Abortion is perhaps the most heated topic being discussed in our society (with homosexuality as a close second).  For some, abortion is a right; a choice so personal that only a mother can make; while others it is a decision so immoral that no one has a right to make.  So which is it, a mother's choice or murder?

At this point, definition is essential.  Murder is defined as the non-accidental taking of innocent human life by another human being (cf. Jenny Teichman and Katherine C. Evans, Philosophy, Third Edition [Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers, Inc., 1999], p. 94).  In other words, to be murder abortion must meet the following criteria:

1. The act is intentional
2. The victim is innocent
3. The victim is human
4. The one acting is human

How does abortion compare to these rules of thumb?  Abortion is obviously an intentional choice (if it were not our discussion would center on the all-to-common occurrence of a miscarriage, a terribly unfortunate circumstance) and being acted out by a human (Criteria 1 and 4).  The other two criteria, however, hinge on the victim, in this case, a fetus.  So our next questions must be 1) are fetuses innocent and 2) are fetuses human beings?  Since few (if any) have yet claimed that fetuses are somehow not innocent, our discussion hinges on the second question.

Life is the first gift given to humanity and as such is the key to the rest, for without it no other gift can be meaningful.  This assertion is commonly supported in three ways, each from a different perspective:

1. Intrinsic value.  "If human life were not intrinsically good very little else could be; perhaps nothing else could be" (Teichman and Evans, 1999, p. 99).  This value is a gift of God since we have been created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27).
2. Natural rights.  The "right to life must be fundamental since any exercise of the other natural rights depend on one's being alive in the first place" (Teichman and Evans, 1999, pp. 99-100).  Otherwise, why would God repeatedly warn us in Scripture, “You shall not murder” (Matthew 5:21, 19:18; Romans 13:9, NASB).
3. Subjective value.  Each rational human being "places a high value on his or her own life" (Teichman and Evans, 1999, p. 99; cf. Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).

But do these assertions help us determine whether a fetus is a child?  Certainly!  Fetuses have intrinsic value in that God attends to them constantly long before birth (Psalm 139:13-16).  They have natural rights illustrated by their protection in the womb even in a legal system that has been long replaced by something far greater (Exodus 21:22-25; Hebrews 8:6-7, 13).  And they have subjective value in that their value is upheld by every godly mother through both joy at their life (Luke 1:15) and mourning at even the thought of their death (1 Kings 3:25-27).  A child in the womb is as alive and human as a child in the crib (cf. Luke 1:44 and 2:12 where the same Greek word is used to describe both).

Only one conclusion, then, can be made concerning abortion.  If murder is the intentional taking of innocent human life and abortion is the intentional taking of innocent human life, then abortion is murder.  Even with this dark thought, however, there is hope to be had.  No wrong is beyond being righted and no hurt is beyond healing.  Christ provides both at an amazingly low price.  “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV; cf. Romans 6:23).