Apologist Clinton Wilcox shows how biology, human rights, scripture and the writings of the early Church fathers build a strong case for protecting unborn lives

Abortion is one of the most contentious issues facing the world today. On one side of the debate, the pro-life movement argues that human life begins at fertilisation and all human beings have a right to life. Therefore, humans should not be destroyed in the womb. On the other side, pro-choice activists believe that a woman can choose abortion because of “reproductive rights”. They say embryos have no rights, because they lack certain properties that would grant them these privileges. It is beyond the scope of this article to address all their arguments in favour of abortion. This article will summarise how Christians can respond.

Scientists discovered in the mid-1800s that human life begins at fertilisation. This is not a point which is debated in the academic literature on abortion. Once the sperm and ovum cells fuse, both of these non-human entities cease to exist and a new human being, a single-celled embryo (also called a zygote) comes into existence. This embryo has a biological continuity with each more… (Register to read the rest of the article)