ABORTION

“Seeing in a Biblical Perpective”

The Bible clearly reveals the plan of God in creation as well as His plan in redemption. Numerous verses teach us that developing a child is the expression of God’s earthly creation, namely, man, when a woman is pregnant; God Himself is forming a child within her.

Psalm 139:13-14

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”.

When does life begin?  This is the question that usually starts the abortion debate.  The Christian consensus is that life begins at “quickening” or conception. It is  a biological fact that when the union of the sperm and the egg occurs, the twenty three chromosomes of each are brought together into one cell, making up forty six chromosomes.  At that moment one cell has the entire DNA (the whole genetic determinant of our height, color of the eyes, and other characteristics), that will if not interrupted, form a human being. The child needs only food and time to grow into a human adult. As early as eighteen days following conception the human heart begins to beat, long before the mother is sure she is pregnant. As six weeks brain waves can be recorded. By the ninth and tenth weeks, the thyroid and adrenals glands begin to function.  The baby can swallow and move the tongue. Even the sex hormones are present. By the twelfth and thirteen weeks the baby has fingernails, sucks the thumbs, and reacts to pain. Perfectly formed fingerprints exists that will distinguish the child as a separate entity for the rest of life.

Such is the fate of many Filipinas today. According to a Guttmacher Institute study in 2006, one out of three women aged 15 to 44 chooses to terminate their pregnancy through abortion.

Abortion is a reality for many women in the Philippines, but many consider it taboo. The Church regards it as a mortal sin.
The government has made it a criminal and punishable offense, with no exceptions even for cases such as fetal malformation and rape. Anyone who is proven to have undergone abortion will spend six months to six years in prison, according to a law directly translated from the Spanish Penal Code of 1870.  Even though there is clear law in abortion many Filipino women take the risk and still do abortion. How could this happen?

First, from the Spiritual standpoint , abortion is  committed by many woman including the millions of young students   because the refuse to  God  or be thankful to Him, causing God to give over  to a depraved mind, letting them fall into lifestyle that few years ago they would have  found horrifying. (Rom: 28). Many young people and adults now boast about what they ought to be ashamed of.

Second, Sociological standpoint, abortion is the fruit of sexual permissiveness- the “playboy” mentality of being lovers of self. The Bible describes one of the darkest days of Israel’s history as the time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:15)

Abortions can leave lasting emotional scars on a woman, especially if they follow a teen pregnancy. Sometimes it is best to help prevent an abortion, but it comes down to personal judgement and convictions. To prevent abortion the first thing we should do is to entrust your life to God. He will give you the faith and courage in facing this pregnancy. Do not make another mistake by aborting the baby it will only worsen your situation. The best thing to do is to face the consequences and our God give us more grace and He surely forgive us. God is Gracious.