{
  "id": "dict_000028",
  "term": "Abortion",
  "slug": "abortion",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "ethics_worldview",
  "entry_family": "worldview_philosophy",
  "depth_profile": "deep_plus",
  "short_definition": "The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. In Christian ethics, it is evaluated by questions of human life, personhood, the image of God, and moral responsibility.",
  "simple_one_line": "Abortion is the intentional ending of a pregnancy before birth.",
  "tooltip_text": "A major Christian ethics term concerned with unborn human life, human dignity, and moral accountability before God.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Ethics",
    "Moral theology",
    "Objective Morality",
    "Sanctity of Life",
    "Human Dignity"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Image of God",
    "Unborn",
    "Personhood",
    "Sin",
    "Justice",
    "Mercy",
    "Adoption"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Abortion is a serious ethical term that should be defined carefully before it is used in biblical, theological, legal, or pastoral discussion.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy before birth. Christian evaluation of the term centers on the sanctity of human life, the image of God, and the moral status of unborn children.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Define the moral category before arguing from it.",
    "Ground ethics in God’s character, creation, and revealed will.",
    "Distinguish biblical conviction from political slogan.",
    "Treat the subject with truth, compassion, and care for the vulnerable."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Abortion refers to the intentional ending of pregnancy before birth. In Christian moral reasoning, the central questions involve the value of unborn human life, the image of God, and the duties owed to mother and child. Conservative evangelical theology ordinarily regards elective abortion as morally wrong, while recognizing that cases involving threatened maternal life require careful ethical distinction.",
  "description_academic_full": "Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy and is treated in Christian ethics as a grave moral issue because it concerns human life before birth. Although the Bible does not use the modern medical term, Scripture consistently presents life as God-given, portrays unborn children as known by God, and grounds human dignity in the image of God. Conservative evangelical theology therefore ordinarily concludes that elective abortion is morally wrong. At the same time, Christian moral analysis must distinguish between the direct intention to end unborn life and tragic medical situations in which treatment for the mother may foreseeably result in the child’s death without that death being the intended goal. Any discussion of abortion should therefore be framed by God’s authority, the value of every human person, justice for the vulnerable, and compassion for women, children, and families affected by crisis pregnancies and past abortion.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Biblical ethics is grounded in God’s character, the goodness of creation, the moral meaning of the law, the reality of sin, and the redeeming work of Christ by the Spirit.",
  "background_historical_context": "Across Christian history, abortion has been discussed in relation to the sanctity of life, medical practice, sexual ethics, social responsibility, and the protection of the vulnerable. The modern debate is shaped by medical, legal, and cultural pressures, but Christian reflection still asks how the issue relates to creation, dignity, justice, and mercy.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Second Temple and later Jewish discussions about unborn life provide historical background, but they do not control Christian doctrine. The key biblical and moral questions remain centered on Scripture’s teaching about life, responsibility, and the image of God.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Genesis 1:26-27",
    "Exodus 20:13",
    "Psalm 139:13-16",
    "Jeremiah 1:5",
    "Luke 1:41-44"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Exodus 21:22-25",
    "Deuteronomy 30:19",
    "Proverbs 6:16-17",
    "Matthew 19:18",
    "James 2:8-13"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Scripture does not use the modern medical term. The ethical discussion is built from biblical teaching about life, personhood, the womb, and human beings as image-bearers of God.",
  "theological_significance": "The term matters because moral claims are not self-grounding. Christian ethics asks whether unborn human life shares the dignity given by God to all people made in his image.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Philosophically, abortion concerns the deliberate ending of human pregnancy and raises questions about personhood, bodily autonomy, justice, and the moral status of unborn life. Christian evaluation should test the assumptions behind those questions rather than treat them as morally neutral.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not reduce the issue to political slogans or personal preference. Do not detach moral analysis from creation, sin, divine law, or the image of God. Avoid harsh, careless, or manipulative rhetoric when addressing a painful subject.",
  "major_views_note": "Within Christianity, the broad evangelical position opposes elective abortion, while some non-evangelical traditions allow more exceptions or frame the issue differently. A careful entry should distinguish ordinary moral teaching from rare tragic medical cases and from civil law questions.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "A faithful treatment should preserve objective moral accountability before God and refuse definitions that dissolve sin into preference or social consensus. It should also avoid absolutizing civil policy as though it were identical with biblical doctrine.",
  "practical_significance": "Practically, the term helps readers think carefully about unborn life, pastoral care, crisis pregnancy, adoption, sexual responsibility, healing after abortion, and the duty to protect the vulnerable with truth and compassion.",
  "meta_description": "Abortion is the deliberate termination of human pregnancy and is treated in Christian ethics within questions of personhood, image-bearing, and the moral status of unborn life.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/abortion/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/abortion.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}