| Some groups of Christians are known for their | | | | my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet |
| aggressive condemnation of abortion, they yell | | | | to the nations.” |
| that an abortion is the ending of a life, an act | | | | 6 I, Jeremiah, said, “Almighty Lord, I do not |
| condemned in the Bible, an affront to God but are | | | | know how to speak. I am only a boy!” 7 But |
| they actually speaking the truth? | | | | the Lord said to me, “Don't say that you are |
| Believe it or not the Bible only once mentions | | | | only a boy. You will go wherever I send you. You |
| abortion, the verse is found in Exodus chapter 21 | | | | will say whatever I command you to say. 8 Don't |
| and verses 22-25 which read. | | | | be afraid of people. I am with you, and I will |
| 22 And if men strive together, and hurt a woman | | | | rescue you,” declares the Lord. 9 Then the |
| with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no | | | | Lord stretched out his hand and touched my |
| harm follow; he shall be surely fined, according as | | | | mouth. The Lord said to me, |
| the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he | | | | “Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 |
| shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any | | | | Today I have put you in charge of nations and |
| harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 | | | | kingdoms. You will uproot and tear down. You will |
| eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot | | | | destroy and overthrow. You will build and |
| for foot, 25 burning for burning, wound for | | | | plant.” |
| wound, stripe for stripe. | | | | Jer 1:4-10 (GW) |
| Ex 21:22-25 (ASV) | | | | This verse, far from meaning that God knows us |
| It is clear from this verse that damage done to | | | | in the womb and purposes our existence is plainly |
| the fetus in the womb (...so that her fruit depart) | | | | about Jeremiah's call to be a prophet, note verse |
| is not considered murder, it is a civil crime | | | | 5b and verse 10, these can only be applied to |
| punishable only by a fine but if the woman is | | | | Jeremiah himself. There is no justification for |
| harmed then "...But if any harm follow, then thou | | | | seeing in these verses the claim that, because |
| shalt give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for | | | | God knows us before we are formed in the |
| tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burning for | | | | womb, God hates abortion. |
| burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe..." | | | | Indeed if you look carefully at the following |
| However there are other verses that some | | | | verses, Leviticus 27:6; Numbers 3:15; Numbers |
| Christians use to support an anti-abortion stance | | | | 31:17-18, you will clearly see that, as far as God is |
| because they believe they hint at a Biblical | | | | concerned, fetuses are not important at all, they |
| condemnation of Abortion, they are as follows: | | | | are assigned no monetary value for the temple |
| Psalm 139:13-16 which reads: | | | | tax, are not counted in the censuses and are |
| 13 You alone created my inner being. You knitted | | | | presumably ordered killed when their mothers |
| me together inside my mother. 14 I will give | | | | were killed by the victorious Israelite soldiers |
| thanks to you because I have been so amazingly | | | | entering into Canaanite towns and villages. |
| and miraculously made. Your works are | | | | Moreover under Judaic law fetuses are not |
| miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. 15 | | | | considered fully human until they are born. |
| My bones were not hidden from you when I was | | | | Indeed the great 12th century commentator on |
| being made in secret, when I was being skillfully | | | | the Bible and Talmud, Rashi, says of of the fetus |
| woven in an underground workshop. 16 Your | | | | it is 'lav nefesh hu that is, it is not a person.' The |
| eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every | | | | Talmud further considers that the fetus is a part |
| day {of my life} was recorded in your book | | | | of the mother's body by stating 'ubar yerech imo, |
| before one of them had taken place. | | | | that is that the fetus is as the thigh of its |
| Psalms 139:13-16 (GW) | | | | mother. Part of this opinion is grounded in verses |
| The argument here is that God knits together in | | | | in Exodus 21:22 which passage indicates that while |
| the womb each fetus and knows it intimately. | | | | the fetus has value it does not have the status |
| However, what the verse is actually referring to | | | | of a person. |
| is God's call to David to be King of Israel not to | | | | I believe that I have shown that the Bible does |
| anyone or anything else. | | | | not at all condemn abortion, it is simply put not |
| Another verse of this kind is found in Jeremiah | | | | there at all. It is wrong of those strident Christians |
| chapter 1: verses 4-10 in the Old Testament, here | | | | protesting outside clinics to assert that it does. |
| Jeremiah comments: | | | | The God of the Bible is concerned with |
| 4 The Lord spoke his word to me, | | | | compassion for the actual human beings who walk |
| 5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew | | | | the earth. |
| you. Before you were born, I set you apart for | | | | |