Christians: Examining Holistic Alignment With Sources Of Authority On Abortion

Pro-Life or Pro-Choice Christians: Examining Holistic Alignment with Sources of Authority on Abortion

Religion and politics have historically been at odds with respect to each other, and nowhere is this conflict more visible than in the moral discussions surrounding abortion. Christianity, one of the oldest and most established religions in history, has a complicated relationship with abortion. Within that tradition there are two distinct viewpoints to the debate: pro-life Christians, who believe abortion is wrong regardless of the circumstances, and pro-choice Christians, who believe it should be legal if certain requirements are satisfied. This essay will analyze how these two sides of the debate use the same sources of authority from within

While pro-choice Christians recognize the value of human life, they also believe that women’s autonomy and agency should be respected. In Mark Chapter 12 of New American Standard Bible, Jesus discusses how one should not only love God with all of one’s “heart, […] soul, […] mind, […] and strength,” but one should “love [one’s] neighbor as [oneself]” (Mark Chapter 12). Christians who support abortion rights frequently use the idea of “loving [one’s] neighbor” as evidence for their position because they view abortion as a personal decision that should be made by women while considering her own specific circumstances and her relationship with God. They view this as a personal choice that should not be influenced by outside influences such as government or religious leaders. Along these lines, pro-choice Christians on abortion may interpret the commandment “Thou shall not kill” in a more nuanced way. In the book Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic by Margaret D. Kamitsuka, the author suggests that abortion is a complex issue with nuanced moral considerations, and that the Bible does not present a single unified opinion on it. She argues that various Bible passages can be interpreted in different ways, and that the commandment “Thou shall not kill” can be interpreted as

Psalm 139:13-16 in the Bible indicates that life begins at conception and highlights the sanctity of human life. In the passage, it states, “For you created my inmost being;/ you knit me together in my mother’s womb./ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;/ your works are wonderful,/ I know that full well./ My frame was not hidden from you/ when I was made in the secret place,/ when I was woven together in the depths of the earth./ 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 139:13-16). The passage expounds how God is deeply involved with the creation of each human being. God “knit[ting]” together the individual in the “mother’s womb” highlights how God truly cares about how everyone is created. The passage also indicates how God knows each individual intimately, even before they are born. Pro-life Christians interpret the Psalms passage as recognizing individual life to be highly valuable; hence, abortion desecrates God’s purpose for the unborn being’s life. While pro-choice Christians may argue that the passage portrays God’s personal relationship with each individual rather than when life exactly begins for each being,