Statement on Abortion (Orthodox Presbyterian Church)

THE Orthodox Presbyterian Church ^ | 1972

[Gamecock]

Adopted by the thirty-ninth General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (1972)

Believing that unborn children are living creatures in the image of God, given by God as a blessing to their parents, we therefore affirm that voluntary abortion, except possibly to save the physical life of the mother, is in violation of the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13). We state the following reasons:

1. The Bible treats human personhood as beginning at conception (Psalm 139:13-16; 51:5; Jeremiah 1:4,5; Luke 1:14-44; 1:29-38; Exodus 21:22-25). 2. The Bible considers the human person to be a complete person (Genesis 2:7; Numbers 23:10; Deuteronomy 6:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). This unity is severed only by death and then only temporarily until the natural, intended union is restored at the resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). 3. The Bible forbids murder because man is created in the image of God (Genesis 9:5, 6). The Bible further says that succeeding generations of men are conceived in the image of God (Genesis 5:1-3).

We call upon society and the church to show compassion toward unwed mothers and mothers of unwanted children. To this end, not only sympathetic counsel, but also concrete help should be extended (1 John 3:16-18; James 2:14-17).

But we also call upon our society to return to the law of God, recognizing the Word of God that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

Adopted by the 39th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Minutes, May 15-20, 1972, pp. 17-18, 149).

[mlizzy]

Great to see! Thanks for posting this.

[Alex Murphy]

Adopted by the 39th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Minutes, May 15-20, 1972, pp. 17-18, 149).

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[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thanks for doing this, Alex. Be sure to keep the old names on the list. I know of several who pop in and read without posting.

[HarleyD]

1972??? Well, I guess the Catholics can’t say no one else has formally issued statements.

[Forest Keeper]

Just curious, but what would be the rationale for sanctioning abortion if the mother's life was in danger? I once tried to impute some kind of notion of self-sacrifice to the baby, but couldn't make it work with my conscience. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm a man. :) However, it would seem to me that God's sovereignty would have to rule the day here. All manner of things both good and bad happen every day during pregnancy and the giving of birth. It just wouldn't seem consistent to me to say that all of these things are in the hands of God except one.

The only other thing I could come up with was some kind of self-defence against mortal accident. Would one be justified in killing someone if he felt mortally threatened that the person was about to accidentally cause his death? I couldn't come up with a decent real-world scenario.

[wmfights]

Just curious, but what would be the rationale for sanctioning abortion if the mother's life was in danger?

What a great question.

I think it goes back to cause.

God gave Moses the law and for capital punishment, Scripture says:

Ex. 21:12 He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

Along the same lines if the pregnancy is going to cause the mother to die wouldn't the correct thing be to end the pregnancy, kill the baby?

[Dr. North]

Killing babies is always wrong.

[Forest Keeper]

God gave Moses the law and for capital punishment, Scripture says:

Ex. 21:12 He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

Along the same lines if the pregnancy is going to cause the mother to die wouldn't the correct thing be to end the pregnancy, kill the baby?

I'm not sure it would be along the same lines because the above is indeed a punishment for a crime of specific intent. The very next line prohibits the death penalty for being the cause of a death by accident. Clearly we could not say that the baby had any intent. Perhaps we could say "caused by accident" but that would prohibit the death penalty.

Now, another thing is whether this could be put under the category of crime. Would this even be manslaughter (unintentional but unlawful killing)? I don't think so since we cannot consider existing to be unlawful. If I caught your cold and then died from pneumonia you would not be guilty of even manslaughter (or anything else absent intent). This would all seem to me to go against the idea of justifiable abortion.

Plus, we have laws saying that commission of crime is not even legally possible until a certain age is reached. I don't know if there were any such rules in the OT.

[wmfights]

Clearly we could not say that the baby had any intent. Perhaps we could say "caused by accident" but that would prohibit the death penalty.

Ah, but by inaction we would be giving the mom a death penalty. We aren't talking about anything, but in the case of the mother's life.

If I caught your cold and then died from pneumonia you would not be guilty of even manslaughter (or anything else absent intent).

What if I had a deadly, untreatable, highly virulent type of tuberculosis and knew it?

In the scenario we are discussing the unborn baby will kill the mother if not aborted. The baby doesn't know it's causing harm, but the baby is and by inaction we are inflicting a death penalty on the mother and she did not commit any crime.

[Dr. North]

And so you would inflict a death penalty on an innocent baby.

[Forest Keeper]

FK: Clearly we could not say that the baby had any intent. Perhaps we could say "caused by accident" but that would prohibit the death penalty.

Ah, but by inaction we would be giving the mom a death penalty. We aren't talking about anything, but in the case of the mother's life. (emphasis added)

I don't see how we can connect the idea of "penalty" to the mother. "Penalty" is a consequence of wrongful action. Neither mother nor child has done anything wrongful. All the child is doing is existing, growing and developing exactly as God intended. We might say that the consequence of this is the mother's death, but death is always a consequence of life. Most deaths are not a consequence of wrongdoing with someone at fault. The death we are talking about would also be one without fault.

Further, who is the "we"? Society? The mother's doctor? Is there a duty owed to the mother that would be breached for failing to abort? I would say "no", but that might be getting off track a little. I assume we are talking about whether it can ever be Godly justifiable for a mother to choose abortion, in this case to save her own life.

FK: If I caught your cold and then died from pneumonia you would not be guilty of even manslaughter (or anything else absent intent).

What if I had a deadly, untreatable, highly virulent type of tuberculosis and knew it?

If you knew it and purposely exposed yourself to me without telling me, then you could be guilty of at least reckless endangerment, which is a crime. And in this case you would be subject to the laws of quarantine, which you would either violate or not. If you deserved penalty at all, it would depend on your intent. The baby has no intent. I don't think in any case could you be put to death to protect the rest of us from you. Perhaps that is a real world comparison. If you were patient zero (and the only one) with the "I am Legend" disease would it be Godly to kill you? I can't think of a Biblical justification.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

In the case of the mother's uncertain health, carrying a baby to term is not a certain outcome. The mother still stands a chance of delivering the baby and living afterwards.

In the case of abortion, the baby stands no chance of surviving.

[Forest Keeper]

In the case of the mother's uncertain health, carrying a baby to term is not a certain outcome. The mother still stands a chance of delivering the baby and living afterwards.

Yes, that's a good point. For the sake of discussion I was granting that a mother was told that to a virtual medical certainty she would not survive. In truth there's no such thing. God can do anything and I love seeing those stories about a mother who refused the abortion and then did survive.

In the case of abortion, the baby stands no chance of surviving.

Boy that reminded me of Obama when he was a state senator arguing (on the floor) in favor of a law allowing the withholding of medical care to infants born alive in spite of a botched abortion. He is a monster.

[HarleyD]

I have been following this conversation and thought it would be interesting to see what the Bible had to say on abortion. Not surprisingly, it really doesn't say anything on abortion but it has a lot to say on how God views prebirths. Consider just a few of the following passages:

Gen 25:23 And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger."

Gen 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Gen 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.

Exo 13:2 "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine."

Num 18:15 Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.

Deu 28:11 And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

Jdg 13:5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines."

1Sa 1:5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.

Psa 22:10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God.

I could go on because there are a number of these verses. I posted some of these because what I find interesting is that we seem to have lost the perspective of how God views the womb and life. From God's perspective, having children was a great blessing from Him. In several cases He went out of His way to provide children to individuals (e.g. Sarah, Hannah, etc). The children who were in the womb were already considered people by God as with Esau and Jacob. And in some cases God deliberately closed the womb as punishment. One of the great evils that God would bring on the nation as punishment was starvation and cannibalism in which women would eat their children. This was horrific as even the evil Ahab noted (2 Kg 6:28-30).

From man's perspective, women and men in the scripture viewed life as sacred and from God. Indeed, those who could not have children were often looked upon with reproach and women sought God's grace to have children. Consider the case of Solomon and the woman who was willing to give her child away rather than seeing it chopped in two. (Which probably is the closest thing to abortion in scripture.) People just looked upon those in the womb as individuals and that life was sacred. Losing a child in the womb was a great tragedy (as noted in Job).

I don't wish to be misinterpret and have you feel that I'm criticizing you both. The point of all my blabbering is that I would suggest your discussion is evidence of how far we have devolved as a society from God's view of life. God view life as a true blessing that He gives. People viewed life as a true blessing from God. It would never have occurred to society back in the old or new testament days to do anything or even discuss harm to their children-in the womb or out-whether intentional or unintentional. Some would say discussions of the legal or scientific nuances especially in the area of abortion is advancement of law or science. I would suggest that it is evidence of the de-evolution of our thought process.

[wmfights]

I don't see how we can connect the idea of "penalty" to the mother. "Penalty" is a consequence of wrongful action.

Good point. Let's think death sentence, since the hypothetical we are discussing is an either or. The mom dies, or the baby dies.

Further, who is the "we"? Society?

Yes.

I assume we are talking about whether it can ever be Godly justifiable for a mother to choose abortion, in this case to save her own life.

Would it be Godly to refuse her an abortion, or for that matter to allow her to refuse an abortion, if the consequence of this would be her death? We don't permit suicide. In this case of the mother vs the baby there is no easy answer. If confronted with this I think abortion is permissible.

[wmfights]

From God's perspective, having children was a great blessing from Him.

I think you are right. I've tried to find anything to connect to this hypothetical (life of the mother or the baby, but not both) and really haven't found anything. God has given us the law which does impose a death penalty on occasion, but as FK pointed out, in this case no one committed a crime so why would there be a penalty.

I don't wish to be misinterpret and have you feel that I'm criticizing you both.

My Christian FRiend you are being silly. I'm always open to input from this group.

The point of all my blabbering is that I would suggest your discussion is evidence of how far we have devolved as a society from God's view of life.

But the point being discussed is a very specific case. In a situation where the Mother will die if the baby is not aborted is it right to abort the baby? I think it is because by inaction we (society) are allowing her to die. We don't know if the baby will make it or not. We do know the Mom is living. Isn't the first duty to protect life?

[HarleyD]

In a situation where the Mother will die if the baby is not aborted is it right to abort the baby?

That is a question I feel society shouldn't have to be asking. If there is no hope for that the baby will live, then the baby should be aborted in order to save the mother. The baby would die anyway. In the case that the mother will die unless the baby is aborted, perhaps I'm wrong but most mothers would not have given it a second thought. They would have sacrificed their live for the child. I think our laws should reflect this philosophy.

[wmfights]

They would have sacrificed their live for the child. I think our laws should reflect this philosophy.

I think this might be a myth, that a mother would gladly give her life for her unborn child. If women really felt this way why do so many women support abortion.

Would you support a law that abortion is not allowed under any circumstance?

[HarleyD]

If women really felt this way why do so many women support abortion.

Because there is no nobility any more. At one time people didn't mind sacrificing themselves for nobler causes. People were willing to carry the flag into battle knowing they would be the first to be shot, or honor and duty was part of self respect. Everything was viewed as being in God's hands and whatever would happen would happen. Doris Day's song-Que Sera, Sera, What will be will be. I remember watching John Adams and I noticed in the movie how people would always talk about leaving things to "providence". What God wanted was what people accepted. People no longer look upon the providence of God. They want to be in control of their outcomes.

So many women support abortion because we've lost the sense of honor-of duty. We are interested in our own selves.

Would you support a law that abortion is not allowed under any circumstance?

I would support a law that abortion is allowed ONLY in the case where the baby could not be saved and without aborting the baby the mother's life would be endangered.