Abortion and The Bible are two entities typically thought of as opposites, especially in evangelical Christian circles. However, a new book charges that Christians may have it wrong.
The Human Life Equation, penned by an attorney and self-professed “lover of The Bible,” charges that Christians’ Holy Book is quite indifferent on the topic of rights for the unborn child.
L.A. Washington, a former Republican candidate for public office (according to the press release), knows that she’s inviting dissent with her analysis, but nevertheless feels that “if you’re going to arm yourself with the Bible, it behooves you to know what’s actually in it.”
In the book, Washington examines both Old and New Testaments and comes to the somewhat surprising conclusion that nowhere is it written that life begins at conception. “Quite the opposite, in fact,” she says.
“The Bible clearly makes the case that the body is just a body until some of God’s spirit enters and animates it. That happens with the newborn’s first breath. If you read the Bible carefully, it’s hard not to conclude that abortion only stops the creation of the vessel for human life, and not life itself. The Bible is surprisingly indifferent to the developing body in the womb. Abortion is not prohibited in the Bible — either directly, or indirectly.”
According to W. Sibley Towner, a professor emeritus of biblical interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Washington is “animated by a deep respect and thorough knowledge of the Bible” and the book is written “without shortchanging or ignoring any of the relevant biblical data.”
“Like the good attorney she is, [Washington] has assembled all the evidence and was led to affirm that the Bible does not equate abortion with murder,” Towner adds.
Washington admits that the idea hasn’t been helpful for her political aspirations.
“I was a novice, running as a Republican and was asked by Republican leadership about my position on abortion. My position was that abortion was legal in this country and I had no intention of trying to change that. You should have heard the gasps.”
Washington believed that it is “preferable for women to put unwanted children up for adoption,” but conceded that “the government had no business interfering with a citizen’s reproductive choices.”
Her party has never nominated her, often stating that “life begins at conception,” a belief Washington calls a mistake. “It was something that needed correcting. My methodical legal training was the perfect tool [for the book]. As a candidate I had to be coached how to handle the abortion question in a more palatable way. Fortunately, I no longer have those restraints.”
We’ll ultimately let you the readers decide whether Washington is correct in her conclusions regarding abortion and the Bible, but will leave you with this counterpoint, taken from PriestsForLife.org (with Scripture thrown in to boot).
The Bible teaches that the child in the womb is truly a human child, who even has a relationship with the Lord.
The phrase “conceived and bore” is used repeatedly (see Genesis 4:1,17) and the individual has the same identity before as after birth. “In sin my mother conceived me,” the repentant psalmist says in Psalm 51:7. The same word is used for the child before and after birth (Brephos, that is, “infant,” is used in Luke 1:41 and Luke 18:15.)
God knows the preborn child. “You knit me in my mother’s womb… nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret” (Psalm 139:13,15). God also helps and calls the preborn child. “You have been my guide since I was first formed… from my mother’s womb you are my God” (Psalm 22:10-11). “God… from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace” (St. Paul to the Galatians 1:15).
What do you think, readers? Is abortion condemned by the Bible? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
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