Where is the prohibition against abortion in the Bible?

Question

And I don't mean "murder is murder". Where is the actual passage that defines when human life begins, and when abortion is acceptable.

Answer 1

Turning to Jewish belief:

< The Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 69b states that: "the embryo is considered to be mere water until the fortieth day." Afterwards, it is considered subhuman until it is born.

"Rashi, the great 12th century commentator on the Bible and Talmud, states clearly of the fetus 'lav nefesh hu--it is not a person.' The Talmud contains the expression 'ubar yerech imo--the fetus is as the thigh of its mother,' i.e., the fetus is deemed to be part and parcel of the pregnant woman's body." 1 This is grounded in Exodus 21:22. That biblical passage outlines the Mosaic law in a case where a man is responsible for causing a woman's miscarriage, which kills the fetus If the woman survives, then the perpetrator has to pay a fine to the woman's husband. If the woman dies, then the perpetrator is also killed. This indicates that the fetus has value, but does not have the status of a person. >

Answer 2

It is not in there, there is actually not stated when life begins. Interestingly though, the Catholic church's official position (unknown by most catholics) is that abortion is allowable - to a point. It was believed that life begin at what was called "quickening." At this point the baby moved inside the mother and life began, it was actually defined as the first time the mother felt the baby move, kick, whatever. After this point abortion was wrong, and before it was allowable. However, later, a scientist - using a new fangled microscope - clamed he looked at an aborted fetus and said that it looked like a microscopic baby, shaped exactly the same as a normal baby. Thus the fetus was alive and human. Based solely on this belief, the Catholic church officially adopted the position that abortion was wrong. When it was proven that a fetus does not look this way, the decree became invalid, returning to the system they had before (which allowed abortion). The Catholic church has not officially touched the issue again. While many members of the clergy are against it and speak out against it, the official documented position of the church is that it is allowable.

In response to trijoy's answer, her entire argument is a victim of the slippery slope fallacy and is thus invalid. She states that the baby's eye color is determined at conception. Thus she is referring to potential. Potential is never a valid argument because it can slip in either direction. Under this belief any month a woman of proper age has her period and is not pregnant is a sin because the potential human that egg could have turned into has been "killed." Clearly the further implications of this can be seen but would be a little more inappropriate to discuss here. This is a common argument, but other than being solely emotionally charged - attempting to when converts purely based on feeling rather than rational assertion - it is also unacceptable due to the slippery slope its suppliers have not thought of or choose to ignore.

Answer 3

It is known to all that life begins the moment the sperm enters the egg and the egg starts dividing.I will give any scientist credit for that one. As far as the Bible goes and when is it wrong to have an abortion. Let us start with the meaning of abortion. What happens when a mission is aborted. It is halted stopped ,ceased, put an end to.So abortion is to put an end to, birth before the fetus ( I hate that word) can sustain life on their own. An abortion is forcing a premature birth where the child cannot survive. In the Ten Commandments. It states Do not kill. If you put an end to to an innocent life you have murdered. There is never an acceptable time to abort a life. god gave you that privelege to carry that life and give birth to that child. He is only borrowing you the child to raise to believe in Him. It is an awesome blessing and miracle. I gave birth to 9 children and everyone of them is a blessing from the Lord

Answer 4

There are passages that support the concept of life beginning with the first breath, which doesn't happen until birth. There is another passage that says (paraphrased) "I stitched you together while in your mother's womb", which implies there was a 'you' in the womb as a result. The OT prescibes punishment for injuring a woman and causing a miscarriage, but the punishment is not death, which means that it wasn't considered murder. So, the Bible contradicts itself (surprise, surprise).

Ancient Jews believed 'ensoulment' happend on the 40th day after conception, but that isn't actually recorded in the Bible.

Why do you care what a bunch of bronze aged tribesmen had to say about this anyway?

Answer 5

There is no place in bible which says abortion is bad as there was no abortion/surgery 2000 years ago. The interpretation of the bible is what makes the difference in different people's mind. Several passages have been interpreted differently by different scholars and further inferences on how we should conduct ourselves has been figured out with those interpretation in way which is relavent to that day and age. Bible or as a matter of fact every holy book forms a basis which people can interpret the way they want. 100 years from now it will have complely different meaning for the time. I hope this answers your question.

Answer 6

I think this is a question of you needing to define your own values of life.

However, the typical Christian interpretation is most likely derived from Luke 1: 29-38

Mary was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant. Then the angel told Mary, "Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you, and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end."

Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen? I am not married!"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. Nothing is impossible for God!"

Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said." And the angel left her.

The announcement of the conception of Jesus (and even of John in the Gospel of Mark) suggests that the life if sacred, even from the moment of conception. Therefore, it is human life, and to kill any human life goes against the commandments.

Answer 7

No doubt you've already noticed which answers include specific citations and which do not.

The one passage that someone else tried to dismiss without citing directly is Jeremiah 1:5(KJV):

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,..." (The 'I' in that passage is God speaking in the first person.)

I'd also challenge the other poster to cite some evidence of the Catholic Church stance on abortion. (Even though it doesn't directly address your question, does it?) Here is my evidence that the Church does prohibit it from the moment of conception. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."

I would also like to take a moment to thank you for posing your question in such a civil manner. Hope you get the answers you're seeking!

Answer 8

It doesn't, although I am sure there are some who will misinterpret passages to there own ends. The bible is just a book....Abortion is legal and a woman's choice. And it will continue to stay that way.

Answer 9

Why would a diety who practices collective punishment be against abortion? It's purely silly to use that book as justification against abortion based on the innocent humans the diety in there destroyed.

Answer 10

Thou shall not murder. Modern science is showing how fetuses are living, feeling human beings earlier and earlier. Within one month or less I believe, a child can feel pain. I think we can rely on science to show how human life does begin at conception.