YES ! Abortion IS MURDER !!
By: Pastor Mike :

If you’re going to take a position on abortion, then you’re going to have to come clean about what it is . . MURDER !!

If you're a woman who had your child MURDERED (aborted) , OR . . if you are considering MURDERING (aborting) , your unborn child - then you ARE (by proxy) an accomplice to MURDER !

BUT . . . it is NOT too late for you to repent and accept the FREE Gift of Salvation thru Our Lord and savior , JESUS CHRIST - for their is NO SIN that Jesus can NOT or WILL NOT FORGIVE - But . . YOU must FIRST come to HIM in sincerity and turn your life over to HIM - YOU CAN BE SAVED . . AND FORGIVEN !!

Now , my 'Brothers and Sisters' , abortion is not only murder -but it is also TORTURE AND DISMEMBERMENT !!

See excerpts of medical testimonies below :

First Trimester Suction Abortion 

"The physician will usually first notice a quantity of amniotic fluid, followed by placenta and fetal parts, which may be more or less identifiable." (From the medical textbook Abortion Practice – Dr. Warren Hern, p.114, in section on First Trimester Abortion). 

“When we do a suction curettage abortion, you know, roughly one of three things is going to happen during the abortion. One would be that the catheter as it approaches the fetus, you know, tears it and kills it at that instant inside the uterus. The second would be that the fetus is small enough and the catheter is large enough that the fetus passes through the catheter and either dies in transit as it’s passing through the catheter or dies in the suction bottle after it’s actually all the way out.” (Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.) 

Question: Can the heart of a fetus or embryo still be beating during a suction curettage abortion as the fetus or embryo comes down the cannula?  Answer: For a few seconds to a minute, yes.
(Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Harlan Raymond Giles, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.)

Second Trimester D&E Abortion

"The procedure changes significantly at 21 weeks because the fetal tissues become much more cohesive and difficult to dismember. This problem is accentuated by the fact that the fetal pelvis may be as much as 5cm in width. The calvaria [head] is no longer the principal problem; it can be collapsed. Other structures, such as the pelvis, present more difficulty….A long curved Mayo scissors may be necessary to decapitate and dismember the fetus…" (From the medical textbook Abortion Practice – Dr. Warren Hern, p.154) 

 “The doctor grips a fetal part with the forceps and pulls it back through the cervix and vagina, continuing to pull even after meeting resistance from the cervix. The friction causes the fetus to tear apart. For example, a leg might be ripped off the fetus as it is pulled through the cervix and out of the woman. The process of evacuating the fetus piece by piece continues until it has been completely re-moved.”  (US Supreme Court, Gonzales vs. Carhart, April 18, 2007, describing the D&E procedure). 

"Let's just say for instance we took a different view, a different tact and we left the leg in the uterus just to dismember it. Well, we'd probably have to dismember it at several different levels because we don't have firm control over it, so we would attack the lower part of the lower extremity first, remove, you know, possibly a foot, then the lower leg at the knee and then finally we get to the hip."

"And typically when the abortion procedure is started we typically know that the fetus is still alive because either we can feel it move as we're making our initial grasps or if we're using some ultrasound visualization when we actually see a heartbeat as we're starting the procedure. It's not unusual at the start of D&E procedures that a limb is acquired first and that that limb is brought through the cervix and even out of the vagina prior to disarticulation and prior to anything having been done that would have caused the fetal demise up to that point."

"When you're doing a dismemberment D&E, usually the last part to be removed is the skull itself and it's floating free inside the uterine cavity…So it's rather like a ping-pong ball floating around and the surgeon is using his forcep to reach up to try to grasp something that's freely floating around and is quite large relative to the forcep we're using. So typically there's several misdirections, misattempts to grasp. Finally at some point either the instruments are managed to be place around the skull or a nip is made out of some area of the skull that allows it to start to decompress. And then once that happens typically the skull is brought out in fragments rather than as a unified piece…"  (Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.)

Still going to tell me that abortion is NOT MURDER ?

Now , let's 'discuss' this rationally , and with Christian love , my friends , OK ?

I Thank-God that in October 2003 , the U.S. Congress passed a federal ban on partial-birth abortions . Signed into law by President Bush , the ban was immediately challenged and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court , where it was upheld as constitutional in April 2007 .

The Moral Arguments :

There are generally three positions taken on the morality of abortion . The pro-abortion position ( also known as the pro-choice view ) holds that it is always or almost always morally permissible for a woman to have an abortion .
Opposite that is the pro-life view ( also known as the anti-abortion view) , which holds that it is always or almost always immoral for a woman to have an abortion . Finally there is a moderate view , which holds that abortion is not usually morally permissible , but under certain circumstances can regretfully be permitted . There are a wide variety of moderate views : allowing abortion in cases in which the mother's life or health is in jeopardy , in cases of rape or incest , in cases in which the child is extremely defprmed , and others .

Pro-abortion Arguments :

I'll start with the pro-abortion arguments that I have heard first .
Three major arguments for the pro-abortion view are the privacy argument , the quality of life argument , and the nonpersonhood argument . The privacy argument was essentially the moral and legal basis behind the Roe decision . This argument states that all persons have an absolute right to privacy concerning what they do with their body . This argument is based on the principle of respect for autonomy , which includes a basic right to keep things private and personal if one wants to do so . It is argued that the areas in which a woman has a right to privacy certainly includes her reproductive right - that is , her right to bear children . Those who argue from a pro-life position , while not denying the basic right to privacy , questions the absoluteness of this right .

The quality of life argument basically holds that if a child is deformed , defective , or might suffer in some serious manner throughout its life , it should not be forced to endure a less-than-quality existence . This is argued on different levels : some argue on the basis of the child's suffering itself , others on the burden that such a child might place on the family .

Finally , the nonpersonhood argument challenges the claim above by saying that the duty to do no harm applies only to persons . The unborn fetus , especially during the first and second trimesters , has allegedly not attained the status of being a person . Therefore , the duty to do no harm does not apply to the fetus . One must give this argument the credit for hitting the nail on the head - this is the main issue in the abortion debate . If the fetus is a person , then whatever reason is given to justify the taking of its life should also be applicable to any adult person as well .

The Pro-life Arguments :

For most of us who hold the pro-life position , the main issue is the moral status of the unborn . This is called the personhood argument . It is almost universally recognized that we have a moral obligation to do no harm to innocent persons without just cause . Since an unborn is a person , we cannot take its life without just cause . The primary question then becomes this : Is the unborn a person ? If not , then when does the unborn achieve the status of a person with the full moral rights we accord to all persons ? Does this status apply from the moment of conception , or is it at some later time ?

To answer this we must first make a couple of important distinctions . The first is between a human organism , which is a biological concept , and a human person , which is a psychological / philosophical concept . No one debates that the human organism comes into existence at the moment of conception . However , many pro-abortion advocates will argue that while a human organism exists , it is not yet a human person .  They then conclude that , because the duty to do no harm refers only to persons , one can take the life of the unborn without violating this duty .

The second distinction concerns the definition of person . Most pro-abortion proponents employ a functionalistic definition of personhood . According to this definitioin a person is a being that functions according to a certain set of criteria ( self-consciousness , ability to communicate , ability to reason , ability to respond to the outside world , etc . ) . If a being is not functioning according to these criteria , then it is not a person . When an unborn cannot function in these ways , it is not a person .

There are several problems with a functionalistic definition of personhood - the primary one being that anytime one is not functioning as a person , one is not a person . Apply this principle to an adult who is in a deep , dreamless sleep , in a coma , or under anesthesia . In such cases , the person is not currently functioning as a peson . Yet we would not KILL this adult in such circumstances , would we ?

This brings us to the second way to define person : an essentialistic definition . According to this definition a person is a living being who has the essential capacity for rational reflection , emotional expression , willful direction , and moral deliberation concerning himself / herself and the world around him / her .  Essential capacity means a capability that exists by nature of the kind of being the person is - whether or not such a capacity is ever actualized . All human organisms have this basic inherent capacity for personhood by nature of being human .

The significant question now is this : When does this essential capacity for personhood come into existence ? There are three basic positions . First is the agnostic position : Those who hold to this say , " We don't know . " Perhaps they have not been convinced by any arguments , pro or con , and want to withold judgment on when personhood comes into being . However , this would mean they could not affirm abortion as justifiable because they acknowledge that the unborn could be a person , and therefore it should be granted the benefit of the doubt .

A second position is the gradualist , which holds that there is no one moment when a person comes into existence . It is a gradual process of coming into existence . In the beginning ( conception ) there is no real person , and by the end ( birth ) , there is a real person . The unborn develops into a person who gains moral rights as it develops . However , things either exist or they do not . There is no such concept of something "becoming" into existence . What exists may develop , but there is no such thing as something that "partially exists . " Development concerns functioning as a person , not being a person . As we develop we function better as persons , but that doesn't mean we are more of a person than we were earlier in life .

A third position is a group of theories called decisive moment theories . These theories all hold that there is a certain point in the life of the unborn when it attains personhood ( i.e., the essential capacity is present ) . Most pro-life proponents recognize that conception is the only valid explanation of the beginning of human existence . Two things ( sperm / egg ) become one ( zygote ) . It is not a fertilized egg , for the egg ceases its existence at the moment of fertilization . A new being comes into existence at this point . Second , this is a separate individual with its own genetic code that has come into existence , needing only food , water , shelter and oxygen - the same necessities needed by a full-grown adult . It is not just a clump of cells but is a fully integrated , self-developing organism . Third , the embryo is a being with a human nature , including personhood , who is in the process of becoming or developing in accordance with that nature . He is essentially a human person . That is why he develops as a person from the moment of conception . If the unborn is a person from the moment of conception , then one cannot take his life without just cause . Such a cause would have to be one that can apply to any other person regardless of age .

SCRIPTURE AND ABORTION :

Now , my friends , what does Scripture say about abortion ?

It may surprise some to realize the Bible is not specific on this issue . Many pro-abortionists take this as tacit permission for abortion .

However , it is wrong to take this approach . If that were the correct method of handling Scripture , that one could argue that pedophilia is permissible because Scripture does not address it specifically . However , we might ask why  Scripture does not address abortion . This may stem from the fact that the very idea of abortion was contrary to the ancient Jewish view of having children . Children were seen as a blessing . In fact , for a woman to be barren was often interpreted as a curse from God and something to be lamented . Therefore , it should not surprise us to find nothing in Scripture specifically addressing abortion .

However , we DO find scriptual comments about killing innocent persons . The most obvious is the fifth commandment : " Thou shalt not kill " ( Exodus 20:13 ) . What is it about murder that makes it so wrong ? The scriptual answer has nothing to do with society and , surprisingly , nothing to do with the murdered person . Murder is something done TO GOD ! It is an affront on His image . We see this affirmed in Genesis 9:6 ; " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." The fact that man is made in the image of God gives him a unique status in comparison to all else that was created . There are no Biblical restrictions as to the killing of animals in any general sense . Because of man's privileged position he may not kill any other man . To do so is to desecrate the image of God . While there has been some speculation on what this image actually is , it seems clear that the image is found inman's personhood . This is what separates man from all the other creatures on Earth . As persons we are bearers of the image of God , and we are obligated to respect that image .

What are some characteristics of persons that God attributes to the unborn ?

First , the same terms are used to speak of the unborn ( Luke 1:41, 44 ; " And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." ) as used to speak of a child or baby who is already born ( Luke 2: 12,16 ; " And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger".)

. Second , the same punishments are meted out for injuring or killing the unborn ( Exodus 21: 22-25 ; " If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." ) as for injuring or killing an adult ( Leviticus 24: 19-20 ; " And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again." ) .

Third , an unborn is considered sinful from the moment of conception ( Psalm 51:5 ; " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. " ) , just as an adult is said to be sinful ( Romans 3:23 ; " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; " ).

Fourth , God claims to have knowledge of the unborn in a personal way , using personal pronouns to refer to them ( Psalm 139: 15-16 ; Jeremiah 1:5 ; " My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them ; Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." )  just as He uses in regard to other persons .

Fifth , God calls the unborn to their vocation ( Isaiah 49:1 ; " Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. " ) in the same way He calls other persons ( Amos 7: 14-15 ; " Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. " ) .

In Conclusion , THE FINAL QUESTION :

In looking at the personhood argument and considering what Scripture teaches , it seems Christians have many good reasons to believe that an unborn is a person from conception . The final question , then , is this : Where do we go from here ? There are two responses we Christians can offer . One is to withdraw into the church community and let the non-Christian world go its own way . The other is to be actively involved in the abortion issue within the public arena . The second response is called activism , and there are good reasons to believe it is the more appropriate response .We Christians should have a voice in the public , sharing what we believe to be TRUE ! In fact , if we REALLY believe abortion is wrong . one could argue that we have an obligation to share that conviction with others .

However , there are two kinds of activists : hard activists and soft activists . Hard activists will use any means to acheive their purpose . They will work both inside and outside the law , if necessary . THIS IS INCORRECT !!  Tactically , it is ultimately ineffective and damages the cause of Christ . Especially deplorable acts of violence against ANY person in the name of pro-life activism . In a democratic pluralistic society we should , as much as we can , respect laws that are arrived at in a fair and equitable manner .

Thus , soft activism should be encouraged . Soft activism involves working within the law and respecting others by reasoning with them and encouraging appropriate legislative activity . Christians should dialogue with others and attempt to change laws we believe are bad . The laws permitting abortion in this country certainly fall under the category of bad laws . As Christians , we should actively and respectfully attempt to change those laws . Christian supporters of the pro-life position have good reasons to support their view and need to aggressively and respectfully share those reasons with those who disagree .

May God Bless and keep You ALL - ALWAYS -

Your Brother in Christ ;
Pastor Mike