mindful-of-words submitted:

The term “human baby” is in the definition of fetus. Just so you know.

Your scripture references are referring to persons that are already born having the breath of life breathed into them. Adam didn’t have a biological mother…he was made from the dust.

Do you really think that God would be okay with the termination of something he put so much thought into? He thought of us far before our mothers were pregnant with his. You really think he wouldn’t be hurt by abortion?

Also: Just because Jesus didn’t say outright “Abortion is wrong” doesn’t mean anything. I’m pretty sure “Thou shalt not murder” covers abortion. Murder is defined as “The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.” Abortion is premeditated. It is also the killing of a human being. Are you denying the humanness of the unborn child?

Actually, I’m fairly certain that the scientific definition of “fetus” does not include any mention of humans or babies. Biologically, a fetus “is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.” You would do well to remember that there are species on this planet other than Homo sapiens sapiens, and that our close evolutionary relatives (particularly Mammalia) share a good deal of developmental processes with us.

Etymologically speaking, “fetus” also does not have any roots in “human baby.” Fetus is derived from the Latin “fetus,” (surprise!) which means “offspring,” “bringing forth,” or “hatching of young.”

And even if the Latin root of “fetus” did literally mean “tiny baby person with more rights than its mother,” scientific definitions are not contingent on the literal translation of their etymological roots. A teratogen is a substance that causes morphological birth defects and is derived from the Greek teras, meaning “marvel” or “monster.” By your flawed theory of etymology, every person with a birth defect is a “monster.” I certainly hope this is not what you believe.

And as I said before, no one is contesting whether a human fetus is indeed human. The issue at hand is whether a fetus has the right to use another person’s body without their consent. Given that we do not force individuals (or even cadavers) to donate their organs, fluids, or tissues without consent, even to save another’s life, it would be morally wrong and internally inconsistent to outlaw abortion and force pregnant people to gestate and birth fetuses against their will.

As for your arguments regarding Scripture, I can tell from your comments that you did not read the commentary I provided. I can also tell from my site tracker that you spent less than one minute on that blog post before coming back to flail in my submit box, so my suspicions are confirmed.

Since you have trouble reading external links, please allow me to provide you with text pasted from the aforementioned Christian Left article:

In Exodus 21:22 it states that if a man causes a woman to have a miscarriage, he shall be fined; however, if the woman dies then he will be put to death. It should be apparent from this that the aborted fetus is not considered a living human being since the resulting punishment for the abortion is nothing more than a fine; it is not classified by the bible as a capital offense.

You bring up “thou shalt not murder,” which is found in Exodus 20, yet only one chapter later, God declares that the life of a fetus is worth a mere fine, whereas murder (or manslaughter) of a woman is punishable by death. This exception to “Eye for an eye… life for a life” can only be attributed to the fact that a fetal life is not the same as a person’s life in God’s eyes.

Numbers 5 describes “the Lord” ordering an abortion. Many argue that this is a misinterpretation. It is clearly stated in verse 22, “May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”

Not only is God an abortionist in the book of Numbers, but he’s the most prolific abortionist of all time if you consider the fact that approximately half of all fertilized eggs (zygotes) either fail to implant in the uterine wall and are flushed out of the body with menstruation, or are spontaneously aborted (miscarried) some time after implantation. If God cares so much for each individual zygote, and put “so much thought” into each of those zygotes, why does he “murder” so many of them?

And on the subject of “God knew you before you were conceived”, no shit that an omnipotent being knew about everyone and everything before everyone and everything existed:

Many cite the scripture Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God is omnipotent. He has known all of us since before creation. This scripture is irrelevant as it pertains to when a fetus becomes a living being. The same reasoning applies to Psalm 139:13-14. 

So no, I don’t think God is bothered by early abortions performed before fetal viability. According to the Old Testament, he’s actually a pretty big fan of them.

As for Jesus’ lack of commentary on abortion, I have to think that if abortion was such a horrific sin, he would have had words about it. He talks about murder, adultery, divorce, and mistreating your neighbor. He talks about forgiving debts and wrongdoings. He talks about prayer and hypocrisy and passing judgement on others. Yet abortion doesn’t come up.

You harp on and on about the poor, poor fetuses involved in abortion, but you ignore the pregnant people who are often in very desperate circumstances. 75% of people who get abortions in the US are doing so because they cannot afford a(nother) child. 75% are doing so because having a baby would interfere with work, school, or caring for dependents. 61% already have one or more children to care for.

And when abortion is illegal, pregnant people die. Right now, tens of thousands of people are dying every year because abortion is illegal or inaccessible to them. No fetuses are saved, but people are dying and leaving born children parentless.

Jesus cared for women. He cared for the poor. He cared for the widows. He cared for the marginalized. I say again that I do not believe Jesus would force anyone into further poverty for the sake of a fetus. I do not believe he would condemn children to starvation because their parent could not afford so many children. I do not believe he would support a government that condemns its people to hemorrhaging  infection, and death in the name of forced birth. I believe Jesus would take these people who desperately want and need abortions into his arms before he ever gave a second thought to an insentient, unfeeling fetus.

Jesus’ ministry focused on grace and forgiveness. He forgave the adulterers and the murderers and the tax collectors and even the people who sent him to his death. He told us to forgive our neighbors “seventy times seven times.” And both the ministry of Jesus and the subsequent letters of Paul make it clear that all sins are forgiven by Jesus. 

That means that even if abortion is a sin, that sin is forgiven the same as any other.

Which brings me back to the original argument at hand: do fetuses have the right to use other people’s bodies without their permission, even when dying adults do not have the right to forced donation?

Legally speaking, criminalizing abortion is indefensible. Abortion must remain legal, or else fetuses become elevated to a status above other people, and pregnant people are lowered to a status below cadavers.

We do not live in a theocracy, therefore any deity’s opinion on the matter is irrelevant. However, being pro-choice is perfectly compatible with the Christian faith and teachings of Christ. And even if you think that abortion is a sin, you are required to treat people who want abortions with love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. And that includes respecting their legal right to choose.