The Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade should be roundly celebrated in America. For nearly fifty years, abortion on demand has been the "law of the land." Christians must recognize that a nation that assents to the killing of unborn children cannot escape the notice and judgment of God. But the recent ruling by SCOTUS did not end abortion in the US. Abortion is still legal in many states, including Washington. The debate will continue.
A new abortion debate has ensued. However, today's debate will be much different from the early 70s when the Supreme Court first approved Roe. Among many arguments we hear today in favor of abortion is the catchphrase, "My body, my choice." Behind this phrase is the belief in personal autonomy.
The Scriptures teach us that we do not have personal autonomy, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God; and that you are not your own, for you have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body." The Apostle Paul clearly states that we do not have personal autonomy, for we belong to God and not ourselves. Our lives, including our bodies, were redeemed by Christ and therefore are God's own possession. We live and move and have our existence in Him (Acts 17:28), and our very existence is for His glory.
The idea of autonomy for the Christian is an oxymoron. We live under God's sovereign rule and care. As the Sovereign Lord of the universe, only He possesses full autonomy. So, the notion of personal autonomy at its heart is rebellion against God as the Lord of all.
By redemption, Christians are not free to do whatever we want; we are free to do whatever pleases God, whatever is right, whatever He has commanded. That's why we are to glorify God in our bodies. We are stewards of what belongs to Him—our lives.
But what about non-Christians? Do they have personal autonomy? No, the rules of God's universe, as Lord of all, apply to all. People often have the illusion of autonomy because they seem to get away with their immoral decisions. But they don't, not in the end. One must come to grips with the rightness or wrongness of one’s actions, not just the consequences, or in some cases, the lack of consequences.
Psalm 24:1 reads, "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." Note that all things and all people belong to God. "The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them" (Psalm 89:11). All people are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) and are fearfully and wonderfully made from the moment of conception (Psalm 139:13-16). Therefore, everything belongs to God by creation, but it is much more specific for Christians.
So, the argument, "My body, my choice," does not hold up under the Scriptural truth that God created all human beings and redeemed His people. God sovereignly creates all human life, and destroying it violates the sixth commandment, "Thou shall not kill." This is all we need to know.
However, we should be aware of what pro-abortion proponents are now saying and how they argue beyond "My body, my choice." Some are old arguments, but some are new and quite disturbing.
The early arguments for abortion have been repeated for nearly fifty years: "Life doesn't begin at conception,” "It's just a clump of cells,” etc. But in the face of science, these are flat-earth-type arguments. That human life begins at conception is a scientific fact. This is demonstrated
here: https://acpeds.org/assets/imported/3.21.17-When-Human-Life-Begins.pdf;
here: https://all.org/judie-brown-commentary/when-do-human-beings-begin-scientific-myths-and-scientific-facts;
and here: https://quillette.com/2019/10/16/i-asked-thousands-of-biologists-when-life-begins-the-answer-wasnt-popular/.
When pro-abortionists say that Christians are just trying to impose their religious views on our society, our answer is, "No, it's a matter of science." Further, "It's against the law to kill another human being."
Moreover, it wasn't until the end of the Twentieth-Century that ultrasound imaging was routinely used in maternity care. The quality of imaging from the 1990s to today is striking. The current technology of 3-D imaging makes one thing abundantly clear—It's a baby! So, the clump of cell argument? Nope! Science affirms what Scriptures has always said, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, 'I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out the earth all alone'" (Is 44:4). The bottom line is that every human being is known by God and has intrinsic value by virtue of creation in His image.
But the new arguments are the most dangerous ones. Some who advocate for abortion have at least a modicum of intellectual honesty. They cannot deny the science and are taking the debate to the next level. They recognize that not only does life begin at conception, but that life is a human being, a baby. But, they say, sometimes it's just necessary to kill a baby.
John Piper tells the story of his conversation with an abortion doctor:
"I went with my ten points to make the case that he was killing children. And he disarmed me immediately by saying, 'I know I'm killing children. It's the lesser of two evils. The other evil,' he said, 'is that it's unjust that men can have sex and bear no consequences, but women can have sex and have to bear all the consequences. That's unjust. Killing the child is the solution to that injustice.'"
But it gets worse, much worse. Here is a recent article entitled, "Abortion Involves Killing–and That's OK!", https://www.thenation.com/article/society/abortion-ethics-gestation-reproduction/. The new argument: We admit it's a baby but sometimes you just have to kill it. Margaret Sanger and Josef Mengele would be so proud.
This argument is gruesome, barbaric, and demonic. You better be ready for it, for you will hear many more like it. My hope and prayer is that there are still enough people in our nation who will recoil at such thinking.
Personal autonomy? My body, my choice? When a baby is conceived, it is not the mother's body. You are not your mother; you never were. You have always been a distinct human being created by God at conception. You belong to Him by creation and redemption.
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
Psalm 139:13-16