Seven Facts About Abortion

In her 2014 book, Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights: Reclaiming Abortion as Good for Society, Katha Pollitt suggested 6 myths regarding abortion:(1) The Bible forbids abortion. (2) Women are coerced into having abortions. (3) Abortion is dangerous. (4) There are too many abortions. (5) Abortion is racist. (6) Abortion opponents would never punish women.[1]

Ten years after the publication of her book, Pollitt’s ideas are widely embraced by abortion apologists and by parents aborting their children.

Pro-abortionists are not alone in promoting Pollitt’s feminist worldview. Last November the Louisiana Baptists, a publicly pro-life organization, rejected a resolution calling for an end to, and criminalization of, all abortion. In support of their decision, leading pastors promoted the myth that a majority of women are coerced into abortion and therefore it should not be criminalized.[2]

In 2024, 51 years after the terrible blight of legal abortion descended on this country and 18 months after the overturn of Roe, abortion is increasing, more children are dying, the gospel of God is obscured and withheld, and Christians are not clear on the facts.

May seven facts concerning abortion help Christians think and act biblically while pointing unbelievers toward salvation in Christ alone.

1. The Bible forbids abortion.

Does the Bible have anything to say concerning abortion? Some would say no. Pollitt suggested the Old Testament is virtually silent unless Christians misinterpret Exodus 21:22-23. This supposed silence leads some, including some Christians, to conclude that God accepts or is indifferent to the practice of child murder. Seeing the divisiveness and “brokenness” it causes, they deem abortion a topic unclear in Scripture and therefore one on which to be silent. Is the Bible unclear or silent on abortion? If we join Pollitt and argue the Bible is virtually silent, then we can leave what amounts to a modern holocaust to courts, politicians, and pseudo-doctors to work out—all while the death count rises.

God tells us to test the spirits whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). Is Scripture silent? Is Scripture unclear? When we allow Scripture to speak for itself, what do we find? From beginning to end, the Bible is replete with references to children in the womb and the abhorrent sin of intentionally taking a child’s life.

In the Bible: “We do not have to wait long to find a clear indication of the sanctity attaching to man’s life and of the wrong involved in the taking of one man’s life by another. It is noteworthy that, next to the sin of our first parents, the first recorded sin is that of Cain, which had its issue in the murder of his brother Abel.”[3]

In the Bible: God views the fetus (young human being) as being a life before conception (Jeremiah 1:5), after conception (Psalm 139:13-16), and through the full term of pregnancy (Luke 1:44). God knows children in the womb by name and, according to His sovereign will, saves some in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:44)

In the Bible: God refers to the “clump of cells” in the womb as a “child.” Pregnant Hagar was told by the angel of the Lord she was “with child” (Genesis 16:11). The phrase “with child” is repeated no fewer than 16 times in Scripture. God uses the term to refer to specific children in their mothers’ wombs (Genesis 16:11; Luke 2:5) as well as to many children generally in the wombs of their mothers (Kings 8:12; Ecclesiastes 11:5).[4]

In the Bible: God views the personhood and value of children equally from conception to natural death. The “babe” inside the womb (Luke 1:41) is the same word in the original, βρέφος, as the “babe” in the manger (Luke 2:16) and the “infants” of whom Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Luke 18:14-15).  

In the Bible: God calls the shedding of innocent blood murder. It is the sixth commandment of the ten—forever preserving the divine principle concerning the sanctity of life (Exodus 20:13).[5] Murder is one of the six things, yes seven, that the Lord hates (Proverbs 6:17). No murderer has eternal life abiding in him (I John 3:15).

In the Bible: God particularly highlights the abomination of murdering children—a regular sin of Israelites and Canaanites as they made sacrifices to their idols. God refers to the parents as sacrificing their children to demons (Psalm 106:37). For the particular sin of child murder (among others), Israel was given into the hand of its enemies during the time of the Judges, its Kingdom was divided during the time of the Kings, and eventually Israel and Judah were brought into captivity and ruled by their enemies.[6]

In the Bible: God views children as a heritage (inheritance) from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Men and women prayed to the Lord for extended periods of time and with much weeping for the blessing of a child (Genesis 25:21-28; 1 Samuel 1:6-12). The willful ending of a child’s life could not be more inconsistent with the will of God and the whole of Scripture as emphasized when God said of child sacrifice — “nor did it come into My mind” (Jeremiah 19:5).

In the Bible: God regards children both in the womb and outside the womb as equally valuable. As the practice of child murder was all too common, God gave specific prohibitions against it. Therefore, all the commandments against murder generally are equally applicable to children, whether they are born or unborn.

Does the Bible have anything to say concerning abortion? The Bible has much to say! In all that Scripture says on the topic, God categorically forbids and condemns the sin of abortion.

The Bible forbids abortion.

2. Women and men want abortion.

One of Pollitt’s central arguments is that women are not victims in abortion—they want abortion. She argues that less than 1% of women who have an abortion are coerced. Here Christians should find themselves in unusual agreement with pro-abortionists—albeit for vastly different reasons.

Pollitt’s conclusion: We should support the legalization and availability of abortion because women want abortion.

The Christian’s conclusion: Men and women are sinners, desperately wicked, and therefore want to commit the sin of abortion (Romans 3:10-18).

PR campaigns such as “Shout Your Abortion” and “We Testify” merge with organizations like Planned Parenthood to validate Pollitt’s claims from a decade ago. Men and women are rarely coerced into abortion—they want abortion.  A large number of pro-life organizations and many Christians believe the myth that most women are being forced or coerced into abortion.[7] They shrink back from the truth and ignore God’s teaching to protect, preserve, and promote life. In various settings I have been challenged on use of the word “murder” to describe abortion because, “It sounds very harsh.” Christians would benefit from spending time with women on the brink of having an abortion to gauge firsthand the women’s state of mind regarding their babies.

The worldview that considers people to be basically good is a humanist one, in contrast to a Christian or biblical one. “It’s not murder, just a very difficult situation.” In a humanist worldview anything bad is not really an individual’s fault—they probably did not want to do it in the first place. Christians would do well to reclaim the “T” in “TULIP,” remembering that men and women by nature are totally depraved. The heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Given a license to sin, 25% of women will have an abortion by the age of 45. 

While parents of aborted babies may end up regretting their abortions, the horrific reality is that the vast majority of them eagerly pursue it.[8]

Women and men want abortion.

3. Abortion is deadly dangerous.

Pro-abortionists like to talk about the safety of abortion. They debunk the idea that abortion is dangerous on the ground that few women have negative medical complications. If ever there was a red herring in the abortion debate, it is this issue of safety. Safety in the same sentence as abortion insults common sense. Nevertheless, with Roman Catholic and Pro-Life organizations moving the discussion from the actual victims (babies) to the perpetrators of abortion—“abortion hurts women”—safety in abortion is a regular talking point. Meanwhile, the little children in the womb are never safe in abortion!

More than 99% of abortions result in death. Rarely does a child survive the executioner’s methods in abortion. In the last three years, I met just one woman whose child survived an attempted abortion—she spared the child a second attempt. Mothers go into abortion clinics “with child,” and they come out “without child.” They take a pill while a human being lives in their womb, and after several hours the baby in the womb is deceased. They begin the process as the mother of a living baby, and they end it as the mother of a murdered baby.  

R.C. Sproul referred to abortion as humanity’s No. 1 sin. The Darwinian and demonic worldview denies that the person in the womb exists. The real victim is ignored. Murder is called “health care,” while 3,000 children die every day as the result of abortion. Meanwhile pro-life organizations join with pro-abortionists to discuss the “safety” of abortion procedures.

The sole purpose in abortion is to take away innocent life by murdering a child. Nothing is more dangerous to children in their mother’s wombs than abortion.

Abortion is deadly dangerous.

4. One abortion is too many.

While opposing attempts at abortion bans, pro-life organizations, churches, and politicians like to celebrate the overturn of Roe. The AP reported that since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling abortions have increased in the United States. The goal of many with the pro-life tag is evidently not the elimination of abortion but its regulation. Most national pro-life organizations oppose equal protection for unborn babies and abolition bills that come up in individual states (see Louisiana, Georgia, and Missouri examples). Organizations raise money, perceive power, and exert influence so long as abortion remains a live issue. If abortion is banned, criminalized, and done away with, what will happen to the money, power, and influence that attends it?

In his book, Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell tells of how hundreds of military personnel and millions of dollars’ worth of equipment went to aid him and his three SEAL team members. During the search and rescue operation, a helicopter with 16 military personnel was shot down by the Taliban—all died. The military continued an all-out effort to rescue the SEALs. Of the original four-man team, Luttrell was the only survivor. The rescue operation continued for weeks until the three bodies of Luttrell’s team members were recovered.

The story emphasizes the American way of fighting war and caring for our soldiers, with one man’s life considered very precious. Yet how few are willing to care even a little for the countless thousands of children murdered every day in American “clinics.”

If just one abortion were performed, Christians should oppose it.

One abortion is too many.

5.  Abortionists target minorities but welcome all.

If you go to an abortion mill in most cities, you will notice a disproportionate number of Black women in the waiting room. Why is this? The answer reaches back to the Old Testament period.

Minority populations in any country tend to be among the poorest and most oppressed in society. Scripture highlights the tendency in depraved man to attack the poor. “The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor”(Psalm 10:2). The deeds of the wicked are evil, and they target the weak and defenseless. Who is more defenseless than a little baby whose screams can’t be heard? But God hears (Psalm 10:17)!

Margaret Sanger, a founder of Planned Parenthood, was a notorious racist and hater of the poor. Time Magazine did not hide Sanger’s 1939 letter acknowledging her mission to “exterminate the negro.” How would she pursue the extermination? Through Black ministers and doctors promoting abortion. Sanger favored the Malthusian branch of eugenics, arguing that the genetic makeup of the poor and minorities was inferior to that of whites.[9] Three millennia after David, there is nothing new under the sun—the wicked still persecute the poor.

Pro-murder Guttmacher.org acknowledges that 37% of all abortions are performed on Black women and another 30% among other minorities. Meanwhile, African Americans make up less than 14% of the overall U.S. population.[10]

Many of Planned Parenthood’s busiest locations are in the heart of the poorest minority communities.[11] In Atlanta, Planned Parenthood is surrounded by predominantly Black churches promoting abortion, pride, and other sins to their communities, just as Margaret Sanger had hoped in 1939.

The Feminist Women’s Health Center in Atlanta reported that 58% of its patients from 2021 to 2023 were Black, 16% were white, with the remaining percentages represented by other minorities. Meanwhile, the Black population comprises 48% of the city of Atlanta and 33% of the state of Georgia. The most recently available demographic data (2022) shows that 59% of the state’s population is white. Nevertheless, 83% of statewide abortions were inflicted on minorities, while 17% were inflicted on white children.

While unapologetically targeting minorities and the poor, the abortion religion welcomes all to murder their babies (Proverbs 8:36; Romans 1:28-32).

Abortionists target minorities but welcome all.

6.  The State has the duty to make the murder of anyone illegal for everyone.

Ten years ago Pollitt suggested that as the “fetus” gains personhood status within the law, it “becomes increasingly difficult to say why a pregnant woman’s conduct during pregnancy should not be subject to legal scrutiny.” Pollitt despises life in the womb. Yet she rightly understood the implication if laws recognized all children in the womb as “persons.”

If laws recognized children in the womb as being just as worthy of protection as children outside the womb, then those children should be protected from all murderers—abortionists, mothers, fathers, or anyone else.

Eyes in the church are being opened again to the horrors of abortion. As they wake to a scene of death whose scope is terrible beyond human comprehension, the general tendency is to argue for leniency on mothers who abort their children and to hope in political activists for the limitation of abortion.  Are they correct? Should state laws protect mothers and abortionists from prosecution when they kill a child in the womb?

Consider the monument of lady justice. She is often displayed with a blindfold. Why? Because true justice must be blind to the person being tried. To put it in biblical terminology, “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). She has open and equal balances in her right hand, for “divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 20:10).[12] She has a sword in her left hand, for rulers “do not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Romans 13:4).

In 1973, 51 years ago, the blindfold came off, divers weights replaced the balance, and the sword was laid aside. If a man kills a child in the womb without the mother’s consent, he is guilty of feticide. If a mother pays an abortionist to help murder her child, there is no legal consequence.

God told us what is required – to do justly (Micah 6:8). Criminal codes pertaining to feticide are not just. They are applied unequally in contradiction to the Word of God and our country’s own standards of justice. In a free and just society, crimes against anyone must be illegal for everyone.

When asked about the abolition of abortion, Burk Parsons, Senior Pastor of St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, responded: “I cannot understand why anyone, let alone any Christian, or self-professing Christian, could not want and would not support the complete abolition of abortion.”

May the blindfold be put back on, the balances returned to equal weight, and the sword picked up.

The state has the duty to make the murder of anyone illegal for everyone.[13]

7. And such were some of you.

Paul warned of the enemies of the cross of Christ in this way: Their “end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things (Philippians 3:19). Pollitt stopped her myths at six. The abortion religion offers nothing for mothers and fathers beyond death for their child and destruction for the soul. While warning the wicked of their sin, God does not stop.

It is true that those who continue in sin will surely perish (I Corinthians 6:9). The death of the wicked will be their entrance into Hell, where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:44; 9:46; and 9:48). The eternal wrath of God is the only end for sinners left to themselves. The justice and holiness of God requires punishment for sin.

And yet, God said to sinners, “Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Mercy, grace, forgiveness of sin, cleansing of iniquity, and wiping away of transgression are freely offered by God to sinners. How can the justice of God and the mercy of God be true at the same time? The answer is found in the gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ His Son (Romans 1:1-14).

God provided a substitute for His sinful children. To make known His holiness, justice, grace, and love, God sent His only begotten Son into the world that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:14-16).

God sent His son to become a curse for His sinful children. Jesus came to be the sin bearer, and He bore it. He came to take the guilt of His children on Himself and He took it. He came to stand condemned before God. On Calvary’s hill the sinless Son of God stood forsaken by God and rejected so that His brethren might be accepted and live.

Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. The sinless Son of God shed His own blood and died. The blood of the Son of God cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). When Jesus died on the cross, wounds from his head, hands, and feet dripped blood at the foot of the cross. I was condemned by my own sin, and Jesus the sinless Savior offered His own body and shed His own blood in my place.  

Unlike the mothers who murder their children for their own pleasure, Jesus Christ gave his own life as a sacrifice so His beloved children could live. Two questions should come to your mind: (1) Can I become a child of God? and (2) How can I become a child of God?

When sinners are given a sense of their sin, one of the temptations is to think that their sin is too great to be forgiven. How can a child murderer, rapist, thief, adulterer, or blasphemer become a child of God? Is it possible? Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him (Jesus) shall not perish. What is impossible for us to imagine, is revealed as fact by God. Whoever repents of sin and believes in Christ will be saved and numbered among the children and family of God.

Abortion is not the unpardonable sin. Christ can and has saved many who committed abortion. Christians and churches that remove the sin and guilt of abortion from their practice and preaching remove the hope of the gospel from men and women in desperate need of salvation. May we reclaim the facts about abortion, face the horror of abortion, and make Christ crucified known to all—the hope of glory!

How can you be numbered among the children? Repent of your sin, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

If there is hope for a vile sinner like me, there is hope for the woman who has had an abortion, the doctor who has killed thousands, the guards who point mothers and their children to the chambers of death. There is hope for Katha Pollitt, who I pray comes to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. I can think of few greater joys than one day singing together with her the praises of God in His worship as two sinners who once were lost but now are found, were blind but now they see.

Save now, we beseech thee, O God!

Fact 7. Jesus saves!

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[1] Katha’s feminist worldview gained heightened notoriety in the 2020 presidential election cycle when writing for The Nation she began her article, I would vote for Joe Biden if he boiled babies and ate them…

[2]  Jeff Durbin and Apologia recorded an excellent rebuttal of the poor ideology and dubious statistics used by the Louisiana Baptists.

[3] See John Murray, Principles of Conduct, Chapter 5, on the Sanctity of Life (p. 107).  

[4] See Genesis 38:25; Exodus 21:22; 1 Samuel 4:19; 2 Samuel 11:5; 2 Kings 8:12; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Isaiah 26:17; Isaiah 26:18; Isaiah 54:1; Jeremiah 30:6; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 24:19; Mark 13:17; Luke 2:5; Luke 21:23; I Thessalonians 5:3.

[5] See John Murray (p. 133).

[6] See Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:2-5; 1 Kings 11:4-11; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:1-4; Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 19:12; Jeremiah 32:35; Mark 9:45

[7] Women coerced or forced into an abortion should cry out for help. Forced abortion is still a crime in our country, and the police should step in to help them. Men or women forcing women into abortion are guilty of the blood of innocent children. Visit Georgia Right to Life for more resources: www.grtl.org

[8] If you find yourself struggling to believe this fact, reach out via email (GospelOfLifeMinistry@gmail.com) and join me and fellow believers at an abortion mill. You can see firsthand – the overwhelming majority of women are pursuing abortion for one reason – they want to murder their children.

[9] For more history and detail on the history of racism and eugenics and abortion see:  https://www.congress.gov/115/meeting/house/106562/witnesses/HHRG-115-JU10-Wstate-ParkerS-20171101-SD001.pdf

[10] The Guttmacher Institute is the research arm of Planned Parenthood. Alan Guttmacher was the president of the American Eugenics Society before becoming President of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood’s annual Margaret Sanger award routinely was awarded to eugenicists who argued for the mental inferiority of minorities.

[11] The majority (79%) of Planned Parenthood surgical abortion facilities are within walking distance (2 miles) of high Black and/or Hispanic/Latina populations.

[12] See also Leviticus 19:36; Deuteronomy 25:13; Proverbs 16:11; Micah 6:11

[13] There are various definitions that exist for “abolitionist.” I first heard this quote from Zach Conover. It is an excellent definition for Biblical abolition as it relates to abortion.

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