Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about abortion and euthanasia in France. My church union (UNEPREF) already spoke out on the question of euthanasia in 2001 (here), but with the various changes taking place, it’s essential to spend some time on such an important subject.

The biblical commandments

The Bible couldn’t be clearer on the subject: human life must be preserved at all costs, and we are called to care for the weakest. It would therefore seem logical that the Bible should forbid abortion and euthanasia. One of the key passages is the following:

If men fight, strike a pregnant woman and cause her to give birth without there being any unfortunate consequence, they shall be punished with a fine imposed by the woman’s husband, which they shall pay before the judges. 23 But if there is an unfortunate consequence, you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, sore for sore. 26 If a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and causes him to lose the eye, he shall let him go free for the price of his eye. (Exodus 21:22-26)

Here we see that the Bible really does consider life in utero to be just as important as that of an adult. Just because a person is developing, or at the end of their life, doesn’t mean they’re any less valuable than anyone else. But why this principle?

What principles are behind these verses?

Our society all too often values people according to their abilities and possessions. Scientists often ask: is a human being without intellectual capacity still a human being? Man is distinguished from animals by his intellectual capacity; without it, is he not just another animal? This is a fair question if the premise is fair too. Indeed, if the only thing that distinguishes human beings from animals is their intelligence, and it is their intelligence that makes them valuable, then abortion would not be a bad thing.

However, the Bible starts from another principle. For it, what distinguishes human beings from animals is the fact that they are created in God’s image (Gn 1:27), that they reflect God and are called to live in a relationship with him. In contrast to our society, which seems to indicate that our value can be acquired or lost (with age and/or circumstances), the Bible gives us an intrinsic value that cannot be lost: whoever we are, we reflect God on earth and are called to be his ambassadors. Human life is therefore sacred, and no one can touch it without consequence. God reaffirms this in Genesis 9:

If anyone sheds the blood of man, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. (Gen 9:6)

Our right to exist does not come from being beautiful, strong, rich, capable or intelligent. Every human being has the right to exist¹. Even in the greatest suffering we experience, we reflect our Creator.

Towards a positive command

When we read the Ten Commandments, we can sometimes stop at the prohibitions. Of course, the prohibitions are good things that help us to grow, but we mustn’t stop there. As Christians, we are also called to preserve human life and to help the weakest and most needy. That’s why I really like UNEPREF’s statement on euthanasia:

We hope that our refusal of euthanasia :
-Be an encouragement for the deepening and more rapid development of palliative care.
-Contribute to the trusting reconciliation of all those involved, patients at the end of life, medical teams, families, chaplaincies and volunteer visitors.
-To euthanize is to miss a unique opportunity to assist, surround and lend a hand to our fellow human beings along the final, hard road to death. It’s a missed opportunity for an authentically Christian attitude, to be at the service of the weakest.

In the same way, refusing to have an abortion is a call (and a responsibility) to help the families around us. We must help the parents of children with deformities, we must accompany women who have been raped, we must help women or men who are bringing up their children alone, and so on. Far from being an intolerant commandment, the refusal of euthanasia and abortion should lead to a deep love for everyone. We should not simply be against abortion and euthanasia, but in favor of life and true accompaniment of life.

1. You’ll notice the mention of the death penalty in this passage. He who kills must pay the price for his sin, even if he is the image of God. ↩︎