“Termination????”
Jarrod M. Jacobs
Recently, my oldest son and his wife got to see an ultrasound of their baby. They have been able to hear the heartbeat a few times as well. Their experiences reminded me of what happened when my wife and I heard our oldest son’s heartbeat for the first time in 1997. The events surrounding that time resulted in this article below. Though the article is based on something that happened 27 years ago, I think the lessons apply yet today.
I remember when my wife and I went to the doctor’s office to hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. What an exciting time that was! After we listened to our firstborn’s heartbeat, the doctor discussed with us how strong our baby’s heart was. She then began talking about our next visit. She said that during that visit, it would be possible to take a test and determine what if any, birth defects or tendencies were prevalent in our baby. Understand, she said the test was not 100% accurate, but could provide some indicators for birth defects. She said that if we wanted, we could also discuss termination. What? “Termination”? This doctor was talking about killing this baby whose heartbeat we had just heard a few minutes earlier. Can you imagine such? My wife and I said that we were not going to kill this baby. The doctor responded, “You won’t need that test, then.” In other words, that test’s sole purpose was to “help” people decide to kill their baby!
What a tragic reality that exists in this world where, in one breath, folks discuss how exciting it is to hear an unborn child’s heartbeat, and in the next breath, there is a discussion about stopping the heart we just heard beating. It hurts to think about it now.
I have often wondered how many young couples entered that doctor’s office as we did, but after hearing their baby’s heartbeat, decided that if they found the tendency for problems, they would go ahead and dispose of the human life they had made. Please understand I didn’t have to hear my unborn child’s heartbeat to make my decision. I just can’t understand how after hearing that strong, sound, steady heartbeat, people could say, “Kill It.” Yet, it happens.
Though some believe that the Bible doesn’t address “modern topics” like abortion, whether or not an unborn baby is a human life, etc. I assure you that it does (II Pet. 1:3)! To help us appreciate what the mother is carrying during pregnancy, let us consider the following ….
When Abraham’s son Isaac and his wife Rebekah could not conceive a child, they went to the Lord. “And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren …And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels (body, NKJV, NASB) …” (Gen. 25:21-24). Notice the terms used. Though unborn, the Bible speaks of “children” being in Rebekah’s womb. They were not “unviable tissue mass”! They were not merely an extension of Rebekah’s body! These were living humans conceived by Isaac and Rebekah! Not only this, but God saw a future day where her children would give rise to two nations of people! Yes, these two unborn babies were living human beings while inside their mother. The book of Romans 9:9-11 also speaks of these twins as “children” when they were yet unborn.
In the days of Exodus, God said, “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life” (Ex. 21:22-23). God describes a scene where two men are fighting, and somehow a pregnant wife gets hurt in the fight. If “her fruit depart,” i.e., if she miscarries and gives birth prematurely, the man at fault for bringing about the miscarriage would be punished. However, if she miscarries and “any mischief follow,” i.e., if the baby dies as a result, then there is to be exacted “life for life” for the incident. How can this be if what is within the mother is merely a “mass” or “growth”? The book of Exodus declares that God considers that baby’s death a capital offense! If God considered what was in the woman as “unviable tissue mass,” a “growth,” some “appendage,” something “non-human,” then how can He then justify the death of another? In truth, God considers unborn babies as sentient life, human life, worthy of respect, dignity, and protection. So should we!
King David was inspired to write: “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Ps. 139:14-16, NASB). David also says God sees the “unformed substance,” and nothing was hidden from God. In other words, God knows us from the very beginning. This is similar to what we read in Jeremiah. “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1:4-5).
When Mary, the mother of Christ, visited her cousin Elizabeth in Luke 1. “The babe leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: …. as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:39-44).
Notice the term “babe” used in this text. Luke, “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14), called what was in Elizabeth’s womb a “babe.” Being a doctor, Luke would have been familiar with medical terminology, and he called what Elizabeth was carrying a “babe”! It is no accident that the term used for describing an unborn child was the exact term he used when describing a child that had been born (Lk. 2:12, 16)! By inspiration (II Tim. 3:16-17), we see that God considers a baby as a human life, whether unborn or born!
Abortion is the unlawful taking of another human life! These short readings should be enough to convince the honest and good heart that a pregnant mother is carrying human life inside of her. In conclusion, let us ask a few questions.
- 1. Seeing that God inspired the Bible’s writers to write what they did (II Pet. 1:20-21), doesn’t it make sense that God is showing us that babies are living, human children, though they are not yet born?
- 2. Isn’t it interesting that Dr. Luke (Col. 4:14) chose “babe” to describe the unborn John the Baptist? He used the same term when speaking of born or unborn children.
- 3. Before ultrasound, God knew Jeremiah and had set him apart for a special work in the kingdom (Jer. 1:4-5). What if God has such plans for some yet unborn, but the parents “opted” for “termination”?
- 4. What if Rebekah had decided to “end the pregnancy” and not carry those whom God promised would give rise to two nations?
- 5. What if Eve and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were pro-abortion?
God said that He considers“hands that shed innocent blood” an “abomination” (Prov. 6:16-19). Can we think of anyone who is more innocent than the unborn? I do not want to be involved in something that God hates! Do you? At the same time, if you have been involved in something the Lord hates, please know there is hope for you. Just as those who killed the Innocent One, Jesus Christ could receive the remission of sins, so can you (Acts 2:36-38). Please know you can turn to the Lord, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith, and being baptized (Jn. 8:24; Lk. 13:3; Rom. 10:10; I Pet. 3:21; Acts 2:36-38; etc.). Regardless of the sin you have committed, it can be forgiven. Make your life right with God before it is too late (II Cor. 6:2). Let us teach our children and grandchildren that abortion is murder. Let us stop this murderous practice that plagues our country and the world!