Human life in the womb is worth defending biblically and scientifically — with grace and without shame on anyone involved in a very nuanced and complicated systemic issue. We are all, both male and female, at every stage, made in the image of God.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:13-16 ESV
The signature of God’s handiwork is inescapable in this world. All around us evidence exists of a divine Creator with intricacies incalculable and humanity without excuse in glorifying Him (Romans 1:20). The development of a baby within the womb is such a wonder demonstrating God’s invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature. As a woman, I was graciously granted by God to carry both our children to full term. I was blessed to witness those tiny human beings develop and grow in my belly, becoming two precious proverbial arrows in the quiver of our family. Scripture such as Psalm 139 and others remind us of God’s personal involvement in human life from the moment of conception and that each human life represented as an embryo and subsequent fetus is simply in a smaller form in a different location; the individual on the outside of the womb as a toddler or adult is the same individual who resided in his/her mother’s womb, give or take forty weeks. Size, age, and location do not change God’s unique design in creating human beings.
The recent draft leak of the current United States Supreme Court case concerning abortion has many people reeling on both sides of the political and religious aisles. Many are concerned about losing what is viewed as a Constitutional right for women’s reproductive health should Roe v. Wade be overturned. The argument in favor of abortion has evolved over time from a clump of cells to the acknowledgment of human life within the womb and the right to end that life by those who were at one time in the same geographical location as that vulnerable human being.
What we are witnessing and have continued to witness in society is the act of calling evil good and good evil. We are witnessing a suppression of truth when it comes to human life and its origins. We have been witnessing the dehumanization of children. We cannot be afraid to speak the truth in love. There is no flowery language to soften the blow. Abortion is murder, and a spiritual sin sickness. It is never safe. Death occurs one hundred percent of the time, and the woman is not left unscathed, even if her heart is hardened and her conscience seared in the process. It is vital for us to understand where life begins in the womb and who is the Author of life.
One Human Embryo, One Human Being
It is scientifically and empirically proven that life begins at conception. Bethany Pick has stated, “For over 100 years, Human Embryology has stated that in sexual reproduction a new, whole, individual, living human being begins to exist at the beginning of the process of fertilization, i.e., at “first contact” between the sperm and the oocyte (“egg”). When these two mere cells make first contact and fuse, immediately specific human proteins and enzymes are produced (not sperm or “egg” proteins and enzymes), and a new single-cell human being, with his or her own new, unique human genome and complete set of DNA begins to exist. This is an objective, empirical and modern scientific fact, and is documented in the Carnegie Stages of Early Human Embryonic.” According to Dianne Irving, “During the process of fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced. “
The internationally recognized Carnegie stages of Human Embryonic Development instituted in 1942 acknowledge life beginning at conception. The first eight weeks of life are marked as the embryonic stage, and nine weeks on to birth are marked as the fetal stage. The human being in the womb is the same human being at various stages in his/her life outside the womb. Science agrees with the truth contained in Scripture. Life is beautifully complex and divinely designed. Education is an important part of understanding this. As Christians, we can appeal to Scripture and to science in defending the life of the unborn who are not potential lives, but actual lives created by God.
A woman who is pregnant with human life growing and developing within her uterus is a mother regardless of the location of her baby/babies. Geographic location in human embryonic and fetal development does not confer personhood or humanity. The entrance into the outside world either through the birth canal or a Caesarean section does not confer humanity. God has already established this in the beginning, and He did so independently of man-made laws, judicial decisions, and rhetoric. His intricate signature graces the unique genetic material found in fertilization. His handiwork is a tapestry of biology as the cells He designed follow the instructions He created for them to follow in forming every organ, every fingerprint, and every eyelash. He will not permit us to forget the many functions taking place at a cellular level with complexity and finesse so astounding that we cannot help but marvel at the attention to detail. God misses nothing, and not one of us is without excuse.
We do well to graciously remember who the Creator is and who is the creation. God has entrusted those who are parents with the lives of precious children who will grow up to become adults. Human life is precious, no matter size, location, or age. No final court decision will change this truth. As the nation waits and even braces for the ruling on this court case, let us be reminded of God’s final decision regarding human life and of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though this ruling can change the cultural climate, judicial decisions and legislative laws do not change the hearts of sinful men and women. The good news testifying of Christ by the power of His Spirit softens hearts once hardened toward murder of the unborn while crying for personal autonomy. There is forgiveness and cleansing in no One else. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the light shining in the darkness of abortion.
Shine on, dear Christian.
Listen to the latest episode of The Lovesick Scribe podcast as we take a look at God’s glorious work of human embryo and fetal development in the womb: God’s Final Decision on Human Life – The Lovesick Scribe Podcast | Podcast on Spotify
