The Fundamental Value Of Human Life

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." (Psalms 127:3-5)

Society values human life; examples are everywhere. Perplexing, then, isn't it, that while so much effort is spent protecting life, millions of unborn babies have been killed intentionally by abortion? How can this be?

Yes, how can this be happening in a country where laws limiting abortion were in place by 1860, and where by the 1900's abortion, with some exceptions, was illegal in every state? A greater question would be this: Since God has commanded, "You shall not murder," (Exodus 20:13) how can abortion be considered a right or an option?

The Supreme Court, in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, declared abortion to be a constitutional right, guaranteeing federal protection for abortion. A 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, making each state responsible for its own abortion laws. Twenty-one states continue to protect abortion access.

Some people support abortion when it's performed in the early stages of pregnancy, thinking a certain level of development has to be reached before there's life or "humanness" that warrants protection. But the Bible says, "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16 NIV) In Jeremiah 1:5 we read, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." Life begins at conception. Dr. Tommy Mitchell in The New Answers Book 2 writes: "These milestones in zygote, blastocyst, embryonic, and fetal development are simply descriptions of anatomy, not hurdles met in the test of humanness."

Again, how can society value human life, but not the life of an unborn baby? In Mark 12:30, Jesus tells us, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." We love God with "all our mind" when we think thoughts that are true, noble and just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

Modern day intellectual Thomas Sowell made this statement—not as a compliment, but as a criticism: "The ability of the human mind to rationalize is phenomenal." We rationalize to get what we want.

Witness these rationalizations: In the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve. Instead of loving God with all her mind, Eve questioned His command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We are shown how she rationalized: "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food . . . and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate." (Genesis 3:6) Later in the Old Testament, God commanded King Saul to attack Amalek and "utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them." (1 Samuel 15:3) But Saul and the Israelites did not love God with "all their mind." Instead, they rationalized that it would be better to save the finer sheep and oxen and sacrifice them to the Lord.

It's easy to understand "You shall not murder," but sadly, the human mind can rationalize and reject that command of God just as easily as "Do not eat of the tree," and, "Destroy all that they have."

So, that is how it happens. Instead of loving God and promoting the health of both the mother and the baby during the entire pregnancy and delivery, we hear a list of rationalized "priorities" such as "a woman's health issue," "reproductive rights," "reproductive freedom," "procreative autonomy," "personal reproductive decisions," "pro-choice," and "reproductive decision making." Don't be deceived by these noble-sounding expressions when they are being used as euphemisms to allow for the killing of unborn babies.

Dear Heavenly Father, we have not loved You with all our heart, soul, mind, and might. We have sinned as individuals and as a nation by disobeying Your commands. We have rationalized in order to do the things our sinful flesh prefers. But we are sorry for our sins. Please forgive us for Jesus' sake. Help us use our intellect to serve You. Move our nation and all of the states to adopt a pro-life stance, protecting the unborn. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Karl Olmanson is a retired teacher. He lives in Kasota, Minnesota.