Abortion
Wu Sihan Annetta
RLGN105: Biblical Worldview / Critical Thinking Paper (003)
November 3, 2024
PART One:
A biblical worldview is believing that moral absolutism exists, that it is build on the
foundation of God's Word and permeates all aspects of life. Having a biblical worldview allows
the person to stay true to their faith and have discernment over the distractions and
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temptations that dominates our culture today. It also prepares the person to give an effective
witness when questioned by outsiders about their faith in Christ (see 1 Peter 3:15). The core of
the Christian worldview is believing that Jesus Christ had victory over death (1 Corinthians
15:55). That He washed away our sins (Hebrews 10:10), gifted us salvation, so we are born again
and have our minds renewed by the Holy Spirit. The uniqueness of the worldview is that all
Christians are called on to love one another (1 Corinthians 13), it is our duty to love God and
love people. As it is a command from God to remain in His Word and work out one's salvation
with fear and trembling for an eternal life with Him in Heaven (Philippians 2:12).
(Word Count: 181)
PART Two:
When life begins
Pro-life or pro-choice has been a long-held political debate on the contemporary issue of
abortion rights, representing the different beliefs on the value of life and personal autonomy.
Prochoice means the mother has the right to choose whether to keep the baby or not. Whereas
prolife is the belief that life starts when the sperm meets the egg, the moment of conception1
and believes that all unborn babies have the right to live. The Roe v. Wade of 1973 legalized
abortion2, and the companion case Doe v. Bolton, argued that the Court “had no basis”3 to judge
the competing value of the unborn baby and the pregnant mother. This shows the divergence
on the legality of abortion rights has been in question since the beginning. Scientific research
has shown that “fertilization is not ensoulment”4, clarifying the difference between fertilization
1 Conception. “How does Conception occur?” Cleveland Clinic (2022).
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11585-conception.
2 Rosemary Balsam, “Abortion,” Contemporary Psychoanalysis 59 (1-2) (2023): 125.
3 Ibid., 136.
4 Scott Gilbert, “‘When Does Human Life Begin?’ Teaching Human Embryology in the Context of the American
Abortion Debate.” Developmental Biology 515 (2024): 102.
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and conception, and explaining the prevalent culture of conflating “DNA with soul”5 as
biologically inaccurate.
(Word Count: 160)
PART Three:
Life Before Your Eyes
Pro-choice is stemmed from a non-biblical worldview because it does not acknowledge
both the science and biblical standpoint of when life begins. Science has proven that the
fertilization view6, the idea that the human life begins when the zygote is formed when a sperm
and egg unite, is true. Biblically, from the Christian worldview, in Psalm 135:13: “you covered me
in my mother’s womb”7, and Isaiah 49:1: “from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name”8.
This shows that life began long before birth and that God gives the purpose of life. Soul is God-
given (Acts 17:25), which sets the difference between humans and animals, hence giving an
intrinsic value to human life (Psalm 139: 14). It is immoral to end a life for one’s own
conveniences; it is murder. Many pro-choice argues that the state of the mother and her
autonomy should be prioritized and protected. They claim that losing “constitutional right to an
abortion is a threat”9 to the “autonomy of pregnant people”10, considering the unsought
obstetric interventions. However, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court
has discovered that the right to liberty espoused in the Constitution “does not extend to a
5 Ibid.
6 Steven Jacobs, “The Scientific Consensus on When a Human’s Life Begins.” Issues In Law & Medicine. 36, no. 2
(2021): 221.
7 Psalm 135: 13 NKJV.
8 Isaiah 49:1 NIV.
9 Howard Minkoff, “The Two Front War on Reproductive Rights—When the Right to Abortion Is Banned, Can the
Right to Refuse Obstetrical Interventions Be Far Behind?” AJOB Neuroscience. 24, no. 2 (2024): 11.
10 Ibid.
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pregnant person’s right to an abortion”11. This raises the question of the legality of abortion
rights, proving it to be inconsistent. Rape, or involuntary, accidental pregnancies are some of
the most prevalent arguments of the pro-choice. Rape takes up 5%12 of the reason for abortion,
while 32.4%13 had no clue of their pregnancy until they entered the second trimester, and a
third of Americans abort because they were not ready to have the child. This goes to show that
irresponsible individuals mostly exploit abortion rights.
(Word Count: 296)
Bibliography
Balsam, Rosemary H. 2023. “Abortion.” Contemporary Psychoanalysis 59 (1-2): 125-41. doi:
10.1080/00107530.2023.2258062.
Gilbert, Scott F. “‘When Does Human Life Begin?’ Teaching Human Embryology in the Context of
the American Abortion Debate.” Developmental Biology. 515 (2024): 102–11.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.07.003.
Holmes MM, Resnick HS, Kilpatrick DG, Best CL. “Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and
descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women.” Am J Obstet Gynecol.
175(2):320-4; discussion 324-5 (1996). doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(96)70141-2.
Jacobs, Steven Andrew. “The Scientific Consensus on When a Human’s Life Begins.” Issues in
Law & Medicine. 36, no. 2 (2021): 221–33.
Minkoff, Howard, Raaga Unmesha Vullikanti, and Mary Faith Marshall. “The Two Front War on
Reproductive Rights—When the Right to Abortion Is Banned, Can the Right to Refuse
Obstetrical Interventions Be Far Behind?” AJOB Neuroscience. 24, no. 2 (2024): 11–20.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2023.2262960.
11 Ibid., 13.
12 Holmes MM, “Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of
women.” Am J Obstet Gynecol. 175(2):320-4; discussion 324-5 (1996).
13 Ibid.
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