A Question On The Abortion Debate

Jared Milne

May 17, 2012 | 2 Comments

The abortion debate has reappeared in Canada, and is causing quite a stir on Parliament Hill. In the United States, the issue is extremely high-profile, with anti-abortion activists frequently opposing it for religious reasons.

The curious thing is that I can’t recall finding anything specifically related to birth control in my readings of the New Testament. Exactly what theological justification do anti-abortion activists cite? Something in the New Testament? Something in the Old Testament? The Ten Commandments, particularly the one that says “thou shalt not kill?”

I’m not criticizing the anti-abortion movement, I’m just curious to know. The reason I want to know is because I would be extremely loath to see the government use its powers to legislate in something as sensitive as a woman’s maternal health without knowing exactly why the government should be intervening in the first place. If it’s for religious reasons, exactly which part of Christian theology are religious activists applying to the abortion debate?

Comments

2 Responses to “A Question On The Abortion Debate”

  1. R. Mowat
    May 18th, 2012 @ 12:49 pm

    There is a lot of Christian belief and practice that is not explicit in the Bible itself. Indeed, this is a key reason why there are so many different Christian creeds and denominations.

    In any case, some people do advocate anti-abortion policies based on their religious beliefs.

    But I don’t think this is a requirement for having an anti-abortion stance. I’m sure there are many agnostics and atheists who also hold those positions.

    [Reply]

  2. Aurelia Schaffter
    October 30th, 2012 @ 1:32 am

    I am against abortion specially if the baby is already fully formed. `

    Most interesting article on our own webpage
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    [Reply]

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