Deconstructing the Arguments for Abortion

• Post by: Evan Lenow
• December 24, 2017

Abortion is one of the greatest tragedies that faces mankind across the globe. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 56.3 million induced abortions were performed worldwide between 2010 and 2014. That is an increase of nearly 6 million compared to 1990-1994.[1] These numbers represent 25 percent of pregnancies globally, meaning that a quarter of all children conceived have their lives ended by abortion.[2] For those who value life beginning at conception and believe that abortion is a great human tragedy, we must be prepared to confront the arguments for abortion. Part of the task for pro-life advocates is to handle the difficult arguments of their opponents and learn how to deconstruct those arguments. While space does not permit me to address every argument for abortion, I want to focus on three different areas so that we can better understand how to engage the conversation related to abortion in the public square. We will look at the historic Christian perspective, the concept of self-ownership, and the principle of personhood. By exploring these three areas, we will be able to demonstrate that the major arguments for abortion can be deconstructed and defeated in order to promote the biblical perspective on the sanctity of life. The Historic Christian Perspective on Abortion I approach this task as a Christian, unashamed of my decidedly pro-life commitments. I stand in an ancient tradition of Christians who considered the protection of the unborn to be of the utmost importance. While many people consider abortion to be a contemporary issue focusing on the last 50 years, it has actually been a concern of Christians since the earliest days of the church. Athenagoras was a second-century theologian and apologist. In his defense of the Christian faith written to the Roman emperor, he drew upon the issue of abortion to defend the non-violence of Christians. Athenagoras wrote: And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder