Life in the womb

The beauty and the pain

At the heart of the Christian understanding of humanity is the assertion in God’s word that human beings are created by God in his image, and that each one is unique and precious to him. The creation narrative in Genesis culminates in the creation of human beings:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

In the psalms, David writes:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139: 13-16

We are, indeed, fearfully and wonderfully made and God knows and loves each one of us.

In Luke’s gospel we read the beautiful account of Mary visiting her relative Elizabeth. Mary had been told by the angel Gabriel that she was going to have a child, the Son of God, and that Elizabeth was expecting a baby in her old age. Mary went to visit Elizabeth, and as she approached, with the baby Jesus probably only a week or two old in the womb, this happened:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in the womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Luke 1:41-45

There can be no misunderstanding here. John the Baptist, in the womb, leaped for joy at the approach of his Saviour Jesus, who was also a baby in the womb! Isn’t that a wonderful account? The beginning of a unique relationship between John and his Lord, Jesus.

My eldest son and one of my nieces have a similar age gap to John and Jesus: about five months. I love telling them how, when my niece was a little baby, I would sit her on my bump and her cousin would kick inside me so vigorously it was as if he was wanting to play with her! The mystery and wonder of life in the womb.

If we understand that every human life is created by God and precious to him, then every life in the womb counts. It is not a potential life, it is a child. We know that instinctively; when a couple announces a pregnancy they say ‘we are having a baby’ and they talk about their baby in the womb. They don’t announce a bunch of cells or its potential to become a baby. In a similar way, we understand the trauma of miscarriage to be the loss of a baby.

In our society in the West, abortion seems to be talked about only as a ‘reproductive right’ or ‘healthcare’, a woman’s ‘right to choose’ and with the slogan ‘my body, my choice’. It has become an issue of autonomy, convenience and control — idols of our time. The life of the unborn child is rarely acknowledged, and the brutal realities of abortion are hidden away.

In the church there is also barely a mention of abortion, and yet the truth is that it is a matter of life and death affecting very many people. In this nation more than 500 babies are killed in the womb every day. That means that one in four babies in the womb are killed. In the last 50 years there have been over 9 million babies whose lives have been lost because of abortion. This is the painful reality and we need to be talking about it; we need to be giving a voice to the voiceless and offering God’s grace to those involved.

In the church we need to be talking about how God values every human life, and particularly the value given to children throughout scripture and the significance given to babies, including in the womb. We need to be talking to young people about the realities of abortion, and about the responsibilities and blessings of marriage and family. We need to be supporting parents and families in the pressures and joys of raising children. We need to be helping those who are living with guilt, regret and unforgiveness due to abortion.

Is the gospel of Jesus Christ big enough for this? I believe that it is. God’s grace is big enough, his arms are wide enough, his forgiveness is powerful enough, and his love is deep enough.

Please do listen to our podcast interview with Dave Brennan from Brephos, a project committed to helping churches respond to abortion. You can find the podcast on PodBean here or search for The Owl & Badger Podcast in all the usual places. Please share the podcast with anyone who might find it helpful.