Why Should There Be Abortion Exceptions?

Ban all abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. That is the line. That is the buzz phrase. After all, we don’t want to be seen as monsters or people who do not care about the health and safety of women. Right?

But is the argument of abortion in these cases should be allowed valid? Further, is it biblical? I think that, if we are honest, the answer to both of these questions is necessarily, “No, it’s not.”

First, let’s take a biblical view of abortion to begin. Those who are in favor of abortion claim that the unborn child is not a baby. It is “just a fetus” they say. One should point out that the word “fetus” literally means an “unborn human.” It is from latin meaning childbirth, offspring. A fetus is a child by very definition. So, at minimum, abortion is killing children.

This is not a sensational take. This is not manipulative. This is not playing on emotions. This is fact by very definition of words. Words have meaning.

So, it is possible to argue that a “fetus” is not a “baby” but it is not possible to argue that a fetus is not a human child. That is significant. Nobody believes we should be killing children but we have just established that is exactly what the pro-abortion movement is doing.

But what does the Bible say about these children? As Christians, we should never look to the world for our theology but that is exactly what is happening in many Christian circles who have left the fidelity of the Gospel for the ways of the world.

First, and most obvious, is that humans are fundamentally different than animals. We are special by virtue of being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV)

God has made us his crowning creation. We are made in his image and that separates us from every other living thing on earth. But God continues to create. Psalm 139:13 says he was knitting us together in our mother’s womb.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13, ESV)

God is taking an active role in creating that precious baby that is growing inside the mother. It is significant, it is sacred, it has unmeasurable value. The very next verse says that we are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

So we have established that the “fetus” is not just an inanimate object, or non-sentient entity, or worse, just “a clump of cells” as the world tries to describe it. That is a human child with value and worth and not just something to be destroyed and discarded because it is “my body, my choice.”

So if abortion of choice is wrong, what about the exceptions? The rape, incest, and life of the mother exceptions? Those are different right? No, they are exactly the same.

The external factors of how the child was conceived does not change the fact that it is a human child that is made in the image of God, an active creation of God with significant value and worth. Nothing for that child is different. Nothing.

So no, exceptions are not warranted.

In the case of rape and incest, those are terrible things that happen to girls. But that doesn’t mean we kill a child because something bad happened to the mother. As a church, we need to come along side these girls and provide them with as much love and care as we possibly can as they have undergone significant trauma. We should offer them free counseling services and hope that only Christ can provide. We should help them with their expenses if they do not have family that can do so.

In the case of the life of the mother, this is a hard decision. But the decision to intentionally kill a child is never the right choice. I do need to point out that according to all major health organizations, the top five causes of death in pregnancy, the treatment recommendation is not abortion. There are other options. So to say that abortion is the only option is almost certainly a lie. We must combat that with the truth.

But if the situation arises where tough decisions must be made, the right decision is always to try and save both the mother and the child. That is the only moral choice. This may not be successful but we must try.

With abortion, or any other issue, Christians must be faithful to the Word of God and not the word of men as I stated earlier. It is clear that because of the nature of God and the nature of children in the womb we cannot accept abortion under any circumstances as a valid option even if the situation is difficult.

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