Many Christians are clear on the immorality of choosing abortion as a means of birth control. A structured survey by the Guttmacher Institute, New York, in 2004 reported that the top reasons given by 1,209 abortion patients for choosing to have an abortion were that (1) having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents, (2) she could not afford a baby now, or (3) she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems.

But what about such situations as rape, incest or a possible threat to the life of the mother? To answer if there is a situation for which abortion is the right option, let’s begin with a fundamental biblical teaching. Throughout the Scriptures the value of every human life is clearly established. For example, God’s Word declares that many are set apart to God for ministry even while in their mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5 and Galatians 1:15).

Psalm 139 indicates that God knows each person before their body ever takes shape, and He has a plan for their life. “For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb…. I am fearfully and wonderfully made…. My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them” (verses 13-17)!

As the author of life, God considers an unborn child to be an eternal being from the moment of its conception. To deliberately destroy that life before birth would be as much premeditated murder as taking the life of any other innocent person. In His great love, God Himself urges us to choose life for ourselves and our children (Deuteronomy 30:19).

In the natural, the decision to choose life can seem more difficult in cases such as those involving rape or incest. Despite the circumstances, God has a plan for the unborn child. If the mother will value the life of the child, God can empower her or adoptive parents to raise the baby in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

Another concern once frequently voiced was threat to the life of the mother. But that has been almost completely alleviated through modern medicine. Choosing life is not always easy or convenient, but it is always the best path to take. As believers we can have faith in God’s love for us and His faithfulness to do what He’s promised.