Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday, and we want to look at these issues from a biblical point of view. Does the Bible help us understand the moral status of an embryo or fetus? Yes it does. We find out in the Bible that the moral status or value of a baby has nothing to do with whether the mother wants the baby or doesn’t want it. The value of a baby has nothing to do with whether parenthood is planned or not. A human has inherent value no matter what its condition.

Or, as the famous theologian children’s author, Dr. Seuss, put it, “A person’s a person no matter how small.” That’s biblically sound theology.

Christians are necessarily pro-life. We believe in the sanctity of human life. What does that mean? Here’s a definition:^[1]

The sanctity of life is the moral conviction that all human beings, at any and every stage of life, in any and every state of consciousness, of any and every race, color, ethnicity, level of intelligence, religion, language, gender, character, behavior, physical ability/disability, potential, class, social status, etc., are to be perceived as persons of equal and immeasurable worth and of inviolable dignity and therefore must be treated in a manner corresponding to this moral status.

I.e., “a person’s a person no matter how small.” Every human being of every condition has a sacred moral status and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Unlike the warped views of modern medical ethicists, that’s not just a personal opinion; that’s what our Creator has told us about the value of human life.

A “moral conviction” like that has to come from somewhere. We don’t have moral convictions without good reasons. Why should the sanctity of human life be a moral conviction for us?

[1] From David P. Gushee, PhD, is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University in Macon, GA. http://www.cbhd.org/resources/sanctity/gushee_2006-06-16.htm