are used to remove the developing baby. Again, bleeding
may occur afterwards for up to 14 days.
After 20 weeks of pregnancy, surgical abortion involves injecting the developing baby to stop its heart
or cutting the umbilical cord to ensure that it is dead. The next day, a dilatation and evacuation
procedure (D&E, as described above) is done to remove it from the womb. The woman is under
general anaesthetic for both parts of this abortion and usually has to stay in for at least one night.
Note also
1. Intra-uterine device – coil
2. Morning after pill – after fertilisation but before implantation. A high dosage of the birth
control pill. It is recommended to be used after sexual intercourse, over a period of 72 hours, to
achieve the goal of preventing or ending pregnancy.
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3. The pill – designed to a) prevent ovulation and b) make cervix hostile to sperm; may also c)
prevent implantation in cases where fertilisation takes place.
1. and 2. and 3 c) can only be called contra-ception if conception is equated with
implantation rather than fertilisation.
4. Partial birth abortion - http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/index.html (warning – horrific)
9. The arguments
Basic argument against abortion
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2.
3.
4.
from conception the being in the womb is a living human person
it is wrong intentionally to kill an innocent human person
abortion intentionally kills an innocent human person
abortion is wrong
A. Attack 1 - deny that the being in the womb is a human person
What is a human person / when does life begin – a couple of summaries and some possibly
relevant Scriptures
a) The status of life before birth – from CMF, Abortion and Euthanasia
“The fundamental issue in the abortion debate is whether life before birth is viewed in the
same way by God as life after birth. If it is, then we must be obliged to treat human life in the
womb with the same respect with which we would treat human life at any other stage of
development. If it isn’t then we could argue that we are justified in employing some sort of
sliding scale of value. What does the Bible say?
Fundamental to the Bible’s teaching on the status of human life is the principle that God
himself is completely just and impartial (2 Ch 19:7). It is therefore not surprising that Jesus and
the apostles warned against partiality on the basis of wealth (Jas 2:3,4), sex, race, social
standing (Gal 3:28) and age (Mt 19:14). Furthermore Old Testament teaching enjoined special
respect and protection for easily exploited groups such as the poor (Pr 22:22-23), widows and
orphans (Ex 22:22-24), aliens (Ex 22:21), the handicapped (Lv 19:14), slaves (Ex 21:2-6) and
the elderly (Lv 19:32). It must follow that devaluing any human life, let alone vulnerable
human life, is inconsistent with God’s justice. The heart of Christian ethical teaching is that we
must love as Christ himself loved (Jn 13:34), that the strong should lay down their lives for the
weak (Phil 2:5-8, Rom 5:6-8). To suggest that the weak may be sacrificed in the interests of the
strong is not biblical morality.
Furthermore there are many specific references to life before birth in Scripture. Psalm 139:1316 affirms God’s creation of, and communion with, the unborn child as well as implying the
continuity between life before and after birth:
‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful...
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place...
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.’
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God calls Isaiah and Jeremiah before birth (Is 49:1, Je 1:5) and forms Job ‘in the womb’ as
well as bringing him out of it (Jb 10:8-9, 18-19). The Isaiah reference is particulary noteworthy
because it comes from one of the so-called Servant Songs and therefore speaks prophetically of
Christ himself.
Many other references to life before birth in the Bible reinforce these principles (eg. Gn 25:2223, Ps 22:9,10, 51:5, 71:6, 119:73, Ec 11:5, Is 44:2,24, 49:5, Ho 12:3, Mt 1:18, Lk 1:15, 41-44)
and there are over 60 references which mention the event of conception explicitly. In the Luke
reference we see Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, prophesying over Christ in his first
week of gestation, and the baby John leaping in the womb. The Psalm 22 and the Genesis 25
references are also prophetic of Christ, so when we consider that he was ‘made like his
brothers in every way’ (Heb 2:17) this must speak clearly of our status before birth as well.
In the face of the weight of this biblical testimony however, some Christians have justified
attributing a lesser value to life before birth on the basis of Exodus 21:22-25. This argument
dominated the literature of the Christian Medical Fellowship for decades and perhaps accounts
for the CMF’s silence at the time of the Abortion Act being passed. In reality the interpretation
is flawed. Let us consider it in some detail.
‘If two 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, eye for eye ... bruise for
bruise.’ (Ex 21:22-25)
The argument put forward is that fetal life must be of less value to God or ‘miscarriage’ would
have been punishable by the death penalty. It is easier to understand how people come to this
conclusion when the RSV version of the translation is considered:
‘...If men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that there is a miscarriage, and yet
no harm follows...’
It is essential to stress first that this cannot be construed as a reference to abortion. There is no
intention to hurt the unborn child and the woman is an innocent bystander to a fight who
suffers accidental injury. However there are three key questions raised by the passage which
have a bearing on the status of life before birth: Is this a premature live birth or a miscarriage?
Does the fine apply to causing the death or the premature delivery of the baby? Does the set of
punishments apply to injury of the child or mother or both?
The varied interpretations made by English translators virtually all add to the meaning of the
original Hebrew text. Whereas the NIV reading implies a premature live birth, the RSV
suggests that the baby is dead. The Hebrew doesn’t rule out either possibility but simply states
that ‘her child’ (yeled) - or more correctly her offspring since the form of the noun is a generic
plural -'goes out'(yatsa). Yeled in most biblical contexts means simply child (see for example
Gn 21:8, Ru 4:16, 1 Ki 3:25) and yatsa elsewhere simply describes going forth (Gn 12:4, Ex
35:20). Because there is no indication in the Hebrew text that death of the baby has necessarily
occurred it is therefore not justified to assume (as many authors do) that causing a miscarriage
was punishable only by a fine. Equally, the Hebrew does not specify whether the 'serious
injury' referred to is suffered by the mother or the child. Both readings are possible. If, as some
commentators have argued, the lex talionis (life for life etc) applies equally to the child,
causing a stillbirth or miscarriage would have been punishable by death. This reading would be
far more consistent with the rest of the biblical testimony about the status of life before birth. If
the Hebrew leaves room for doubt then surely we are obliged to give the fetus the benefit of
that doubt. It is extremely dangerous in any area of biblical interpretation to base our whole
practice on an unwarranted deduction from a single verse.
If God himself does not discriminate between individuals and affirms the humanity of life
before birth recognising conception as a strategic event, dare we act differently? How can we
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justifiably claim that unborn children are not neighbours to whom we owe responsibility? The
burden of proof must certainly be with those who are trying to justify abortion.
If, as we have argued, life before birth has the same status as life after birth in the eyes of God,
it must follow that if we wouldn’t approve of infanticide in a given situation, neither should we
approve of abortion.”
b) SPUC summary
“The formation and growth of the unborn are said to be in the hands of God (Job 10:8-11) and
it is possible for them to have a personal relationship with their Creator (Psalm 139:13-16).
Jeremiah and Paul both received their calling from God before birth (Jeremiah 1:5 and
Galatians 1:15), as did the servant in Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1-5). Samson was bound by vows as an
unborn child (Judges 13:7) and John the Baptist was filled by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15) and
displayed spiritual discernment (Luke 1:41-44) literally 'from the womb'. The most important
unborn baby in the Bible is Jesus. The central teaching of Christianity is that the eternal Word
of God took human flesh and lived a human life in this world (John 1:14). That life began at
conception (Matthew 1:20-21). Luke describes how John the Baptist, as a six-month foetus,
responded to the presence of Jesus as an embryo only a few days old (Luke 1:39-44). The
human life of Jesus differed in nature from the rest of humanity's only in its sinlessness
(Hebrews 4:15). Since his life began at conception, so does every human life.”
c) Some possibly relevant Scriptures
Gen 2.7 – body then soul – life is a gift from God
Gen 25.21-3 (‘children’ – but no word for fetus)
Gen 38.24 – Tamar condemned to death though pregnant
Ex 20.13 – you shall not murder
Ex 21.22-23 – see above + Frame
Lev 27.6 – the valuation of persons from a month
Num 3.15 – counted in the census from a month
Judges 13.2-7 – Nazirite Samson
Job 3.2-4, 11-19 Job 10.8-12, 18-19 – God put him together and brought him into the world
Ps 51.5 – conceived ME – some identity/continuity between what conceived and David
Ps 139.13-16 – God at work before birth – knowling, shaping, planning
Is 49.1 – called and named before birth
Jer 1.5 – Jeremiah known before birth
Ezek 37.8-10 (Ps 104) – breath and life
Hos 9.14,16 – judicial abortion?
Hos 13.15-16 – horror of pregnant women ripped open
Amos 1.13 – same again; did this ‘that they might enlarge their border’
Luke 1.15, 41, 42 (1.41 brephos – 2.12, 16, II Tim 3.15 Acts 7.19)
I Cor 1.26-9 – God and the things which are not
Gal 1.15 – Paul known before birth
What can we conclude?
1. That every human being who has been born is known by God who has intentions towards and a
relationship with that human being, and that every human being has been shaped by God “in his
image” and has been given existence by God;
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2. That in the case of many this “known by God, shaped by God and given existence by God”-ness
stretches back to the person’s life in the womb;
3. That there is no biblical reason to doubt
a) that this does not stretch back to the very first moment of existence
- the event of conception itself is given significance in Scripture – Gen 25.1, Matt 1.18
b) that this does not apply every human being;
4. That even the one who is “known by God, shaped by God and given existence by God” who does
not come to birth and breath is valued by God and the object of his care;
5. That biblical writers did have some understanding that sexual intercourse and pregnancy were not
unrelated and that pregnancy and the child born also not unrelated !
6. That all these things being true we can have a strong presumption in favour of the view that from
the very first moment of existence the being in the womb is to be regarded as a living human
person;
7. That – at the very least – we cannot be sure that the being in the womb is not a human person;
And therefore that – whether from 6 or 7 – we should not even contemplate ending the life of the
being in the womb.
What is a human person ?
Necessary and sufficient conditions
- alive? having life does not make something a person
- human? each single cell has the genetic material – but not a person
A human with potential or a potential human?
What makes a human person?
- genetic makeup
- consciousness
- self-consciousness
- sentience
- rationality
- physical independence
- physical resemblance to other humans
- a soul
- inclusion in a human family
When does life begin?
- conception – DNA
- implantation
- life is in the blood
- feel pain – 12-16 weeks?
- quickening
- as soon as the ‘spirit’ enters – death is separation of body and spirit
- brain activity (cf definition of death)
- viability
- breath
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How expect to define human person without ref to God?

If deny X is a person, does that mean we have no moral responsibilities towards X?

If we admit that X is a person, does that mean that we have to treat X exactly the same way as
we treat human persons Y, Z, A and B?

If we are unsure whether or not X is a person, what should we do?
Doctrine of Carefulness:
- not sure if a man or a deer – would you shoot?
- not sure if it’s a rat or your dog in the sack – would you tie and sink it?
B. Attack 2. - admit that is a person but think possibly morally justified
(in effect, this is an argument that the being in the womb is, though a human person, in
possession of lesser rights than the mother: that when there is a conflict between this
innocent human life and the woman’s need/desire for X (where X is defined by the
grounds for the abortion) then the woman’s need/desire for X has priority.)
Rights of the woman
Judith Jarvis Thomson article and replies
1) Privacy
2) Self-determination
3) Her own body
“basic human right to control one’s own body”
“you can’t have two entities with equal rights occupying one body”
- do we have rights over our own body?
- do we have rights over our baby’s body?
- what if there are conflicting rights?
Pregnancy as “harm”
“invasive, massive physical change, pain, burden … takes over the entire body of a
woman”
“the non-consensual intrusion of a human body by a mental incompetent”
‘Sanctity of life’ as against the quality of life – other children’s welfare, e.g.
Thomson: “the right to life does not require that others do absolutely anything to save
us and does not require that others give us the use of their body to save us.”
10. Issues requiring attention
a) Effects of abortion
(i) short-term: depression; post-abortion psychosis, uterine perforation; haemorrhage,
sepsis, cervical lacerations; retained placentae
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(ii)long-term: chronic pelvic inflammatory disease; subfertility; menstrual disturbance
b) Eugenics
c) Hard cases:
(i) Mother’s life - e.g. chemotherapy - good action, good intention, double effect
- very rare indeed – and even more rare where the probabilities (which course of
action most likely to save a life?) are evenly balanced
- mother’s existing responsibilities
- mother’s will
- father’s will
- priority of husband-wife over parent-child relationship?
(ii) Severe handicap / disability
-
Pre-natal screening – can be “search and destroy” missions
-
cure the disease by killing the person? (I can get rid of your toothache !)
-
protecting and caring for the most vulnerable
-
counter-examples
-
whose call? – “this life isn’t worth living”
(iii) Unwanted children / child abuse
(iv) Rape
-
one act of violence against the innocent dealt with by perpetrating another?
-
wicked father – so kill the child?
-
1 in 1000 rape victims get pregant
d) Back street abortions:
“Those who think abortion is wrong reject backstreet abortions along with all other
abortions. It is not where, or how badly they are performed, that makes the difference.
wherever or however they are performed, at least one life is ended, sometimes two.
And to argue that we must legalise abortion because there will always otherwise be an
illegal backstreet trade is like saying that we must legalise bad driving because there
will always be bad drivers. If people are being beaten up in the backstreets should we
establish clinics where they can be attacked in hygienic conditions? Of course not.”
20 deaths per annum in UK from backstreet abortions in the 1960s
e) Father’s rights
f) Gene technology
g) Foetal tissue in medical research
h) Infanticide and euthanasia
i) Birth control
j) Adoption – 1968 – 28,000 adoptions in UK; 1998 - 6000
k) Preaching / teaching about abortion in the life of the church
l) Civil disobedience – violent / non-violent
- what is intrinsically wrong (destruction of property / murder)
- guided by church authorities
- right of the private citizen to intervene to prevent murder
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m) Support / care for those wanting an abortion – not 9 months but 18 years
n) Abortion and infant salvation?
o) careers in medicine and the experience of professionals
For us to do now …
Open mouth for the dumb – Proverbs 31.8
Good Samaritan – compassion for helpless
Ps 82.4 – rescue weak and needy – deliver from the hand of the wicked
Attitude to children
- Children’s Act – massive rights to the child
- Animal rights movement / animal welfare
- the unborn child
Value of life – made in God’s image – everyone special
Power of God’s love – to transform attitudes and give extraordinary strength
Possibility of forgiveness – through the death of the Innocent
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