No one enjoys talking about abortion...yet it is an issue that many Christians deal with...some strongly against, some say it is needful, and others...just don't know.....
In America, the last 40 years the abortion issue has been centered on the Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade in 1973. The very fact that abortion has become a legal option...has upset many.
It's a rather tough subject for me too...the thought of an infant in a womb being killed or murdered...is certainly one that grips the heart and soul.
I have read for example how those who totally oppose abortion often rely on biblical quotations to support their beliefs, and I have equally read of those who support the abortion amendments as a concern for the welfare of the woman who had become pregnant.
I think it is like so many things in life, it is important to understand and gather in all information so perhaps when you decide what is the right choice for yourself, you would do so with faith and conviction.
For myself, it has to have some depth as to a decision of this magnitude is made. For example, numerous articles against abortion have used verses of Scripture like in Psalm 139:13, where David speaks of God: "You shaped me first inside, then out, You formed me in my mother's womb." This verse would indicate we are very much alive...long before the day of birth.
Yet, the Psalms also write of "Happy is the one who takes your babies, and smashes them against the rock."..Psalm 137:9.
Two different Scriptures, two different settings, and yet both speak of infants...one while in the womb, another outside the womb.
Abortion...Is it right? Is it wrong? Is it needful? So begins this journey...
The earliest evidence of abortion dates back to 1760 B.C. Most ancient laws against abortions ...were linked to a woman who procures an abortion against her husband's wishes.
Many methods employed in early and even primitive cultures...were non-surgical. The use of physical activity was the most common technique used including: strenuous labor, climbing, paddling, diving, or even weightlifting.
In the fame ancient Greek culture, stoics of that period believed the fetus to be plant like in nature, and not human until the moment of birth...when the newborn breathed air. As a result, abortions for the most part were perfectly acceptable.
Another factor in numerous ancient cultures was the use of herbs used to induce abortive measures.
Aristotle believed abortion in an early stage was not considered killing...his belief was an embryo would gain a human soul after 40 days if male, and 90 days if a female.
Even some of our early church fathers, like Saint Augustine considered abortion a possible choice when done in an early stage.
In the 1700's on into the early 1800's, the word abortion referred to a termination of pregnancy after "quickening", which is defined as when the fetus begins to make noticeable movements. The induced ending of a pregnancy before "quickening" did not really have a name...yet it was not because it was uncommon. Women during this time frame often took drugs, herbs, or other remedies (sitting over steam for example) to end unwanted pregnancies.
In 1827, the state of Illinois passed a law stating the use of "abortion type drugs" was punishable with up to 3 years imprisonment. Other states soon followed Illinois's leading, yet the abortive drugs, commonly referred to as "female monthly pills", were still found common into the mid 1800's.
Abortion became a much more serious crime offense between 1860 and 1880...but the origin of this movement was not from moral or religious issues.
During this time period there was a newly established physicians trade organization, known as the American Medical Association that actually triggered abortion to be a more criminal offense. Doctors within the American Medical Association had decided that abortion practitioners were unwanted competition within their profession, and went about eliminating abortion practitioners through messages of the "evils of abortion". Even the Catholic Church, which had up to that point in history given acceptance to pregnancy terminations before "quickening", joined the American Medical Association condemning the practice.
By1900, all states had established laws against abortion, yet the laws were rarely enforced, and women with money had little problem terminating a pregnancy if they so desired.
By the late 1930's, abortion laws became more enforced, yet as a result of a reform movement to redo the abortion laws that had passed, actually proved successful in lifting abortion restrictions in states like California and New York...long before the Roe vs. Wade ruling.
Numerous polls in recent times suggest Americans prefer women to be able to have abortions in the early stages of pregnancies...free from government interference.
So, are abortions ok?....does God allow it?... or is it murdering of the innocent?
Much more to look at.....
In America, the last 40 years the abortion issue has been centered on the Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade in 1973. The very fact that abortion has become a legal option...has upset many.
It's a rather tough subject for me too...the thought of an infant in a womb being killed or murdered...is certainly one that grips the heart and soul.
I have read for example how those who totally oppose abortion often rely on biblical quotations to support their beliefs, and I have equally read of those who support the abortion amendments as a concern for the welfare of the woman who had become pregnant.
I think it is like so many things in life, it is important to understand and gather in all information so perhaps when you decide what is the right choice for yourself, you would do so with faith and conviction.
For myself, it has to have some depth as to a decision of this magnitude is made. For example, numerous articles against abortion have used verses of Scripture like in Psalm 139:13, where David speaks of God: "You shaped me first inside, then out, You formed me in my mother's womb." This verse would indicate we are very much alive...long before the day of birth.
Yet, the Psalms also write of "Happy is the one who takes your babies, and smashes them against the rock."..Psalm 137:9.
Two different Scriptures, two different settings, and yet both speak of infants...one while in the womb, another outside the womb.
Abortion...Is it right? Is it wrong? Is it needful? So begins this journey...
The earliest evidence of abortion dates back to 1760 B.C. Most ancient laws against abortions ...were linked to a woman who procures an abortion against her husband's wishes.
Many methods employed in early and even primitive cultures...were non-surgical. The use of physical activity was the most common technique used including: strenuous labor, climbing, paddling, diving, or even weightlifting.
In the fame ancient Greek culture, stoics of that period believed the fetus to be plant like in nature, and not human until the moment of birth...when the newborn breathed air. As a result, abortions for the most part were perfectly acceptable.
Another factor in numerous ancient cultures was the use of herbs used to induce abortive measures.
Aristotle believed abortion in an early stage was not considered killing...his belief was an embryo would gain a human soul after 40 days if male, and 90 days if a female.
Even some of our early church fathers, like Saint Augustine considered abortion a possible choice when done in an early stage.
In the 1700's on into the early 1800's, the word abortion referred to a termination of pregnancy after "quickening", which is defined as when the fetus begins to make noticeable movements. The induced ending of a pregnancy before "quickening" did not really have a name...yet it was not because it was uncommon. Women during this time frame often took drugs, herbs, or other remedies (sitting over steam for example) to end unwanted pregnancies.
In 1827, the state of Illinois passed a law stating the use of "abortion type drugs" was punishable with up to 3 years imprisonment. Other states soon followed Illinois's leading, yet the abortive drugs, commonly referred to as "female monthly pills", were still found common into the mid 1800's.
Abortion became a much more serious crime offense between 1860 and 1880...but the origin of this movement was not from moral or religious issues.
During this time period there was a newly established physicians trade organization, known as the American Medical Association that actually triggered abortion to be a more criminal offense. Doctors within the American Medical Association had decided that abortion practitioners were unwanted competition within their profession, and went about eliminating abortion practitioners through messages of the "evils of abortion". Even the Catholic Church, which had up to that point in history given acceptance to pregnancy terminations before "quickening", joined the American Medical Association condemning the practice.
By1900, all states had established laws against abortion, yet the laws were rarely enforced, and women with money had little problem terminating a pregnancy if they so desired.
By the late 1930's, abortion laws became more enforced, yet as a result of a reform movement to redo the abortion laws that had passed, actually proved successful in lifting abortion restrictions in states like California and New York...long before the Roe vs. Wade ruling.
Numerous polls in recent times suggest Americans prefer women to be able to have abortions in the early stages of pregnancies...free from government interference.
So, are abortions ok?....does God allow it?... or is it murdering of the innocent?
Much more to look at.....
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