The question that must be answered is when does human life begin. God has answered this through scripture as well as through science. Medically speaking (although somewhat simplified) a single cell is created upon conception that is unique and contains 23 chromosomes from both the mom and dad combining to make a total of 46 chromosomes… and so life begins.

Just how unique and how human is this life?

• Never again in history will another human exactly like this one exist.
• Nothing else will be added to this complete human life from this time on.
• Only time, nutrition, and oxygen will be needed for he or she to grow into an adult just like you.
• This human being can be a different sex and have a different blood type than the mother so obviously it’s not an extension of a woman’s body; he or she is a unique individual.

The pro-abortion crowd will do everything they can to keep from using words that would make you think about this little human being that resides in the womb. Instead of calling this human life, they have a virtual smoke screen of euphemisms and “positive spins”. Human life becomes just the product of conception, or tissue, or a potential human being. Baby murder becomes abortion, pro-abortion becomes pro-choice, and an unborn child’s death becomes women’s rights.

In the book Why Can’t We Love Them Both Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Willke says it best “This is not a potential human being; it is a human being with vast potential.” You can read the book free online at abortionfacts.com and I would highly recommend it. To say that it is insightful is a major understatement.

Abortion is as much a human rights issue as it is a religious one. In fact you don’t have to be a Christian to believe abortion is wrong but if you are a true Christian you will know it’s wrong. It really doesn’t matter when America or the world thinks human life begins. What matters is when God says it begins. It’s revealed clearly in the Bible in one of my favorite passages, Psalm 139:13-16. There are other places where God talks about life in the womb. Here are just a few: Psalm 22:9-10, Job 31:15, Psalm 100:3.

Isaiah 44:2

This is what the LORD says--He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you …

Isaiah 49:5

And now the LORD says--he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength

Jeremiah 1:5

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Looking at the above scriptures we see that God views life as starting at conception.

Should America Protect Unborn Children?

Now that we know that it’s human life in the womb, should America protect this life? You hear judges say that banning abortion is unconstitutional. Our founding fathers would probably disagree. In the charter of this republic they clearly stated "we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights — of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The US Constitutional Amendment, Article XIV – Section 1 says “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The founding fathers thought protecting life was important. Today the appointed U.S. judges must see something here that I don’t. We protect eagle eggs. Why can’t we protect our children?

Look at the picture at the top of this article of a 12 week old fetus from Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov. The first trimester of a pregnancy is a time of incredible growth and development. A 7-week fetus will have begun to develop all essential organs. This is human life.

What We Can Do

I do believe in my heart that my generation will see an end to abortion in America but we have a long way to go. Of course the first thing we need to do is pray. We cannot win this war without God’s help. There are many things we can do. We can contact our representatives to let them know where we stand and vote for pro-life candidates. You could work one day a week counseling women with unexpected pregnancies and those that are abortion vulnerable at a clinic that offers alternatives to abortion. You can also inform others about the truth of abortion with programs like Mini GAP. This stands for Genocide Awareness Project and is done at University Campuses. Read more about it at www.abortionno.org. These are just a few ways to help the unborn.

It has been said, “The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

This article was originally published September 5, 2004 in Salt and Light, the Hannon FWB Newsletter at the time.