What does the Bible say about abortion?

[Little_Nemo]

@Chimera

Except the ones who tell their mistresses and wives to have abortions and then declare that their god has forgiven them.

Which is vile hypocrisy in believing that their god will forgive them this transgression while not forgiving anyone else the same.

Agreed. You won’t see me defending Scott DesJarlais. He’s an asshole.

[Little_Nemo]

@kanicbird

Rev 12 gives some insights also.

The fact that this passage involves a dragon is why some of us have a difficult time accepting scriptural authority.

[Baal_Houtham]

@thorny_locust

How is “your idea of your child and all your hopes and dreams of what that child could have become. I’m sorry” belittling?

Hi thorny; you’re displaying some good sense in this thread. I want to add my own welcome to SDMB: welcome on board. Stay level headed and don’t get sucked into feuds or grow apathetic.

[thorny_locust]

Thanks, Baal Houtham.

Not always sure whether I’m risking getting sucked into feuds or not; takes a while to figure out where the feuds are. So maybe I’ll go ahead and answer the one quoted below:

@kanicbird

So again no cite, just like Cz. :rolleyes:

It seems like this is what one would like to believe.
The circular file is a good place for these.

If you can read this thread and not see people disagreeing about what Bible verses mean and choosing ones they think back their opinions, I really don’t know what sort of cite would convince you.

I just put “differing interpretations of Bible verses” (not in quotes) into Google and got “About 2,980,000 results”. Changing the terms to “differing interpretations of Bible verses re abortion” gets me “About 7,360,000 results”.* What sort of cite are you looking for?

*no, I didn’t get that backwards. Repeating the searches gives me different numbers, but the same type of results: millions in both cases, but more millions for the narrower search terms. Odd.

[Dangerosa]

@Doctor_Jackson

It really is as simple as this:

• Most religions believe that murder is wrong

• Many religions, including most Protestant sects, teach that life begins at conception (or very shortly thereafter). Ergo, abortion = murder = wrong

• Most non-religious people believe murder is wrong

• Many non-religious (and some religious) people believe that live begins a some point after conception but before live birth and abortion should be allowed in the interim. Ergo, abortion (to some point) /= murder /= wrong

The real debate is solely centered around when life begins. Since that is a question that science cannot precisely answer, belief takes over. Once a person forms their belief about when life begins, the question of abortion is largely answered for them.

Not necessarily. For instance, I don’t think the debate hinges on life at all, but on another life’s right to my body - i.e. if I’m 1/2 of a conjoined twin, and my twin can’t live without my heart, I’m not obligated not to undergo separation surgery because it would kill my twin - its my body (my heart) and my decision. (One painfully made by parents of said twins usually long before either can make that decision) If you are going to die unless I donate my blood to you, I’m under no legal obligation to donate that blood, no obligation to donate organs, even after death.

Pro life people make it about life or not life. Not all pro-choice people do. A fetus could be life - that doesn’t mean it has a right to my uterus, placenta or blood any more than a homeless guy has a right to my couch - even if its 40 below.

[Annie-Xmas]

To quote Randy Alcorn’s “Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Life Arguments”: It is reasonable to expect a person to endure a temporary inconvenience if the only alternative is the death of another person." I can’t begin to tell you what’s wrong with that idea.

And note that the title is the only place Alcorn uses the word “Pro-choice.” Every where else we are “Pro-abortion.” Alcorn states “Pro-choice people vote the same as pro-abortion people.” Believe you me, if any bill even suggested that certain people be forced to undergo an abortion, this pro-choicer would vote a very loud NO.

[Thudlow_Boink]

@Dangerosa

I don’t think the debate hinges on life at all, but on another life’s right to my body

It seems to me that modern Western culture places a higher value on individual autonomy than pretty much any other culture in history.

(I make no judgment here about whether we’re right or wrong to do so; but it’s something to keep in mind and not take for granted, especially when we’re talking about what the Bible, which was not written within the context of modern Western culture, says about something.)

[puzzlegal]

@Annie-Xmas

To quote Randy Alcorn’s “Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Life Arguments”: It is reasonable to expect a person to endure a temporary inconvenience if the only alternative is the death of another person." I can’t begin to tell you what’s wrong with that idea.

And note that the title is the only place Alcorn uses the word “Pro-choice.” Every where else we are “Pro-abortion.” Alcorn states “Pro-choice people vote the same as pro-abortion people.” Believe you me, if any bill even suggested that certain people be forced to undergo an abortion, this pro-choicer would vote a very loud NO.

I think there’s a typo in the title you quote

[Annie-Xmas]

Right you are. It’s Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments."

[kanicbird]

@thorny_locust

…
If you can read this thread and not see people disagreeing about what Bible verses mean and choosing ones they think back their opinions, I really don’t know what sort of cite would convince you.

…

The thread is overwhelmingly that the Bible does not state anything about abortion it directly - so agreed. Here are some passages that may offer some insight.

It is actually one of the most agreeded upon Biblical posts I have seen.

[Dangerosa]

@Thudlow_Boink

It seems to me that modern Western culture places a higher value on individual autonomy than pretty much any other culture in history.

(I make no judgment here about whether we’re right or wrong to do so; but it’s something to keep in mind and not take for granted, especially when we’re talking about what the Bible, which was not written within the context of modern Western culture, says about something.)

I don’t know if its good or bad. What I do know is that I’m not giving mine up unless we make other classes of people give theirs up as well. When we have required organ donation and you are legally obligated to give blood to save lives, and you are assigned homeless people to shelter when it is cold - then we can talk about whether “it is reasonable to expect a person to endure a temporary inconvenience if the only alternative is the death of another person.” Right now, abortion is the only place where we consider that we should legally enforce that concept - thus women are the only class of people whose bodily autonomy is questioned. If society wants to value that concept as a whole, I’ll get behind that (I donate blood, I am an organ donor, and I’m on the bone marrow registry - voluntarily).

[Baker]

Reported. Probablys eeing how many posts they can get in.

[Broomstick]

It’s a cross between whack-a-mole and stamping out an incipient grass fire…