When does abortion become murder?

When does a person become a person? When does abortion become murder? The answers: at conception and it is almost always is murder. Let's look at scripture.

There are a number of passages in Scripture that deal with the concept of when life becomes life, and the point at which God created that life. Let's look at these and the objections someone who favors killing babies has raised.

Medical science has long known, and clearly demonstrated, that a baby in the womb is a living person that feels pain, reacts to stimulus, and is completely unique person. The Bible also shows this:

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb..." - Luke 1:41

"For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my eyes, the baby leaped in my womb for joy." - Luke 1:44

By the way, the Bible always refers to an unborn child as a baby. The term "fetus" is never used. Whether the person is inside or outside of the womb, the same term is used, "baby".

Of course, someone might say this was a very special baby. This was Jesus. This is a special case, it is not something that applies to everyone. I'd then have to ask, what makes it a special case? Could it be that Jesus, as a baby in the womb, understood Mary's words because he is God?

A verse that tells us God formed us in the womb is Jeremiah 1:5.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you, I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

Galatians says the same thing about Paul, "But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb..." - Galatians 1:15

The objection is that this is a special case. That Jeremiah was created to be a prophet and so he received God's special attention and was formed in the womb by God. However, this does not apply to everyone else. We are not prophets like Jeremiah and Paul.

Yes, that one statement is true. We are not all prophets. The verse goes on to say God consecrated Jeremiah before he was born and appointed him to be a prophet. That certainly is very special. But, does it negate the first part of this verse? Does God only form prophets in the womb, or does He form everyone in the womb?

From a plain, straightforward reading of the text it is so obvious that God forms everyone in the womb, that I can not find one commentary that questions this or even discusses it.

Let's go to Psalm 139:13

"For You [God] formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb."

This verse clearly says David was formed by God in his mother's womb, and the person defending child murder says nothing about this verse, other than claiming it will be used to support life.

What is the context of this verse?

The previous paragraphs are talking about how God is everywhere. Starting in 139:13 scripture talks about God's power and skill, and it uses the beginning of life as an example. Not only do these verses say God made us in the womb, they praise God for His skill.

What is also interesting is Psalm 51:5 - "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me."

What is the context? In the previous verses David is talking about his sin and how evil he is in God's sight. These verses are all about David being a sinner, from the moment he was conceived.

Can a blob of tissue sin? No. Can an animal sin? No. Only a person, created by God, can sin. Only a living being created in the image of God can sin against God. Psalm 51:5 clearly states that from the moment of conception a baby is a person... we all know that killing a person is murder.

Tomorrow I'll continue discussing Jeremiah 1:5 and we'll look at Exodus 21:22-25.