This past week, I heard two anecdotes; one incredibly heartening, and the other heart-breaking. On one hand, I discovered how 3-d printing allows blind mothers to feel their babies’ faces, as they are unable to see their ultrasounds. On the other hand, a few days later, I encountered a tragic story, found here, of how a failed abortion in New Zealand left a baby “gasping without medical assistance for two hours before dying.” Two opposing stories centered on the very nature of the unborn. In the first, future children are celebrated, while in the second, the unborn are ruthlessly disposed. Abortion is one of those polarizing topics which instantly creates sides, and divides culture viciously. Oftentimes, the arguments devolve to cliché slogans, and ad hominem attacks, with little discussion of the actual nature of abortion. Therefore, understanding the importance of the abortion debate is critical.
The first question crucial to the abortion discussion strikes at the heart of the debate. How do we define the unborn? This question used to be the fulcrum of the abortion topic, and although its prominence has receded slightly, it is still the forefront issue to discuss. Societally, the unborn is just a fetus, a clump of cells and tissue, with no personhood or value. These societal clichés have important implications and logical rebuttals, but the biological reality is the first thing to consider. The Life Training Institute has excellent resources detailing the embryological evidence on the issue. For example, two embryologists wrote, “fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed.” Even back in 1859, “the American Medical Association understood that ‘the independent and actual existence of the child before birth as a living being’ was a scientific truth.” A Senate Subcommittee in 1981 concluded that “physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being—a being that is alive and is a member of the human species.” It is scientifically clear that conception produces a separate human being, an individual with distinct DNA, fingerprints, and identity.
Given this scientific reality, it is also important to address why the question of humanity even matters. Why are humans so important and why does human life have more worth than any other member of the animal kingdom? For a Judeo-Christian worldview, the Genesis account contains the answer. Genesis 1:27 states plainly,
“So God created man in his image,
in the image of God he created them,
male and female he created them.”
Furthermore, when God gives his commands to Noah and his sons after the flood, he reaffirms this idea of “Imago Dei” or the image of God.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man,
By man shall his blood be shed,
For God made man in his own image.”
This Imago Dei sets humankind apart. It bestows meaning and is the foundation for all human ethics. The Imago Dei is why every human being has innate, intrinsic value, and deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. Furthermore, discrimination that attacks immutable characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, and so on, is an affront to the image of God and is, therefore, sinful behavior. Since all human beings are created in the image of God then the unborn also have intrinsic, moral value.
This argument condenses to a logical syllogism as follows:
- Human beings are created in the image of God and have intrinsic moral value.
- Scientifically, the pre-born are distinct human beings.
- Therefore, the pre-born have intrinsic moral value.
This syllogism leads directly into the main pro-life syllogism, as stated by the Life Training Institute.
- “It is wrong to intentionally kill innocent human beings.
- Abortion intentionally kills innocent human beings.
- Therefore, abortion is morally wrong.”
A proper understanding of the image of God, and the horror of the taking of human life, ought to fuel our response in advocating against abortion. Any individual convinced of the immorality of abortion has a responsibility to provide a voice for the voiceless and defend the unborn. Abortion is a major battleground of the current cultural war dividing America. In the next few months, I plan to publish multiple articles in this series about abortion and detail the different cultural arguments and their rebuttals. However, it is important to understand the reality that human beings are made in the image of God and therefore have innate moral value. These foundational truths provide a stable underpinning for the pro-life ideology.
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