Abortion #1: Development of the Unborn and Methods of Abortion

Introduction:

In all the wars fought by the USA, a total of over 1.2 million soldiers have died. This study is about the people who have died in a different war: the war on the unborn. Since the United States Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that unborn babies could legally be killed, between 1 and 1.5 million unborn babies have been legally killed in this country every year. The yellow pages of any phone book list several nearby clinics where women can "terminate a pregnancy."

But no human legislature and no human court has final authority over what is morally right or wrong. Nazi law and Communist law allowed the killing of millions of adults. Was that moral? God is the final authority in determining what is morally right or wrong, regardless of what any man may say (Isa. 55:8,9; Luke 16:15; 1 Cor. 1:18-25). We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

The purpose of this study is to consider exactly what the Bible teaches about abortion. The Bible is the perfect standard of right and wrong (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 1 Cor. 14:37; John 12:48). Too much has been said about abortion without adequately considering the Bible teaching.

 First consider some background information.

Facts about the Development of Unborn Babies

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Consider in reverse order the stages of development of a human being from conception to adulthood. At each stage, ask yourself if it is morally right to kill an innocent person at that stage of development. May we kill it if it was conceived out of wedlock, or would live in poverty, have a deformity, or even it if was conceived a result of rape?

Adulthood

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The adult is fully grown. All body parts are functioning, but growth has ended. May we kill it for no wrong that it has done, simply because we choose to do so?

Childhood

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At this point all body parts are functioning, but it is still growing. May we kill it?

Birth

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The baby is functioning in all its parts and growing rapidly. It may not look much like it will in adulthood, but it is fully a human individual. May we kill it?

Four to nine months after conception

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The baby is functioning fully in all its body parts and growing rapidly. The only difference from after birth is where it lives and how it gets its air and food. May we kill it?

Three months after conception

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It can move arms and legs (but the mother cannot feel it). All body systems are present and operating; nothing new will be added from this point. The baby simply grows. Legally it may be killed with practically no restrictions during the first three months, and with few restrictions afterwards. But why would it be right to kill it now, but wrong a few months from now?

Two months after conception

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Fingers and toes are clearly distinguishable. Reproductive organs are developing. Bones are forming. It is clearly recognizable as human. Six weeks after conception brain waves can be measured. May we kill it? Yet this is the stage that is most preferred for performing abortions!

One month after conception

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All major organs have begun developing: brain and nerves, eyes, lungs, stomach and intestines, kidneys, etc. The heart began to beat and circulate blood on the 18th day. The baby has its own blood type, which is often different from its mother's. Yet the mother may not even know she is pregnant.

Conception

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From the moment of conception, the unborn baby is a unique individual. The genes that determine its physical nature are different from those of any other individual, including its mother and father. Its sex is determined at conception and obviously may differ from the mother's. Each cell in the baby's body is uniquely different from every cell of its mother and every other human.

At what point in this progression is it morally right to kill it, when it has done no wrong, simply because we choose to? How do you prove it is right up to one point but wrong after that point? Human wisdom cannot answer. But the Bible has the answer.

(The above information is summarized from "Life before Birth," Life magazine, April 30, 1965, and other sources.)

Facts about Methods of Abortion

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Here is how these babies are killed as they grow in their mother's womb.

D & C or Dilatation and Curettage Abortion

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This method is common during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. A tiny hoe-like instrument, the curette, is inserted into the womb through the dilated cervix. The abortionist then scrapes the wall of the uterus, cutting the baby's body to pieces.

Suction Abortion

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This technique, pioneered in Communist China, is common for early pregnancies. A powerful suction tube is inserted into the womb; then the body of the developing baby is torn to pieces and sucked into a jar. Even early in pregnancy body parts are recognizable as arms, legs, etc. There is ultra-sound evidence that the baby feels the pain (as in the movie "The Silent Scream").

Salt Poisoning

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This has been used in advanced pregnancies. A needle is inserted through the mother's abdomen, and a strong salt solution is injected into the amniotic fluid that surrounds the child. The baby is slowly poisoned and burned by the salt it swallows and "breathes." The mother then goes into labor and expels a grotesque, shriveled baby. Some babies are born alive but deformed.

Hysterotomy or Cesarean Section Abortion

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This method is used in the last trimester of pregnancy. The womb is entered by surgery. Then the tiny baby is killed and removed.

Prostaglandin Chemical Abortion

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Hormone-like compounds are injected into the muscle of the uterus, causing it to contract intensely and push out the developing baby. Many babies are born alive.

Dilatation & Extraction ("Partial Birth Abortion")

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In this late-term method, the doctor uses forceps to remove the baby from the womb. The head, however, is too big to be extracted. So the abortionist cuts a hole in the base of the skull, suctions out the brain, crushes the skull, and then removes the baby. (See Lake County Right-to-Life Newsletter, 4&5/93.)

Newer methods include the "morning after" pill, which may allow conception and then causes the fertilized egg to be expelled from the womb. Note that many so-called "contraceptives" (such as the I.U.D. and even some forms of the "pill") may have a similar effect. Ask your doctor how a "contraceptive" works before using it.

(The above information is taken from "Abortion: What It Is," A.L.L. About Issues, July, 1982, and other sources.)

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