Abortion refers to the removal of pregnancy before its maturity. Its legalization has been controversial among some people supporting it while others do not support it. Those supporting it provide various reasons. They are as: this is the personal choice to use her body the way she wants; there is no need of bringing up unwanted kids; it saves raped mothers from the trauma they will pass through all their life; and it is better to abort children whose mothers can not economically support them in future. Those not supporting claim that it is God’s work to create and end the lives of human beings; it is against the rights of humans; and it shades off the morality in the society. Legalizing abortion is unethical as it is against God’s will, deprives innocent human beings from their right to life, and fades the morality away from the society.
Ethics deals with what is wrong and right. The Bible is a perfect source of getting and knowing what is right and wrong as it is the excellent standard of right and wrong (Heimbach). It teaches us that God is a sole determinant of what is ethical and unethical (2 Tim 3:16, “Revised Standard Version”). It is, therefore, better to get to know what the Bible says about some controversial issues.
The sixth commandment condemns a murder (Exodus 20:13, “Revised Standard Version”). This applies to the intentional killing of a person. The moral view of the Bible is that killing is only allowed in cases where justice is defended and the weak persons are protected. According to the Bible, it is ethically right to take the life of an intruder who poses a threat to the lives of families at night. In such a case, the killer will not be answerable for shading blood (Exodus 22:2, “Revised Standard Version”). Abortion is an intentional killing of an innocent unborn child that has neither intruded in the people’s lives nor done anything bad. When the Bible advocates for killing to protect the weak people, why should people take the lives of weak (unborn), that they have the authority to protect? This is unethical and should not happen under any circumstance.
The Bible teaches us that life begins from the conception by giving instances where God indicated that the unborn had life. God teaches us in the Bible that before we had been born, He knew us (Jeremiah 1:5, “Revised Standard Version”). For the Lord to know us before our birth, it means that we are human beings even in the womb being alive. The Lord filled John, the Baptist, with the Holy Spirit, while he was being in his mother’s womb. Thus, he leaped with happiness (Luke 1:15, “Revised Standard Version”).
In another instance, while Samson was being in his mother’s womb, God directed his mother not to drink any wine as the child she was carrying in her womb was a man of God (Judges 13:7, “Revised Standard Version”). In addition, Jesus was referred to as a “Child” by the Bible (Matthew 1:23, “Revised Standard Version”). This indicates that God considers the unborn children as human beings. If He does so and refutes killing of humans, ten we ave no right to kill?
The Bible reminds us that no one shall be put to death because of another person’s sins; i.e. fathers for their children and children for their fathers (Deuteronomy 24:16, “Revised Standard Version”). While those supporting the legalization of abortion say that it is good to perform the abortion to save mothers from the trauma they will pass through by raising children as a result of rape. So the right of the unborn children must be protected. The rapist, whether known or unknown, remains a biological father of this child. The unborn child should not be killed because of the father’s act. The verse condemns performing the abortion that comes as a result of incest or rape (Ezekiel 18:20, “Revised Standard Version”). Since the Bible continues to teach us that children should not bear their parent’s sins, rapists should be responsible for their acts and, if at all, should be killed instead of their unborn children.
Killing innocent people is strongly condemned by the Bible (Exodus 23:7, “Revised Standard Version”). Children in the womb are very innocent and do not know anything regarding their outcomes. Killing such innocent beings, who do not know anything, is unethical. The Bible continues to teach as that killing the unborn kids is murdering (Exodus 21:22, “Revised Standard Version”) and the consequence of such murder is death.
Many constitutions state the right to life as one of their fundamental human rights which should be protected. Like any other right protected by the constitution, such as the right to the child’s education and the right to life should be respected. Just as the Bible has indicated, the life begins from the conception and an unborn child has some rights, including the right to life. When such rights are continually violated, the supreme law of land will have no meaning. If mothers claim they have the right to life, why should they kill their unborn kids that have the same rights. While the United Nations Organization experts have concluded that women have the right to decide whether to reproduce or terminate their unborn kids (“The Human Rights Committee” 37), a decision to abort their babies is unethical.
Legalizing the abortion has a negative effect on the women’s’ lives even if restricted. The restrictive nature of some laws regarding the abortion makes women perform unsafe abortions. This has made many of them lose their lives as a result of the consequences of abortion. According to the Human Rights Law and Access to Abortion, the abortion accounts to about 13% of annual deaths of women in the whole world. Short response gives an approximation of about a quarter to half a million lives of women lost annually as a result of the unsafe abortion (23). The question that arises is that if we should continue losing such number of women in something that can be avoided. The answer is no; this should not be legalized, and any person who violates it should receive a heavy punishment to act as an example to others intending to do the same.
A fetus is a human being and aborting derails the morality in the society. Many societies respect the life of humans and condemn killing. Legalizing the abortion is immoral and if legalized many women will not take precautions and would involve themselves in the unprotected sex as they know that they have a solution to pregnancies (Heimbach). Such society will not respect lives. Though many would argue that there should be the autonomy in the society, there should be the autonomy that violates human rights.
The society that does not respect the dignity of human beings will not respect any other things, including the property of its members. By allowing its members to perform abortions, societies lose their future leaders that would help in the development. What about the fact that if our mothers had aborted us, would we be alive now? It is not morally right to allow the members of the society to perform the abortion.
Conclusion
Abortion should not be legalized. It is against God’s will and if He is a giver and a taker of life, no human being should do so. When legalized, abortion would go against the will of God and law. God condemns killing; and the law provides people with this right to life. The society also plays a major role in shaping the character of its members. The society that allows its members to perform abortion cultivates a bad moral in them.