Is Abortion A More Compassionate Alternative Than A Life of Poverty for an Unborn Child?

Is Abortion A More Compassionate Alternative Than A Life of Poverty for an Unborn Child?

According to Yale Medicine, “Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus. It can occur spontaneously, known as a miscarriage, or be induced intentionally through medical or surgical procedures.” The questioning of abortion being more compassionate than a life of poverty for an “unborn” child has been a foundational question even in ancient times. Abortion is a moral issue rooted in anthropology and the inherent value of human life.

In Genesis 1:26, the LORD, (which translates to Yahweh), said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” The use of the words ‘us’ and ‘our’ is evidence of a triune God. Understanding the trinitarian doctrine that is shown to be evident in Genesis 1:26 helps us to understand 2 Corinthians 4:4 with a lens of clarity. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “They don’t understand the message about the glory of Christ who is the exact likeness of God.” Contextual evidence shows that Paul was writing to the Church of Corinth. The Church of Corinth was in an individualistic society that was primarily influenced by Greek culture. While the Church of Corinth accepted the Gospel, they could not clearly see the glory of Christ due to the influence of Greek dualism. Dualism suggests that the body is a prison while the spirit is the only thing good. The question of abortion being a more compassionate alternative than a life of poverty for an unborn child is an example of dualism. Supporting abortion as a Christian is difficult without holding the premise of dualism where compassion is subjective to outward conditions.

As Christians, we hold true that we are all made in the Imago Dei (Image of God). Genesis 1:26, does affirm the fact that human beings were made in the image of a triune God, but what does being made in His image mean? Gregg R. Allison in his book, 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith, mentions these three views, Substantive, Relational, and Functional that help us understand the Image of God.

The Substantive View is the idea that the image of God is a part of our character that we exercise. The Substantive View would suggest that we exercise rationality, free will, and moral consciousness just as God would. In Genesis 2:16-17, God gives a command to Adam establishing the first moral boundary. God treats Adam as a rational, morally responsible being. When it comes down to the abortion topic, it is very important to define what life is. According to The Meaning Movement, “life isn’t just about biological processes. It’s about consciousness, experience, and meaning.” The Meaning Movement does not include consciousness to be a biological process. The viewpoint of consciousness not being biological shows a dualistic worldview. When life is determined to begin when consciousness appears, the physical body or the biological process is treated as a container or prison that does not hold value until the spirit or mind awakens.

The Relational View is the part of the character of the Image of God that exercises community that men and women enjoy among themselves. According to the National Library of Medicine, “This paper frames social capital, or the benefits that a child receives from social relationships, as a positive social determinant of health that helps children exposed to adversity achieve healthy outcomes across the life course.” The National Library of Medicine defines social capital as “The benefits that a person receives from surrounding social relationships.” The concept of being relational is embedded into our character as human beings. The evidence of the triune God is laid as a foundation in Genesis 1:26, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit come in communion with one another to create human beings in His Image. Genesis 2:18 states, “Then the LORD God said, it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” If God is the source of goodness and He creates human beings in His image to be good, but says it is not good for man to be alone; He is showing an extension of His character. David says in Psalm 139:15, “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” David is establishing a precedent that in the midst of a dark womb, God is in relationship with the baby, knitting them together. Many Pro-Choicers would argue that in order for a baby to be alive, it needs to be independent from the mother. Because the baby cannot survive on its own, it is seen as a clump of cells. As humans we need a community that gives us a sense of belonging.

The Functional View of the Image of God is the idea that God created human beings to exercise dominion over creation. In Genesis 1:28 God establishes the Creation Mandate where He says, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” The Creation Mandate is an extension of God’s character that He makes us in. According to the National Library of Medicine, while the reasons for sex are often assumed to be simple- reproduction or pleasure- they are actually psychologically complex. The National Library of Medicine states, “the reasons people have sex have been assumed to be few in number and simple in nature- to reproduce, to experience pleasure, or to relieve sexual tension.” The most secular of researchers agree that there is an order in sex. When a man has sex with a woman, the woman can get impregnated and give birth. When abortion is used as a license to have sex freely without accepting responsibility in the possibility of life, it rejects the stewardship inherent in the Functional View. As Image Bearers, our function is to honor the mandate to create and protect life, rather than using our dominion to terminate it.

Gregg R. Allison advocates in his book, 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith, that the Substantive, Relational, and Functional View are not separate entities that work against each other, but rather that they are one. Allison introduces the concept of the holistic view. The holistic view mentions that the image of God consists of the Substantive, Relational, and Functional view. As human beings made in the image of God, humans are rational, conscious beings that are relational and enjoy community, but also stewards of creation.

The root of the belief that abortion is a more compassionate alternative than a life of poverty for the unborn is founded on dualistic principles. The viewpoint of dualism suggests that what happens to the body does not truly affect the real person. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth. The Church in Corinth was in the midst of an individualistic society and culture that could not get past the Greek concept of dualism which had clouded their worldview. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:45-46, “The Scriptures tell us, the first man, Adam, became a living person. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.” Paul establishes the sequence of needing a physical body to precede the spiritual glorified body. In the passage, we can suggest that the biological life of a child in a womb is the essential natural foundation. To terminate the natural life is to interrupt the process God ordained to lead towards the spiritual and glorified state. Paul affirms that the physical body has an eternal destiny. Genesis 1:26 lays the foundation of a triune God. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are the same being with different roles. Human beings are made in the holistic image of God. Each person of the trinity represents Gregg R. Allison's three views that make up the Imago Dei. Understanding the holistic image of God will help us as humans, understand the inherent value of life inside a mother’s womb.

The Substantive View is evident through the role of the Father. He is the source of our moral consciousness and rationality. As the Creator, when He says to “Let us make,” the Father provides the substance or blueprint of the human character. In Romans 2:15, Paul says, “They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” According to the National Library of Medicine, “Women who had undergone an abortion experienced an 81% increased risk of mental health problems.” In the long term, many women express a developed sense of guilt which is a moral law of consciousness and rationality that has been written on their hearts by their Creator.

The Relational View is evident through the role of the Son. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul describes Christ as the “exact likeness of God.” John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us.” The Word being Jesus as previously mentioned in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” validates the importance of human relationship and physical presence. In Matthew 2:13-16, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him to flee because Herod intended to search for the child and kill him. If relational value were determined by whether a child would be wanted or welcomed by society, then Christ would have been seen as having no value. However, due to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being in communion with one another, the child is already in a relationship with the triune God from the moment of creation. A child in the womb is part of a social relationship that begins with God.

The Functional View is evident through the role of the Holy Spirit. David says in Psalm 104:29-30, “But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.” The Holy Spirit is the one who functionally brings life into being and sustains it for it is the breath of God who is life. In Psalm 139:13-15, God knits the child together in the womb. According to Reasons to Believe, the knitting described in Psalms 139 is an analogy for embryological development. Embryological development requires foresight and algorithmic information which are things that can only emanate from a mind. Life in the womb is an ectypal of an archetypal. The archetypal of life in the womb is the mind of God which contains the original algorithmic information. The ectypal is the embryo that is the imprint or copy of the information. The article notes that instructions are fated to develop into specific organ systems long before they are visible. Because the instructions are present from the moment of fertilization, the image of God- the ectypal- is present. The value of the baby is not based on what it looks like yet, but on the mind it came from.

When we ignore one view of the Image of God, we no longer have a holistic view of the image of God. A compassionate choice cannot be made by deleting one-third of what it means to be human. Abortion being a more compassionate alternative than a life of poverty for an unborn child is rooted in dualism. Dualism treats the body as a prison or a container in which Paul refutes and rebukes in 1 Corinthians 15 to discuss and encapsulate the resurrection of Christ to a dualistic society. If the body is “fearfully and wonderfully made” and destined for glory, then the physical state of poverty cannot diminish the spiritual value of the person. Poverty is an environmental condition, whereas the Image of God is an essential condition. Since the algorithmic information comes from the Mind of God, the child’s value is locked in before they are even born. Poverty affects the experience of life, but it cannot rewrite the instructions of the ectypal. True holistic compassion is not rooted in the termination of natural life to avoid suffering, but rather using our dominion to change outward conditions. The natural life in the womb is a necessary, God-ordained foundation for an eternal spiritual destiny. To end natural life because of poverty is to permanently close the door on glory that Paul promises.

Bibliography Allison, Gregg R. 2018. 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith : A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books. Clarke, Steve. 2022. “The Sanctity of Life as a Sacred Value.” Bioethics 37 (1): 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13094. Coleman, Priscilla K. 2011. “Abortion and Mental Health: Quantitative Synthesis and Analysis of Research Published 1995–2009.” British Journal of Psychiatry 199 (3): 180–86. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.110.077230. Duh-Leong, Carol, Benard P. Dreyer, Terry T-K Huang, Michelle Katzow, Rachel S. Gross, Arthur H. Fierman, Suzy Tomopoulos, Cecilia Di Caprio, and H. Shonna Yin. 2021. “Social Capital as a Positive Social Determinant of Health: A Narrative Review.” Academic Pediatrics 21 (4): 594–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2020.09.013. Editorial Contributor. 2022. “What Is Life? Understanding Life’s Deepest Question | Dan Cumberland.” Themeaningmovement.com. The Meaning Movement. July 28, 2022. https://themeaningmovement.com/what-is-life-meaning-definition-exploration/. Meston, Cindy M., and David M. Buss. 2007. “Why Humans Have Sex.” Archives of Sexual Behavior 36 (4): 477–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-007-9175-2. Rana, Fazale “Fuz”. 2017. “The Remarkable Scientific Accuracy of Psalm 139.” Reasons to Believe. March 1, 2017. https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/the-cells-design/the-remarkable-scientific-accuracy-of-psalm-139. Yale Medicine . 2024. “Abortion.” Yale Medicine. 2024. https://www.yalemedicine.org/clinical-keywords/abortion.