How should the Source of human life affect our view of this matter?

Acts 17:28: “By him [God] we have life and move and exist.”

Ps. 36:9: “With you [Jehovah God] is the source of life.”

Rom. 14:12: “Each of us will render an account for himself to God.”

Does Jehovah view the life of a child as precious even during the very early stages of development after conception?

Ps. 139:13-16: “You [Jehovah] kept me screened off in the belly of my mother. . . . Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing.”

Has God ever stated that a person would be called to account for injury to an unborn child?

Ex. 21:22, 23: “In case men should struggle with each other and they really hurt a pregnant woman and her children do come out but no fatal accident occurs, he is to have damages imposed upon him without fail according to what the owner of the woman may lay upon him; and he must give it through the justices. But if a fatal accident should occur, then you must give soul for soul.” (Some translations make it appear that in this law to Israel the crucial matter was what happened to the mother, not to the fetus. The original Hebrew text, however, refers to a fatal accident to either mother or child.)

 How serious is the willful taking of a human life for a reason not authorized by God?

Gen. 9:6: “Anyone shedding man’s blood, by man will his own blood be shed, for in God’s image he made man.”

1 John 3:15: “No manslayer has everlasting life remaining in him.”

Ex. 20:13: “You must not murder.”

Does a doctor’s opinion that allowing a pregnancy to go full term would be harmful to the health of the mother justify an abortion?

Medical opinions are sometimes wrong. Would it be right to kill a fellow human because that one might harm his fellowman? If at the time of childbirth a choice must be made between the life of the mother and that of the child, it is up to the individuals concerned to make that choice. However, advances in medical procedures in many lands have made this situation very rare.

‘But I have a right to decide on matters affecting my own body.’

You might reply: ‘I can understand how you feel. So often today our rights are trampled on by others; many just don’t care what happens to other people. But the Bible provides guidelines that can protect us. To receive the benefits, though, we must also accept the responsibilities.’ Then perhaps add: (1) ‘Many mothers have been abandoned by the men who fathered their children. But in a home where both husband and wife live by Bible standards, the husband will really love his wife and children and loyally stay with them and provide for them. (1 Tim. 5:8; Eph. 5:28-31)’ (2) ‘If we personally are to receive that kind of love and respect, we also have to apply Bible standards in our attitude toward the members of our family. How does the Bible say that we should view the children that we produce? (Ps. 127:3; contrast Isaiah 49:15.)’