When does a pregnancy become a human life in the womb? At conception, the fertilized egg becomes a living cell with its own human genetic code. In a week after conception, the living fertilized cell, a zygote, forms into a blastocyst, a human life as a group of cells. In the third week from conception, the human life changes from the blastocyst to enter the embryonic stage developing nerve cells, blood cells, kidney cells, and a heart, brain, and gastrointestinal tract that begin to grow. In weeks 4–5, the heart of the human life is beating blood and has eyes, ears, arms, and legs that are beginning to grow (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia – online 17 September 2020). After this stage, women can confirm pregnancy of this human life as early as 4–8 weeks.

            The Bible and science agree that human life begins at conception. In chapter 1 of Luke’s Gospel, an angel reported to Mary that the Holy Spirit will come upon her so that she would conceive a son — the Son of God. Likewise, the angel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth “conceived a son” (Luke 1:35–36). The Scriptures do not describe a mass of tissue or some other substance as conceived within these women but they conceived “sons.” Furthermore, Luke reported, “the baby leaped in the womb” when Elizabeth heard the voice of Mary (Luke 1:41, 44). Elizabeth blessed Mary by the Holy Spirit calling her “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43). Mary was already a mother of her unborn Son, and Elizabeth had a baby in her womb as she was 6 months pregnant.

            A baby in the womb is a child from conception. Jesus declared via Isaiah, “The LORD called Me from the womb, from the body of My mother He named My name” (Isaiah 49:1). The Scriptures note throughout that children are in the womb of the pregnant woman. Moses described Esau and Jacob as children in the womb (Genesis 25:22). Paul described how Rebekah “conceived children” who were not yet born (Romans 9:10–12). A human life in the womb is a child (Ruth 1:11; 2 Kings 19:3). The Bible revealed, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3). The wicked nations do not pity “the fruit of the womb” as Isaiah 13:18 states, “they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.”

            When does a human life become worthy of protection? God forms life in the womb as God makes each child in the likeness of His image. The prophet and king, David revealed that God formed him “in my mother’s womb” for this he declared that he was “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13–14; cf. Genesis 1:26–27). God warned and declared, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9:6). When God commanded, “You shall not murder,” He clarified that if a man hits a pregnant woman causing a miscarriage, then the payment is “life for a life” referring to the order to execute that guilty man (Exodus 21:22–25). Without God, no one has an objective moral standard to oppose murder. By God, no one has the right to choose to end the life of an unborn child.

            Love does not murder (Romans 13:8–10). God condemned murder as God commanded, “Do not kill the innocent,” which is the definition of murder (Exodus 23:7; Proverb 6:16–17). Jesus taught that murder is an evil that comes from the heart (Matthew 15:19–20; Mark 7:20–23). Jesus instructed, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10; cf. Psalm 106:36–39). Christians must receive children in His name to receive Christ (Mark 9:36–37).

            Should we trust any civil leader who supports the practice of ending a pregnancy as a right and a choice? Since 1973, the CDC counts ~1.4 million to 700,000 abortions each year in the U.S. totaling about 60 million deaths. Should we trust leaders who support abortion as though they are too incompetent to know that clinicians are dismembering unborn human lives in the womb? Do they not care to uphold the right to life endowed by the Creator? God’s judgment is just and clear. Christians have the wisdom to choose just leaders who respect every human life.