By Dr. Don Bierle, FaithSearch President
The new four-year strategic plan of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to “serve and protect Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception.” Furthermore, the HHS plan includes a “conscience rights” rule, which would protect healthcare workers whose religious convictions prevent them from participating in the abortion procedure.
Over the years, as a Ph.D. biologist, I have consistently taught a similar “pro-life” position based on two apologetic arguments. One, the advancement of scientific knowledge clearly demonstrates that from the moment of conception the embryo is a living being and endowed with a unique complement of human chromosomes and genes.
Two, God has revealed in His Word that He treats the embryo and fetus as a person before birth: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV). And again, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb… your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13, 16 NIV).
Is this conceived person in the womb endowed by his/her Creator with the same unalienable right to life that our constitution guarantees cannot be taken away?
Source in part: Public Media Releases
