 About 1.2 million babies are aborted every year in the United States.  40% of all pregnancies in the US end in abortion.  About 18% of women in the US obtaining abortions are teenagers.  More than twice as many unborn babies are killed in the United States than were killed in the civil war (both sides).  Abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Roe v. Wade.  Approximately 35 million lives have been lost at the hands of abortion doctors, about 86 times as many as died in World War II.  In 1989, the Supreme Court declared a Missouri law was constitutional, which stated that human life begins at conception. Still, abortion continues to be a federally protected “right”. 22

 God is the source and sustainer of life. I Timothy 6:13; Genesis 2:7; John 20:31; Acts 17:28; Job 34:14-15  Life is routinely regarded as a reward; death as a punishment. But God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 18:21-32; Revelation 21:4  Jesus came to bring life – abundant life! John 10:10  Death is God’s enemy (and ultimately a defeated enemy). I Corinthians 15:26, 54-57; II Timothy 1:10  (Human) death came as a result of sin. God did not originally create man to be mortal. I Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 5:12; 6:23 33

 God forbids murder (a person taking another human life for personal reasons). Exodus 20:13.  The first command God gave to His creation was to spread life. Genesis 1:20, 22, 24, 28  God instructs us to defend the lives of the innocent. Proverbs 24:11-12 But wait… What about these verses?  Exodus 21:12-17 (Capital punishment)  I Samuel 15:3 (Genocide?) 44

 Jeremiah 1:4-5  Job 31:14-15  Psalm 22:10-11  Psalm 139:13-14  Luke 1:15  Exodus 21:22  Galatians 1:15  Amos 1:13  Judges 13:5 (Hebrew reads: “from the womb”) 55

 Biological: When does life begin?  Legal: If it’s legal, it must be right, right?  Moral:  Is abortion murder?  Is it right to bring a child into the world that will not be loved, cared for, etc.?  If having this baby jeopardizes my ability to care for other (current or future) children, wouldn’t it be more loving to abort?  What if pregnancy was the result of rape?  What if the fetus is deemed to have a birth defect? 66

 Emotional: Does abortion cause trauma for women? What about for men?  Religious: Since not all Christian denominations agree, can’t we just all get along?  Ethical: What is the role of the abortion industry in this debate? Is abortion bad medicine?  Historical: What can we learn from the past? How did we get to our current position?  Practical: What are the effects of abortion on society? 77

 Study Scripture to come to a biblical understanding of this issue and be able to defend your position.  Pray for people whose lives are being destroyed by unwanted pregnancies and abortion.  Get involved personally to improve the situation: Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, etc.  Make your voice heard (both politically and in your sphere of influence).  Show love and compassion to people who have had abortions and nee to experience God’s healing and forgiveness.  Abstain from sexual intercourse if you aren’t prepared to care for a baby. 88