Speaking as a Former Fetus, I was Always a Human Being—According to Theology

This is Part 5 of the "Scream Bloody Murder" series of postings. [For a list of all the postings in this series, scroll to the end of the initial post “Scream Bloody Murder.”]

Since there are some people who claim that a fetus is not really a human being, they believe that it's ridiculous to go around “screaming bloody murder” about the killing of human beings in the womb. To answer their claim we are continuing to look at arguments which show that I was always a human being—before I emerged from my mother’s womb and even from the time of my conception.

The last posting looked at the evidence presented by philosophy. This posting deals with the basic argument from theology.

Theology Certified my Humanity as a Fetus

I will make a very simple yet profound case for the claim of being a child, i.e. a human being, from the time of my conception by noting two truths from Holy Scripture.

First, nowhere in the entire Bible is there a distinction made between a child and a fetus. In fact, the word fetus is never found in Scripture. The words used for the living entity inside the womb are exactly the same as the words used for a little human being living outside the womb—child, babe, etc. In fact Luke 1:41 tells us “when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe [John the Baptist] leaped in her womb” and Genesis 25:22 tells us, concerning Jacob’s plea, that “Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her.”

Secondly Scripture itself tells us that God has given us in His Word and through His Church all that is necessary in the way of truth in order to live godly lives pleasing to Him. The truth about the sanctity of human life from conception onwards has been taught from the Holy Scriptures and defended by the Church for two thousand years. No amount of revision or modern “revelation” from abortion advocates will change that.

To suggest that Holy Scripture or the Church has been wrong—or even unenlightened—on this central social doctrine is akin to questioning the second great commandment. The whole of Christian theology is suddenly at stake.

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For a more thorough treatment of this subject the reader can consult the excellent online treatise by Dr. Stephen Schwarz entitled The Moral Question of Abortion. Also, Dr. Francis Beckwith’s new book Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice can now be purchased. I blogged a little about this book recently.

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So it's time for a recap of the last three postings.

In regard to whether the unborn (fetus) is a human being or not, we have seen that science, philosophy, and moral common sense, to say nothing of two thousand years of Christian teaching and tradition, convincingly argue in favour of the full humanity of the unborn.

And now hopefully we can return to our original question without further objection: “Why aren’t we screaming bloody murder about the killing of unborn children in Canada?”

"But still, I protest! Just because the unborn is a human being and granted—even a child—it doesn't mean the child is a person.

Being human is not really the issue.

Being human simply means belonging to the species homo-sapiens.

The issue is whether the unborn is a person."

Clever dodge—but ok.

We’ll again put away our original question for the time being in order to answer your claim that there’s a difference between a human being and a person.

Part 6 Who Says There’s A Difference between a “Human Being” and a “Person?”