July 2, 2022

Recently the Supreme Court Justices voted to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. A national uproar has resulted. Quite a variety of presentations have existed to show strong support or strong opposition to the ruling.

Was the decision right or wrong? To answer this question correctly we must establish first who has the final say in this matter? Once that has been defined, we can then find out what that source says about this topic.

I.  Who has the final say in this matter?

Does the Supreme Court have the final say? No. They voted in 1973 to allow abortions, and then in 2022 they voted to overturn the 1973 decision. How can the Supreme Court be trusted to present truth all the time if their decisions change? Anyone who claims the Supreme Court has the final answer is actually agreeing with select, random decisions by the Court. Oddly, many people for decades have said the Supreme Court has the final word – until the Court changed their decision. And many people for decades have said the Supreme Court does not have the final word – until the Court changed their decision.

Does the final say fall on the majority of people? No. The majority of Supreme Court Justices said one thing in 1973 and the majority in 2022 said something different. In addition the majority of Americans in different decades have held different positions. Therefore, we cannot trust the majority to be right all the time. If it were right then no American would ever complain about the one who is elected President – the majority would always be right.

Do women have the final say? No. Do all women always share the same beliefs or opinions and never change their minds? If they all cannot be in agreement all the time, then women cannot be the final authority on this subject. Anyone who claims women have the final say are also disagreeing with all the women who disagree. In addition, who has the final say if the father of the child wants to keep the baby, but the mother doesn’t?

Do men have the final say? No. If they did all men on planet earth would have the same beliefs and they would always be right. Not. In addition, who has the final say if the mother of the child wants to keep the baby, but the father doesn’t?

Do the personal opinions of individuals have the final say? No. The easiest way to prove this wrong is to find two people with opposite beliefs. They both can’t be right.

Does education always provide the right answer and provide the final say? No. People with doctorates often at the same colleges have different conclusions, so how can both educated people be right, when they don’t agree?

Does reasoning have the final say? Some people say, “Abortion is morally right, because women have the right to choose!” People who oppose this position say, “Abortion is morally wrong, because babies have a right to live!” These arguments in the world of debate are called “circular reasoning,” more specifically, they are those which “beg the question.” Neither argument is valid, not only because the other argument invalidates it, but also because each argument is inconclusive and begs the listeners to agree.

Another similar argument of circular reasoning says, “My Body, My Choice.” The counter argument is “The Baby’s Body, The Baby’s Choice.” The two arguments cancel each other. Neither argument can stand alone to win a debate.

Yet another popular argument of reasoning is actually an inductive fallacy. It is in the category of “hasty generalizations” or “exaggerations.” This is when a person tries to get you to agree with an extreme situation and then takes that conclusion to blanket all situations. The most popular argument for abortion is “What about rape and incest?” The argument hints that if abortion is acceptable during these situations, then abortion must be valid for all other situations. A counter argument could be that many survivors of abortions have become great citizens; therefore, all abortion survivors will become great citizens. The above argument of rape and incest could also be classified as a “red herring.” A red herring is a comment intended to distract the listener from the truth. The truth is that very few abortions are done because of rape or incest.

Does science have the final say? No. If science had the final word on the matter every scientist would come up with the same conclusions. They don’t. Some scientists claim the unborn child, a fetus, is not a human life until the birth; yet other scientists claim the unborn child has heartbeats, emotions, and many more characteristics long before birth.

Do pastors have the final say on this matter? No. Not all pastors agree on this topic, so how can they have the final word? They don’t even agree among themselves.

Do particular religious denominations have the final say on this matter? No. The Catholics do not have more authority than the Methodists. Neither do the Baptists have more authority than the Lutherans. Even though the majority of people within each denomination share beliefs, they don’t all agree.

Only one source has the final say on this matter. This source is always true and right 100% of the time. Because this one source is purely true, all other sources or arguments (science, reasoning, opinion, etc.) are inferior and incapable of disproving this one source (Hebrews 6:13). This one source is God, the One who designed and created the universe. Since everything He says is true, we should go to Him to hear what He has to say about this subject matter.

II.  What does God have to say about this topic?

  A. Design

God designed and created the universe (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3). He designed human beings to multiply and fill up the earth (Genesis 1:28; 9:1). And He also designed sexuality to take place only in marriage (1 Corinthians 7:2; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:18; 10:8; Galatians 5:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4). God is the giver of life (Deuteronomy 32:39). Children are a gift and a blessing from the Lord, not a curse (Psalm 127:3-5).

All human beings have been created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26; 9:6). Each human being has infinite value in God’s eyesight. In fact, God created each of us for the purpose of having a perfectly close and loving relationship with Him (Acts 17:26-28). All human lives (including the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, etc.) have infinite value.

Life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16). John the Baptist, three months before his birth, leaped when he heard the voice of Mary, the mother of Jesus. God knew Jeremiah before birth (Jeremiah 1:5). Timothy began learning truths from the Bible before he was born (2 Timothy 3:15; where the word for child is often translated “embryo”). Esau and Jacob struggled with each other while in their mother (Genesis 25:22).

   B. Responsibility of Parents

The privileges of marriage include the accompanying responsibilities. The parents are responsible for loving the children and meeting all their needs. They are to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). They are to teach God’s truths diligently to their children (Deuteronomy 6:7).

  C. Misusing God’s Design

When couples choose not to follow God’s design and choose not to wait for marriage to have physical relationships they damage God’s ideal. When married people choose not to follow God’s design and they go outside their marriage to have physical relationships they damage God’s ideal. Then when children are conceived and the parents choose not to accept responsibility, the parents have often chosen a popular option – eliminating the children.

God is the giver and taker of life (Deuteronomy 32:39). The Lord did not give people the power to take the life of unborn children. Sadly, this happened often in biblical days (Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; 23:10; 33:6). Of all the sins which grieved God’s hearts, the shedding of innocent blood was one of the worst: They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood (Ps 106:37-38; see also 2 Kings 21:16; 24:3-4).

A very famous, biblical phrase, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” is in the context of abortion: If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth (Exodus 21:22-24). The penalty for causing a miscarriage (abortion) was death.

  D. Responsibility of the Church

The hope of society lies in the heart of the church. When a church-filled society falls, it is because the church is not fulfilling her responsibilities. Therefore the fastest way for society to change is for the church to change.

So how should the church treat hurting people who have made mistakes? The same way church wants God to treat us when we make mistakes. Jesus died on the cross for everyone so that He could restore us. The church should seek to restore everyone in this broken world.

Along the way, the church needs to influence all people to live responsibly: for unwed people to remain pure until marriage, for fathers to accept all personal responsibilities, and for mothers to accept all personal responsibilities. The church also needs to come along side of everyone to help each person reach the potential God has designed. This may include adopting children, being a foster parent, taking on financial responsibilities in raising children, etc.

   E. Concluding Comments

Abortion is a symptom, not the root problem. The primary reason for abortions is because people want to live a lifestyle contrary to God’s design. They want their pleasures, but not the responsibilities for their choices.

When Jesus was asked about Moses’ permitting Israeli couples to divorce, He said It was never God’s design, but Moses permitted it because of the hardness of their hearts (Matthew 19:8). The issue was not about divorce. It was about their refusal to obey God and their desire to do what they wanted to do.

We are all a mess. May we all submit to God’s best and then we will see what God has in store for our society afterwards.

Aren’t we glad the founding fathers in America founded our laws on God’s standards. When the builders of the Supreme Court building constructed the building they wanted the world to know that the ten commandments delivered by Moses are the foundation for our laws.

Why does a loving God allow evil to exist for good people?

What is Always Right?

When you argue for your beliefs, on what do you base those beliefs? Is it always right?

God’s Knowledge and Power

When people (even those who deny God) explode with anger whom do they curse?