Life in the Womb is Precious, Too!

Supermodel Kathy Ireland caught my attention recently, but not for the reason you might suppose. As I watched her being interviewed, I was transfixed, less by her beauty and more by her honesty.

As a pro-choice Christian, Ms. Ireland became troubled the more she read medical text books and scientific literature regarding when human life begins. A review of the literature revealed that the new life which begins at conception is indeed human. In a panic, she called Planned Parenthood, asking for evidence to refute what she was reading. “It’s just a clump of cells,” was the only answer she received. She knew that didn’t square with the science and, reluctantly, she began to abandon her pro-choice position.

Richard John Neuhaus has observed, “It is sometimes said that the abortion debate is about values rather than facts. An honest debate about abortion, however, is about values based on facts. If we don’t get the facts right, we won’t get the values right.”

All of us have values. The question is, on what are they based?

Science reveals that the fusion of sperm and egg at the moment of conception produces a new human cell, the zygote, which is constituted to carry out all the activities of life. The zygote acts immediately and decisively to initiate a program of development that will proceed seamlessly through the formation of a body, birth, childhood, adolescence, maturity, and aging, ending with death. This coordinated behavior is the hallmark of a human organism. It is not a mere collection of human cells. Skin cells, no matter how much they multiply, cannot produce a human being. They produce only skin cells.

But the zygote is different. The zygote is not merely a new human cell, but a new individual, already male or female, already genetically distinct. He or she is not a potential human, but a human with potential. Just as a toddler does not look like an adolescent or an adolescent like an elderly person, the unborn may not look like you or me, but he or she looks exactly like a human is supposed to look at that stage of his or her development.

This is not a matter of faith. It is a matter of science.

True faith and true science, however, are not contradictory. Christians believe that truth is one because God himself is one, and true science supports true faith, it does not subvert it. Faith also speaks to the issue of when human life begins, but it speaks to much more. Faith speaks to the guilt and shame we experience because of our sin—a life lost, a potential not realized, a path not taken. The grief we feel is real. Guilt and shame follow us.

Enter Jesus Christ, who came not for the guiltless, but for the guilty.

Christ calls not the righteous, but sinners like you and me to come and to receive from him forgiveness for all of our sins. He has already died your death, for your sin, in your place. At the cross he removed all your transgressions from you. You are already forgiven! The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are facts upon which the values of Christian love and reconciliation are based.

God values all of life, including yours. He values life within the womb and without, and he has reconciled all life to himself through the death of his Son. This good news prompts our reconciliation with one another.

Rev. John Armstrong is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Columbus, and may be reached at jarmstrong@gracecolumbus.org.