Christian Beliefs and Abortion
Abortion is a highly controversial issue with the pro-life and pro-choice supporters professing diametrically opposite view-points on the ethical, legal and medical aspects of the issue. The Christian beliefs regarding abortion have generally been against abortion, although in the middle period (5th to 17th century AD), the Christian church had softened its stance on abortion. Presently, most Christian organizations and churches are against abortion but the intensity of opposition varies among different Christian religious groups. In this paper I shall outline the Christian beliefs on abortion from the biblical times to the present, focusing on the anti-abortion arguments.
The Basis of the Christian Belief about Abortion: Biblical Foundation
Christians believe that life starts from the moment of conception, i.e., as soon as the sperm cell fertilizes an egg; the bible prescribes in the Fifth Commandment "thou shalt not kill"; abortion constitutes taking of an innocent life; therefore abortion is murder.
The Old Testament prescribes in Psalm 139, Verse 13: "thou hast covered me in my mother's womb" This has been interpreted by most Christian theologians as meaning that God alone is Lord of the womb and the womb is an inviolable place. Although abortion was practiced by several neighbors of the Israelites in the biblical times, the Hebrews themselves strictly forbade it and considered it a violation of a sacred place -- the womb. Several Jewish writers equated the practice of abortion with fratricide and considered it outright murder, as it made the womb a place of death instead of life.
When Mary chose to give birth to Christ in the face of adversity, giving of life became a sacred duty and a chance provided to mankind for attaining salvation. This further cemented the religious beliefs against abortion and the Christian writers picked up the tradition of anti-abortion writings from the Jewish writers and the earliest Christian documents condemning abortion are mere revisions...
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