I am sure most of you have heard about the recent Supreme Court leak which uncovered the proposal by Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe v. Wade. I heard about the leak as I was preparing to write this article.
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is reigniting the abortion debate in this country like nothing else has since Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. The issue of abortion (infanticide) could easily be described as the greatest and most controversial issue our nation has had to grapple with for the last half of a century. It reminds me of another issue our country had to grapple with in the past: the issue of slavery.
While today the practice of human slavery is illegal in the United States, widely condemned and considered morally and legally wrong (for good reason), for nearly the first century of American history, it was not quite that simple. The slave owners went to great lengths to protect the practice (which they benefitted from) and even tried to justify it, claiming that it benefitted Black people, or that Blacks were not human.
These arguments are actually very similar to what is presented today to defend the murderous practice of abortion. In fact, the similarities do not stop there. Now, you may be wondering how these two issues are similar; but if you really take the time to look at both abortion and slavery side by side, it is eye opening just how similar they are. Abortion is a great blight upon this nation today just as slavery was back then. In light of current circumstances, I believe that it is important for us to examine this important issue.
Dred Scott
Let us begin by talking about Dred Scott v. Sandford. You have probably heard about this case before. It is taught in just about every American history class. If you take the time to look up “worst Supreme Court cases,” this case pops up on just about every list. Liberals and conservatives alike agree that this was an absolutely dreadful case in our nation’s history.
And what did it do, exactly? Essentially, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were not really people and had no political rights. The ruling also greatly expanded slavery. Of course, this decision outraged abolitionists of the time (and rightfully so). However, this historical Supreme Court case reminds me of another, more recent Supreme Court case: Roe v. Wade.
The similarities between these two cases are striking, really. Both essentially focused on the word “person.” In the Dred Scott case, the Supreme Court ruled that Blacks were property, not persons. In the Roe case, the Supreme Court ruled that unborn children are…well, not persons. They did not exactly figure out what else they were. But certainly not persons.
Why so much debate over the word, “person?” The fourteenth amendment to United States Constitution says that “…nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (Emphasis added). Every person, legally, is entitled to the right to life.
Roe
In Roe, however, the Court ruled that the unborn do not count as persons, and therefore do not have the right to life. Biblically, this is a very arbitrary way to define personhood, just as using skin color is an arbitrary way to define personhood. God’s holy word says:
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works…My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:14-16).
“Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15). “I was cast upon thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mother’s belly.” (Psalm 22:10). God says that children are a blessing from before they are born. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (Psalm 127:3).
Biblically and scientifically, we know that a person is a person from the moment of conception. Age or any other factor has no bearing upon this truth.
Additional comparisons between these two cases can be made. Both of these Supreme Court cases expanded a practice: the Dred Scott case expanded slavery, while the Roe case expanded abortion. Both of these Supreme Court cases also granted or expanded a “right.” In Dred Scott, the Court ruled that owning slaves was a right of white people; in Roe, the Court ruled that murdering unborn babies was a right of women. Just as the pro-abortion people of today argue that abortion is an essential “reproductive right” of women, the pro-slavery forces of the nineteenth century argued that owning slaves was their right.
It is rather interesting to note that both of these “rights” only apply to an exclusive group of people at the expense of others. But are either of these things really a right? What is a right?
Biblically, a right is something that we are given and entitled to by God. Does God ever give any group of people the right to murder? No, just the opposite! The plain word of Jehovah declares: “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13). Just as God never gives us the right to own another person, He never gives us the right to murder anyone. Without the right to life, there are no other rights. Every child is created by God, in His image, and has the right to be born.
Slavery is condemned and repudiated in America today. The issue of slavery is considered settled law, and the practice is prohibited by the thirteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. However, the debate over abortion still rages. As I stated in the introduction, it is very interesting how many of the same arguments have been reused.
The slave owners claimed that Blacks were not human, and that slavery benefitted them. Pro-abortion advocates today claim that unborn children are not human, and that abortion benefits women. Abortion is widely touted as a safe medical procedure. Safe for who? Certainly not safe for the child. The purpose of the procedure is murder. It is an absolute tragedy.
We shame and vilify (and for good reason) the evil institution of slavery, while the evil practice of abortion is heralded as a human right. This is the very definition of hypocrisy, and it has become very evident in our academic institutions today. Slavery is considered a horrendous crime and historical injustice, while infanticide is considered a woman’s “right to choose.” Just as the slave owners defended an indefensible practice for personal gain, abortion advocacies such as Planned Parenthood defend the indefensible practice of abortion for their personal gain. We need to call evil by its rightful name: slavery and abortion are both great sins of equal magnitude. The sin of abortion is as the sin of slavery. Both deprive humanity of essential, God-given rights; both are clearly out of line with Scripture; and both are terrible tragedies that mar God’s creation.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Ellen White wrote:
“God is punishing this nation for the high crime of slavery. He has the destiny of the nation in His hands. He will punish the South for the sin of slavery, and the North for so long suffering its overreaching and overbearing influence” (1T 264.1).
Friends, God still has the destiny of this nation in His hands. Just as the North tried to compromise with the South on the issue of slavery, we too try to compromise on the issue of abortion. The North made several notable compromises (including the Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850) the goal of which was to limit the extent of slavery, but not to abolish it completely. Today, compromises are being made to limit abortion, but not abolish it completely.
Some advocate for abortion to be accepted in cases of rape, incest, or disease of the child. There are no acceptable excuses for abortion. We must never compromise with wrong. Abortion is a high crime, and a terrible sin, just as slavery; and like slavery, abortion is being permitted to exist. In Ellen White’s time, many Adventists strongly opposed the sin of slavery, and stood up for the rights of all men, regardless of their skin color. Are we today going to just as strongly oppose the sin of abortion, and stand up for the rights of all persons, regardless of their age?
We shrink in horror at the barbarous acts of Pharaoh and King Herod, who ordered the murder of the innocents. We should shrink in equal horror at the barbarity of abortion. While we are today quick to condemn slavery for ever being instituted, are we as quick to condemn the vile act of abortion? We are quick to say that slavery was a great evil and a dark blot on our nation. Are we as quick to say that abortion is a great evil and a dark blot on our nation today?
While it has become popular to denounce and condemn slavery, it has become unpopular to denounce and condemn abortion. We should denounce and condemn evil wherever it may exist, regardless of the popular ramifications. Just as we have a duty to protect the freedom of all men, we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Despite the official pro-life position of our church, factions of our church (including our own Health Ministries Department) have become too comfortable with the world and are supporting the abominable practice of abortion. This practice is only in line with the character of Satan, not the character of God.
Human life is sacred and a gift from God; the practice of abortion is repugnant to the sanctity of human life. I appeal to the whole church: do not support abortion, regardless of the Court’s ruling in this matter. No court or human authority has the right to allow innocent children to be deprived of their life. We must oppose this evil. We should not be complicit or supportive in the killing of innocent children. To not oppose is to assent.
Now is the time to support a course in harmony with the principles of God. Now is the time to stand up for what is right, and to protect and preserve all life, whether it be in or out of the womb.
Brennan Jarnes is a college student who lives in Westport, Washington. He enjoys reading, writing, Bible study, and being involved in church.