Thirty-six years ago this month, the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision, legalizing abortion in our country. Since then, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 million babies have been aborted.
What most Americans fail to realize, however, is that nearly that many are aborted every year worldwide. As great a problem as abortion is in the United States, we must remember that this is a global issue.
The tragedy is immense — and the likelihood is that it will only increase.
Saturday morning I pulled my newspaper from its plastic bag to read this headline: “Stem cell landmark approved.”
In a research milestone, the U.S. government will allow the world’s first test in people of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells.
Although researchers have already begun testing embryonic cells derived from adults and fetuses in people, the study will mark the first government-approved use of those derived from embryos, which have been highly controversial because the process involves the destruction of the embryos.
So, it appears, the decent down the long and slippery slope of eugenics is worsening.
The problem with abortion and all similar ending-of-life issues is that it makes a mockery of the glory of God by destroying the primary mechanism through which God’s glory is manifested — man in creation and the redemption of fallen men through Christ’s work on the cross. Abortion and euthanasia and now stem cell research denigrate the sanctity of life to those in “unappealing” or difficult circumstances.
As we think about these bio-ethical issues, we must think of them within a Biblical framework. In the past week, I have come across several that do just that:
- Dallas Theological Seminary recently conducted a faculty forum to discuss the role of believers in the transformation of culture.
- Al Mohler asks, “What Makes Abortion Plausible? What Makes Abortion Unthinkable?” articulating not only a compelling argument for a pro-life position, but also demonstrating how this is a gospel issue. You may also listen to the audio from this message and Q & A.
- John Piper reminds us of “Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak.”
Words of Grace 