blastula

One argument against abortion in America is that Roe was decided incorrectly out of judicial activism. That may or may not be true, but if there is such a thing as activist interpretation of laws, then interpreting the bible to claim it outlaws abortion is most certainly activism - biblical activism. There is no strict constructionist biblical basis for the anti-abortion position,

I don't know if this point has been argued before, I just thought of it, but feel free to use at will. Next time any of the the 3 worded family associations rails against judicial activism as the great evil (which evil they only discovered after 1973) and downfall of all society, feel free to say, OH YEAH WELL YOU'RE A BIBLICAL ACTIVIST and that will shut them up real good.

(I didn't know if this should have gone in AS:C&H, PD, MF&P or GRD, so I threw a dart.)

QRUEL

don't those groups ironically and hypocritically quote the ten commandments (thou shall not kill)...or something like that ?

of course they overlook the fact that their god indiscriminently kills innocent babies, children and women. Plus, all the other absurd commandments (bioling baby goats in it's mothers milk)

I can appreciate people wanting less abortions (or less teen pregnancies) but what gets me with these groups is that they are vehemently oppossed to any other point of view in addressing lowering the abortion rates on the front side (early childhood education, sex ed, condom distribution) and then they (for the most part) don't do anything with helping the kids on the back end.

Malachi151

The real irony is that there is nothing in the Bible against abortion. I think that this whole anti-abortion position comes from the Medieval Catholic Church, who wanted large families and lots of children in order to help create large armies for the many wars that they waged and to provide more income for the church from tithing. This is why the church kept all the birth and death records, so they would know who was old enough to be drafted into combat, and who owed them money, etc.

Toto

Malachi - please read Rodney Stark to get your facts straight. The Christian church was opposed to abortion in its earliest phase in the Roman Empire. Stark thinks that is part of the reason for the Christian's success, along with other policies of mutual aid and pro-natalism.

The modern Catholic oppostition to all abortion and contraception (and the equation of abortion with murder) can be traced to the time of Napoleon, who wanted a bigger popoulation and a bigger army. That was when the Pope declared infallibly that a zygote was human from the moment of conception.

I don't have time to dig up references now, but you should be able to find them.

Malachi151

I'm not sure why you are telling me to get my facts straight, you are saying that my facts are basically correct. From what I have seen the Christian position on abortion in the early years is ambiguous. The fact also remains that you can't possibly contrive a position on abortion from out of the Bible, it really doesn't deal with the subject, or only does so in vague ways, that in reality can be interpreted as accepting of abortion.

Toto

You are correct, there is nothing in the Bible about abortion, but opposition to abortion did not arise in the middle ages. A stand against abortion has been part of Christian practice and doctrine since at least the third century, even if the doctrine was not yet labeled "infallible." Remember, Catholics base their religion on church history and doctrine, not just what they can find in the Bible.

Malachi151

True, good points. I know that they did talk about the Greek and Roman practices of infanticide, and abortion, so you have a point.