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Cost of an Abortion
From a purely economic and health perspective, people wanting an abortion ask two questions. What does an abortion cost, and what are the abortion risks involved?
An in-clinic abortion in the first trimester can cost up to around $800. The cost of a second-trimester abortion varies depending on how many weeks pregnant you are. If it is early in the second trimester, the average price is $715. If later in the second trimester, it can be between $1,500 and 2,000.
When someone is under pressure to decide for or against an abortion, they tend to overlook the hidden costs of abortion: guilt, grief, sadness, depression, judgment by others who disagree with their decision, future surprise and disappointment by those who later discover their abortion.
So What is the Cost of an Abortion?
When a person decides to have an abortion, she usually doesn’t realize that she has anchored her decision in her own personal worldview. The ultimate authority guiding all her choices will be herself or a higher power, i.e., God. Most religions allow the individual to decide, but the God of the Bible reveals some fundamental differences from all those religions.
Those who assume they own the final authority for their own abortion decision will claim that their body belongs to the woman. Without a Creator, that view makes sense.
Then Who Owns My Body?
The God of the Bible, however, maintains that He created the human body and “loaned” it to each person until they die.
Psalms 139:14 "I will give thanks to You [God], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." God created us. He owns our bodies. And He will dispose of them as He predicted. We are all familiar with what happens to a physical body when it dies.
Genesis 3:19. "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Eccl. 12:7. "the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."
God also claims to have given each person their spirit. Other Bible verses reveal that the human spirit never ceases to exist.
No one denies that everybody dies sometime. If one rejects the Bible, then there is no answer to the question, Where did death come from. And if a person rejects the God of the Bible, then that person also believes that God will not judge a person in the next life for getting an abortion in this life.
So What is the Cost of an Abortion?
When someone is under pressure to decide for or against an abortion, they tend to overlook the hidden costs of abortion: guilt, grief, sadness, depression, judgment by others who disagree with their decision, future surprise and disappointment by those who later discover their abortion.
But if everyone agreed with a person having an abortion, and no one spoke out against it, grief and guilt would still assault the person who had the abortion.
Where does the guilt and grief come from? A person’s conscience? What makes a person’s conscience cause a person to feel guilty and miserable when nobody else condemns the abortion?
This thought opens the door for the possibility that God does exist, and that His work in each human being’s mind and soul functions independently from a person’s society.
Therefore, we should probably at least take a look at what the Bible and the early Church Fathers have to say about abortion.
The Bible and the Cost of an Abortion
The Bible itself does not directly mention the term “abortion” as we understand it today, which makes the inquiry into its views somewhat layered and reliant on indirect texts. This requires that we explore instances in the Bible that might touch upon the principles related to abortion.
One oft-cited scripture regarding the sanctity of life in the womb is Psalm 139:13-16. This passage speaks to the belief that life is created and known by God before birth: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” This poetic verse underscores not only the idea of a purposeful creation, but also the ownership issue of a woman’s body.
Another passage frequently discussed in the context of abortion is the narrative found in Exodus 21:22-25. The text describes a scenario where a pregnant woman’s miscarriage occurs due to a struggle. The consequence of this miscarriage, as described in the Bible, has been interpreted in various ways. Some view these verses as an indirect reference to the value placed on unborn life.
Jeremiah 1:5 clearly states God’s value of pre-born life: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” This passage, too, reinforces the belief that life, even in the womb, is significant and intentional in God’s eyes.
The New Testament doesn’t speak explicitly on the topic of abortion, yet it espouses principles that have been interpreted in discussions about the value of life. Texts like Luke 1:41-44, where the unborn John the Baptist leaps in the womb in response to Mary, reflect a recognition of life before birth.
The Early Church Fathers and
the Cost of an Abortion
Moving from scriptural references to historical voices, the early church fathers—writers and theologians in the early centuries of Christianity—offer valuable insights into the nascent church’s views on abortion. Their writings help illuminate how early Christians interpreted scriptures concerning life’s sanctity.
One of the earliest Christian documents, the Didache, dating potentially as early as the first century, directly addresses abortion. It instructs, “Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant.” This text demonstrates a clear denunciation of abortion very early in Christian history.
Clement of Alexandria, a prominent theologian writing in the late second century, condemned abortion by framing it as inhospitable to the unborn. His writings assert that deeds leading to abortion are contrary to nature and the principles of life cherished by believers.
Tertullian, known for his detailed theological work, similarly expressed opposition to abortion. Writing in early third-century Carthage, he articulated the belief that human life begins at conception, explicitly stating, “It is anticipated murder to prevent someone being born. It makes no difference whether one takes away a life that is born, or destroys one that is coming to birth.”
Hippolytus of Rome, a significant third-century theologian, criticized not just the act of abortion but also contraceptive measures undertaken by women. His writings caution against practices that would interfere with what he saw as God-given potential for life.
Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential early church fathers, also addressed the issue of abortion. Although his views were nuanced, with considerations about “ensoulment” affecting his position, he ultimately valued the unborn and criticized terminating pregnancies.
Discussing Augustine’s perspective requires recognizing his consideration of the philosophical and theological question of “ensoulment,” or the moment at which God places the soul in the fetus. While this nuanced view influenced interpretation, it did not negate his broader criticisms of abortion.
The Council of Elvira, an early church synod held in the early fourth century, issued canons that specifically addressed Christian conduct, including abortion. Canon 63 from these proceedings excommunicates those who commit abortion, reflecting a clear stance from the organized church.
Ambrose of Milan, a formidable fourth-century bishop and theologian, emphasized active compassion for the weak and vulnerable, including the unborn. His writings often corroborate the early Christian view of valuing life at all stages. Ambrose believed that life began in the womb, not at birth.
Gregory of Nyssa, a significant Cappadocian Father, saw the human soul as integral with the body from conception, not at birth. This ideology aligned with the broader pro-life sentiments expressed by other early church fathers.
Basil the Great, another Cappadocian Father, explicitly condemned abortion, equating the act with murder. His treatises vehemently criticized any attempt to end pregnancy, reinforcing the firm stance of early Christian leaders against abortion.
John Chrysostom, celebrated for his eloquent sermons and influence, condemned abortion in his expositions, equating it to a form of murder and emphasizing the responsibility of compassion and protection for all life, especially the helpless unborn.
These church fathers found themselves in the same context as many anti-abortionists are today. The Roman Empire practiced infanticide and abortion as socially accepted practices.
In the Roman culture, the paterfamilias, the male head of the household, held the legal right to kill his children, known as “ius vitae necisque” or the “right of life and death.” This power extended to other family members as well. While this power was formally restricted over time, with the right to kill eventually becoming obsolete, it was a significant aspect of Roman legal and social norms.
The church fathers radically condemned abortion because they held an unwavering commitment to the sanctity of life. Through subsequent centuries, this core principle would shape the Christian ethos and cultural ethics.
These theological declarations shaped early church policy and individual conscience, often becoming embedded in ecclesiastical law and practice, influencing attitudes for centuries.
Through their diverse backgrounds and contexts, the early church fathers universally resisted cultural norms that trivialized life, emphasizing communal responsibility and spiritual accountability to God directly.
Throughout this period, the central thread weaving the biblical and patristic discussions together was a profound reverence for life—a theological assertion that subverted prevailing cultural norms. Abortion became one of the most profound counter-cultural issues in biblical Christianity, promoting loving stewardship of God’s creation of life.
The Cost of an Abortion
Such consistency among early theologians emphasizes the clear ethical boundary they sought to establish regarding the treatment and value of human life from conception.
Moreover, the early church’s stance was distinct for its time, laying a foundation for the moral influence on many later Christian doctrines and movements.
As a culture moves away from the biblical worldview and the teachings of the Church Fathers, which were based on the Bible, the people in that culture no longer hold the high value placed on the life of the unborn. Abortion no longer has the stigma of evil and murder.
Instead of viewing life as sacred and moral, as a gift from God, unborn life is seen as disposable, an inconvenient item that gets in the way of human happiness.
Fighting against abortion is a war between two worldviews.
Although a middle ground exists when a birth threatens the life of the mother, the decision has to be made as to which “life” to save. This causes trauma for those who believe in the sanctity of the unborn. It doesn’t change their worldview.
The only road to agreement between these two viewpoints is clear. One side has to change its worldview.
Pro-abortion: a woman’s body belongs to the woman, not to God. The unborn fetus is nothing more than a mass of chemicals. There will be on judgment by God in this life or the next life toward those who practice abortion.
Pro-Life: a woman’s body belongs to God, and the unborn “child” is a soul that God created. God owns that soul. God will judge those who kill His children.
The core issue: Each individual has to either answer or avoid the question: Does the God of the Bible exist, and if so, will He hold us accountable and judge us for our actions while we are living on the earth?
It does NOT depend on what humans believe. Human belief does not change reality. If God does not exist, then no amount of belief will make Him miraculously appear. If God does exist, then no amount of unbelief will make him disappear.
Which brings us to the ultimate question: If the possibility exists that humans will face God after death, and if God created humans to exist into eternity, which life is more important? This one or the next one?
And if our answer is the next life, what will my life look like at the end of the road?
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Seeking more than THIS life has offered you so far? "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in THIS world, will keep it to eternal life." --Jesus, John 12:25.
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