Many anti-choice Christians use hypocritical arguments when it comes to defending their beliefs regarding abortion. Hypocrisy is evidence of a flawed argument.  Anti-choice Christians effectively influence others despite the flawed arguments.

(Four local religious leaders were contacted for this article; all declined the opportunity to provide their perspectives.) 

“The Bible clearly condemns abortion”: 

Considering Christians have such a strong disapproval for abortion, it would be easy to assume that its always been that way. Shockingly though, it hasn’t. Not too long ago, they supported and encouraged abortion. They did not interpret the Bible such that it condemned abortion. In fact, many Christians under the guidance of the Bible actively supported abortion rights.

Rolling Stone published, “In 1967, more than five years before Roe v Wade, a group of pastors founded the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion, a network of Christian-faith leaders committed to helping women get both legal and illegal abortions from licensed professionals.” The previous is a prime example of how many Christians previously supported and even helped women receive abortions. The topic was simply a matter of women’s health and right to bodily autonomy, something we have strayed so far from.

“Life begins at conception”:

Anti-choice Christians often use the verse “Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  This can easily be refuted with scientific evidence.

The National Library of Medicine argues “Fetuses cannot live unsupported, even with a respirator before 21 weeks. [Supporters] can pretend they feel pain, even though scientific consensus tells us that until at least 24 weeks, a fetus cannot feel anything like pain because they do not yet have the brain connections to do so.” This supports the claim that life does not begin at conception or have the same value while in the womb. Fetuses do not have the same value of life compared to a human after birth.

Pressuring an unwanted pregnancy is cruel: 

Some Christians encourage those who have experienced sexual assault and became pregnant to continue to the pregnancy. They may share the verse Ezekiel 18:20, “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be held against them.” It is extremely insensitive to disregard the emotional and physical abuse that someone has gone through.

It is highly unethical to force a woman to keep her pregnancy over a life that cannot yet feel pain, form thoughts, or even survive outside of the mother. Fetuses are not yet viable humans until 24 weeks and depend on the mother until they are out of the womb. They rely on another living human for life which displays their lack of self sufficiency and ability to live independently. Pressuring a woman to carry a pregnancy that was not planned or wanted is not smart and can cause problems for the mother and the fetus.

Ultimately it is the mother’s choice.

“Well most of us are Christian”: 

Contrary to the popular belief that everyone in America is Christian, there are people who follow different religions and spiritual practices. It’s inconsiderate to force and implement religious practices and values onto someone of a different faith.

Not all religions share disapproval of abortion. The Communication Department of Planned Parenthood in Michigan shares “While some religious institutions oppose abortion rights, we see people of all faith traditions who support abortion rights. This includes 33% of Evangelical Protestants, 48% of Catholics, 53% of Orthodox Christians, 55% of Muslims, 60% of Mainline Protestants, 82% of Buddhists, and 83% of Jews.”  It is important to remember the variety of religions the nation has.

 Judaism supports the choice: 

Although there are many religions that do not explicitly denounce abortion, there is one largely followed religion that shares its support of abortion and bodily autonomy in its scripture, Judaism.

Marin Cogan, a writer for Vox shares an explanation of the Jewish perspective of abortion. “For the first 40 days, the fetus has zero status, and from then on the fetus is considered a part of the pregnant person’s body — it is ‘as its mother’s thigh.’ The fetus is an extension of the pregnant person until birth. It’s like that old slogan ‘my body, my choice’: it is literally her body!”

Cogan continues to share that abortion is not only permitted in Judaism, but encouraged when the life of the mother is in danger; “There’s a case where two people are fighting, and one person knocks over a pregnant person and causes a miscarriage. It says very clearly, if it’s only a miscarriage, then the person who caused the harm is obligated to pay monetary fines as damages, and if a pregnant person dies, then it is treated as manslaughter,” said Cogan. “So we see right away that in the book of Exodus it’s very clear that the fetus and pregnant person have different statuses, and causing a miscarriage is not treated as manslaughter. The fetus does not have the same status as a born human. It’s treated as potential life, rather than actual life,” said Cogan. Many Christians often lack a holistic view of America and can tend to become close minded and involved only with those who share the same philosophies.

“God loves you unconditionally”: 

Many Christians have expressed that we are loved unconditionally by god. Those same people have stood outside of Planned Parenthood and yelled at women that they are going to hell because they may be having an abortion.

Anti-choice Christians can be seen harassing patients and health care providers, even if their visit has no relation to an abortion.  The Communication Department of Planned Parenthood in Michigan shares “Religiously affiliated anti-abortion groups have worked to block access to abortion by harassing patients outside of health centers, setting up fake health centers that manipulate people seeking abortion care, and pushing for legal restrictions on abortions. In some cases, extreme groups have even resorted to violence against abortion providers.”  It is interesting that Anti-choice Christians pick and choose what sins apply to them and which ones are worse.

Many Christians believe that God created us in his image and no other source should interfere with our bodies but ourselves. “And it will continue because for many Christians, fighting for bodily autonomy is actually biblical, an extension of the belief that we are made in the image of God, that our bodies are holy, and that the government should not intervene in that holiness.” Making laws that prohibit women to be in full control of their own bodies is going against the very claim certain Christians preach. Allowing women to choose what we want to do with the body God gave us is something that is shown in the bible.

“Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways” (Proverbs 3:31): 

Planned Parenthood received the question “Has religion affected the safety and ability of an employee to do their job and Planned Parenthood? Their response included “Yes, anti-abortion extremists often target Planned Parenthood health center staff with harassment, intimidation, and even violence. You can read the National Abortion Federation’s 2021 Violence and Disruption report here.”

According to Christianity, all sin separates us from Christ. There aren’t levels of separation; you are either loved by God or you are a stranger to him (Colossians 1:21-22). No matter the sin you are not in good conscience with god. The bible shares “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. (Eph. 4:31–32.)” After reading one can imply that hurting others, spreading hate, or causing harm is a sin. God urges those who love him to love others and treat them with kindness. Adultery, divorce, expressing anger or hatred towards someone are sins as well. So why does someone who has had an abortion get treated any differently than a man who cheated on his wife.

Remember separation between church and state?:

Our country’s Constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Our country has seemed to have lost sight of this important decision our founding fathers had made. Religion is not something that should be involved in the governing of a country.

There are a variety of religious groups throughout the country; it would not be fair to force the rules of one religion onto another.  According to the New York Review, There was a Gallup poll in 1972 that revealed 68 percent of Republicans believed abortion to be a private matter between a woman and her doctor. They agreed that the government should not be involved. Evidence indicates that just 50 years ago the very party that favored women having the privacy and ability to do what they pleased, is now trying to strip women of their reproductive rights.

Genesis 1:7 states “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” So why let the government interfere with our bodies? Looks like these restrictions only apply when it benefits the Christian ideology that women should not have abortion and instead of letting each woman decide that for themselves, they encourage women to follow traditional Christian values.

My body, My choice: 

Allowing a woman to execute her right to bodily autonomy is a right women have had to fight for for centuries. Now there is the potential of our right to have reproductive access  being taken again, and it has already been severely refined in several states. With Roe v Wade being overturned by the US Supreme Court, the future of reproductive freedom is unsure in many states. Having an abortion is an extremely personal experience and can be hard on the woman without the religious shame she may experience from those around her. Everyone is allowed to have their own belief system. No one should be allowed to force their beliefs onto others. A government should not make legislation based on religious beliefs or values.