Abortion and Vaccination: Your Body, Your Choice?

On September 1, Texas passed a law that bans women from having an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Later the same day, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block that law from taking effect, despite a predictable daylong outcry from abortion rights groups. Following suit, an essentially identical bill was just introduced in Florida by a GOP state representative. Those on the left have continued to protest, citing a woman’s right to choose because it’s her body.

Abortion is one of those issues that the Bible is crystal-clear about. In Psalm 139:13 we read, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Jeremiah 1:5 is a very similar verse; the Lord tells the prophet, “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.” Job 31:15, a lesser-known verse, says, “Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?” There are other verses as well.

Since we know that Scripture very clearly condemns abortion (with the exception of the mother’s life being in danger), how should Christians respond? First of all, we need to make clear that abortion is wrong because it means taking the life of an unborn child, and we should push for laws like the Texas law mentioned at the outset of this post. Second, there are crisis pregnancy centers that have helped innumerable women and helped save the lives of innumerable children; if we know a pregnant woman who is considering abortion, we should direct her to such a center. Third, when the Lord provides the opportunity, we should be willing to engage in conversation about abortion with people we know. Many years ago, I had a colleague that I enjoyed talking with about a wide range of issues. It had become apparent to me that she was not a Christian, so when the abortion issue came up, I was not surprised that she thought, in spite of the scientific evidence regarding the person growing in the womb, that a woman should have the right to choose. While I disagreed with her, we were able to continue our relationship because of mutual respect. Finally, when we know someone who has had an abortion, especially a sister in Christ who has since repented, we should embrace them. My wife and I know a sister who had an abortion when she was a teen; after she became a Christian, she realized what she had done and felt godly remorse. She had since gotten married and had three kids of her own; she was also very loving to my then-young son and other kids in the community. I told her that the Lord had forgiven her and had given her a special love for kids. This was not to excuse the abortion, but to say that the Lord had brought about a marvelous transformation in her life through it.

As I discovered with my colleague, people who believe in a woman’s right to choose are reluctant to change their position on abortion. Another way of stating this is, “It’s my body and my choice.” Let’s contrast this with the Biden administration’s push to have everyone get the COVID-19 vaccination. When it comes to employment, it is now sometimes mandatory. One obvious example is the military, where the army, for example, is requiring vaccinations for all active-duty soldiers by December 15. Anyone who refuses the vaccination will be “reprimanded.” There are various kinds of “reprimands,” including those in leadership being relieved of their position. Even if someone has had COVID and recovered, thus having natural immunity and better protection than the vaccine gives, the Biden administration is still requiring them to get it.

Another class of workers who are now required to get the vaccine are employees at hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Lewis County General Hospital in New York is pausing maternity services because “dozens” of staff members quit rather than get the COVID vaccination. The hospital’s maternity department and newborn nursery will shut down, at least temporarily, because of the staffing shortage.

Most in the media are also pushing vaccination mandates, but Don Lemon, a CNN commentator, has taken this to new lows. He recently said, for example, that it is “time to start shaming” the unvaccinated. He also continues to blast Trump supporters, who he says are “stupid;” perhaps Lemon is not aware that 56% of blacks are unvaccinated, and that a strong majority of blacks vote Democratic. Are unvaccinated blacks stupid, Mr. Lemon? Finally, and worst of all, Lemon recently told the unvaccinated, “Don’t go to the hospital when you get sick.” I wonder if Lemon is also in favor, for example, of smokers or the obese not being given medical attention.

What does the Bible have to say about vaccination? Well, you won’t find the word “vaccination” in the Bible, but take a look at I Corinthians 3:16-17, which says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” Obviously, this has strong spiritual implications, as I Corinthians 6:18-20 makes clear in relation to sexual immorality. However, I believe it also applies to vaccinations. In my most recent post, I mentioned a close friend of mine who is not going to get the COVID vaccine because his doctor said it could kill him! In other words, we should not deliberately harm our bodies. As more research is done, it should become clearer regarding who should get the vaccine and who shouldn’t; however, even then, everyone should have the choice.

Perhaps the Biden administration will come to realize how foolish it is to attempt to mandate that every American get the COVID vaccine. Their message is essentially, “Your body, but not your choice.” Contrast this with their message on abortion, which is, “Your body, your choice.” With the one abortion exception being if the mother’s life is in danger, I believe Scripture is clear that those messages should be switched.