![]() Ultimately, if we turn to the Bible with the question of when life begins, we find what my students have come to refer to as my mantra: "It’s complicated. The focus on lifeblood is one reason that groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept medical procedures that require a blood transfusion. Ancient Jews knew that those without a functional circulatory system could not live, and this is likely why blood sacrifice played such an important role in so many ancient cultures. Then again, according to Genesis 9:4, the blood is the source of life (c.f. For this reason, many Jewish and Christian groups consider the moment that a baby draws its first breath to be the moment that it becomes a living being. However, if we go back to the beginning and Genesis 2:7, it is when the Lord breathed his own breath into the dusty form that would become Adam that it becomes a living being (c.f. This is the reason why many Christian groups forbid any form of birth control whatsoever. The author of Genesis is not telling us when all human beings come to life. Of course, this is a descriptive statement, not a prescriptive statement. It says Adam came to life at first breath (Gen. Whoever created this meme needs to read their Bible again. One popular view holds that life begins at conception-the joining of the male sperm and the female egg-but there are others who argue that life begins before conception, since figures like the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 49:1–2 the Persian King Cyrus (Isaiah 44:24) the prophet Jeremiah (1:5) and the apostle Paul (Galatians 1:5) are described as being called into their roles before they were born. Second, the Bible does not say life begins at first breath. Thus, while there will always be some who argue for no abortion ever, and others who argue for the possibility of abortion right up until the moment of birth, all parties are essentially trying to define the crucial point when "human life" actually begins. However, the modern issue is really more a matter of deciding when "human life" begins. If the miscarriage is the only result, then the penalty is only a fine, while the death of the mother would require "life for life." The one place where the Bible comes closest to describing something like abortion would be Numbers 5:11–31, where a woman whose husband thought she had committed adultery, but has no evidence to prove it, is forced to drink the magical "water that brings the curse." If she has committed adultery, anything that is currently in her womb will discharge and she will no longer be able to have children.Ī similar issue appears in Exodus 21:22–25, which describes a physical fight that injures a pregnant woman resulting in a miscarriage. I first remind readers that our modern conception of abortion didn’t exist when the Bible was written, so you will not find any single direct answer to the abortion issue in the Bible. ![]() ![]() This means that the “breath” of God does not refer to God blowing into Adam a physical breath, but more of a “spiritual” breath, his soul.Increasingly over the past several years questions related to abortion are becoming more and more frequent. While “breath” is certainly vital to the life of a human being, Catholic Scripture scholars do not interpret this passage in Genesis in a literal way, but more in an allegorical way. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. This teaching is based on the following passages from the Bible, as cited from the Catechism.īefore I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reiterates the teaching of the Church that human life begins at conception. The Catholic teaching of life beginning at conception The go-to Bible passage for proving that life begins at conception is Psalm 139, a song written by Israel’s King David.
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