What is the position of the church of Christ on abortion?
A position would be the consensus of current authorities or leading parties, and as such, it would be the product of human wisdom. There are no "church of Christ teachings." Rather, the church of Christ refers all inquiries concerning policy and belief to the Holy Scriptures. If God has spoken on a matter, either directly or by implication, that is the "position" of the church of Christ.
The Bible's teaching on abortion is clear. God hates the hands that shed innocent blood (Prov. 6:17). Without doubt, an unborn child is human, alive, and innocent. The Scriptures use the same word to describe a fetus and a breathing baby. "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:" (Luke 1:41). "And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger" (Luke 2:16). In the first instance, the babe is a fetus in the womb of Elizabeth; in the second, the babe is Jesus lying in a manger. The same Greek word is used in both cases. Our fine distinctions of zygote, embryo, fetus, neonate, baby may be useful for naming stages of development, but the Bible gives both born and pre-born the same status. Unborn babies are persons. "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" (Jer. 1:5). If unborn babies are not persons, then there was no one there for God to know. Abortion is the taking of an innocent human life.
S.T.E
"A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,"
