Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Is abortion acceptable to save the life of the mother?

A: This is not an easy question to answer. Oh, I can spout off Bible verses sitting in a comfortable office chair easily enough, but I know that the doctors and nurses who serve us in the medical community have to face the realities that come from these choices, and so do families who are facing a wide variety of heart-breaking situations. My heart and prayers go out to each one of you (Matthew 7:13-14).

Under what circumstances is the taking of human life acceptable? The Bible does list a few: during a justified war (Psalm 144:1; etc.), capital punishment (for specific crimes; Numbers 35:30; etc.), self-defense (Luke 22:36), and defense of property (Only in situations where the threat is unknown; Exodus 22:2-3). These exceptions are specifically laid out and clearly defined by Scripture. All other instances come under the prohibition of the sixth commandment: “You shall not kill,” (Exodus 20:13).

The reason for this prohibition is simple: people do not have the wisdom or foresight to know when a person ought to live or die. For example; Joseph’s 10 brothers hated him and were sure their lives would be better if he wasn’t around (Genesis 37:1-8). They wanted to murder him, but ended up selling him instead (Genesis 37:18-28). It turned out that Joseph eventually rose to become the prime minister of Egypt and saved his family from starvation; he wasn’t “no good” after all! But here’s the tragic kicker: Joseph’s brothers would never have known that f they’d have killed him!

Life has a way of surprising us, death is a final and unchangeable decision. We cannot learn from killing people because there’s no way for us to know what might have happened if we hadn’t.

That’s why choosing to take life is always wrong. Again and again, I hear of situations where doctors are sure a course of action will lead to life or death, only to discover they were mistaken. And that’s ok! They’re only human after all! But because all of us (including doctors) are human, we should not be allowed to choose who lives and who dies. It’s why the Hippocratic Oath ends with these words: “above all, do no harm.”

God is the only one who has nothing to learn, and He’s the only one whose eternal perspective is never wrong. That’s why He is the only one who gets to decide who lives or dies (Deuteronomy 32:39). And it’s why we should never deliberately take life except when clearly and specifically instructed to by Him.

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