Abstract
The Life of an unborn child has been recognized by society throughout history. In 1973, Supreme Court
Case Roe v. Wade ruled that the constitution protects women’s freedom to have abortions without
unnecessary government restrictions (Humber and Almeder, 1979). Though this ruling was delivered,
abortion has been one of the most debated topics amongst government officials and policy makers
throughout the nation. The life of an unborn child is recognized both scientifically and biblically. A major
policy outcome of the Biblical Christianity worldview includes restricting abortion. Modernism and
postmodernism worldviews have their own view on abortion. In 2024, abortion legislation now varies
from state to state-some continue to choose a more liberal view, while others preserve a more biblical or
conservative view.
In the video, Worldview Implications for Policy Analysis, Caleb Fisher explains that the
way we view whether the government has authority depends on your worldview. One worldview
that is particularly interesting to analyze is the Biblical worldview. One of the major policy
outcomes brought forth by the Biblical worldview is the restriction of abortion. The topic of
abortion was originally debated in Congress and the Supreme Court, with groundbreaking
decisions during Roe v. Wade.
The topic of abortion found its way to the spotlight once again in June 2022 (Center for
Reproductive Rights, 2022). The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling that there is no
constitutional right to abortion. This decision left the authority to the states. Since the ruling
more than a dozen states have banned abortion. Some key tenets associated with this ruling vary
state to state. There are now gestational limits, waiting periods, insurance coverage
discrepancies, and physician and hospital requirements (KFF, 2023). The most prominent state
policies were included in an article entitled “The Impact of State-Level Restrictions on
Abortion.” In this article Meier et al. states:
1. A conscience clause allows physicians not to provide abortions if they are opposed to
abortion.
2. Fetal experimentation prohibits experiments using material from aborted fetuses and
bans abortions for experimentation.
3. Post viability requirements establish when viability occurs and regulate abortions after
viability.
4. Post viability care requires post abortion care for a viable fetus.
5. Anti-abortion memorials request that the U.S. Congress ban abortion.
6. Feticide laws outlaw the killing of a fetus; these are attempts to outlaw abortion
through the criminal code.
7. Fetal disposal laws regulate the disposal of aborted fetuses.
8. Abortion-specific "informed consent" laws prohibit abortion without the pregnant
woman's consent. Here "informed consent" requires that the pregnant woman be given an anti-
abortion lecture and/or materials prepared or approved by the state, intended to discourage her
from having an abortion. "Informed consent" has a different meaning for other medical
procedures.
9. Parental consent laws require that minors obtain parental consent or that they petition
the courts before an abortion.
10. Parental notification laws require a minor's parents to be notified before an abortion
is performed.
In terms of the May-Can-Should model, the government has the right to intervene when it
comes to abortion. The government can enforce specific thresholds in terms of fetus gestation, an
abortion deadline/how late in a pregnancy can someone obtain an abortion; similarly to how a
medical provider can refuse to perform an abortion based on their religious views. The main goal
of Roe v. Wade, was to remove the Biblical worldview from government and push it more
towards a post-modernist worldview. While in the bible, pregnancy was sacred and there were
repercussions to those that harmed a pregnant woman. Exodus 21:22-25 states “If people are
fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury,
the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if
there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,
foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” Hence, if the woman were
to lose her child, the life of the perpetrator would be in jeopardy; showing just how God values
the life of an innocent unborn child. Roe v. Wade originally shifted our worldview, but we are
returning back to God and back into the Biblical worldview.
References:
Center for Reproductive Rights. (2022). Roe v. Wade. Retrieved from Center for
Reproductive Rights website: https://reproductiverights.org/roe-v-wade/
Fisher, C. (2018, February 9). Worldview Implications for Policy Analysis . Retrieved
July 1, 2024, from login.microsoftonline.com website:
https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/635071/pages/watch-worldview-implications-for-
policy-analysis?module_item_id=70943877
KFF. (2022, July 11). Abortion Policy Tracker. Retrieved from KFF website:
https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/abortion-policy-tracker/?
currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22
Liptak, A. (2022, June 24). In 6-to-3 Ruling, Supreme Court Ends Nearly 50 Years of
Abortion Rights. The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/us/roe-wade-overturned-supreme-court.html
Meier, K. J., Haider-Markel, D. P., Stanislawski, A. J., & Mcfarlane, D. R. (1996). The
Impact of State-Level Restrictions on Abortion. Demography, 33(3), 307.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2061763
The Holy Bible. (2002). New York: American Bible Society.
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