Jesus Did Not Think Abortion Was Murder
The “Christian” argument of right wing abortion opponents rests entirely on Bible quotes that condemn “murder”, as such. These people seem to think that because abortion involves killing a fetus, it has to be murder, and that’s that.
The Bible does not openly address abortion, and the word itself does not appear. But there are passages that refer to abortion indirectly, like Matthew 24: 19-20, which refers to an entire society fleeing from destruction: “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath…” Many commentators just think this passage just shows that Jesus sympathizes with women who might get cold. There is a pretty strong subtext, though, hinting that heavily pregnant women or women with very small children might create a problem for the fleeing tribe.
Abortion was known in Jesus’ day, and there were even metal tools for pulling out a late-term fetus in order to kill it. Midwives provided herbs to cause an abortion before the end of pregnancy. However, it’s clear from the entire Bible that women in that day valued motherhood above all else. “Give me children or I shall die,” says Rachel to Jacob. (Genesis 30:1) So we are forced to consider the possibility, that most abortions in the ancient times were in fact ordered by husbands or clan chiefs – by men. There are documents in which we see men ordering women to get abortions. In the 3rd century, a Roman businessman in Egypt wrote to his wife in Rome: “If the baby is a girl, kill it.” And Mt. 24:19-20 also seems to hint at a “dreadful” outcome for mothers in the situation described.
There are objections. Matthew 24 is part of an apocalyptic discourse on the end of the world – but verses 19-20 do refer to a real flight. And the Greek text shows us that what is translated as “dreadful” is actually one of the few instances where Jesus cries out: “Ouai!” Woe! Would Jesus really cry out loud in sympathy for women who might get cold? These women did more agricultural work than men, and they were sheepherders! The Coat of Many Colors was a woolen coat. Women in Jesus’ day were accustomed to hardship. What is so dreadful that the Lord’s reaction escapes his lips in a cry, is the idea that a woman might have to undergo an abortion for the benefit of her husband or her tribe, etc., without wanting to.
And this is how things were for many centuries. Motherhood was the fulfillment of a woman; over time, society became more complex, and more situations arose that pushed women to seek an abortion. Today, we understand that women want and need to be able to control the timeframe of pregnancy and motherhood, so motherhood does not limit the sphere of their possibilities more than necessary.
However, for all those centuries, women were sometimes forced to sacrifice that which they loved most in the name of obedience to men. And because of that, no law or set of laws governing abortion can be legitimate unless they have been written by women and agreed by women.
And what about Jesus? Our examination of Mt. 24 19-20 does not conceal the pain and regret associated with abortion, especially when ordered by someone else. Jesus is familiar with all parts of his society. He knows how abortions take place, and why. And he cries out in pain. But even though he is looking right at the practice of abortion – he does not call it murder. He had a perfect opportunity to say “Though it be in winter, take care not to cause these women to commit murder.” He had a perfect opportunity to condemn abortion and call it murder, but he doesn’t even say anything about absolving women for things men ordered them to do. He is looking at abortion, and he doesn’t see murder.
The right wing view of abortion as murder has no Biblical support whatsoever. If abortion was murder, Jesus would have condemned it as such.
And he didn’t.