Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics in the Post-Roe United States

Early Abortion? The Puritans Were OK With It is a one minute YouTube short. This link will open YouTube in a new tab.

Debate on Facebook, July 2, 2024. Mako posted about abortion and then debated someone who defended Pastor Jeff Durbin of Phoenix, AZ. Durbin believes that all abortion is homicide and deserves to be punished. The debate touched on politics and also Exodus 21:22 - 25 and Numbers 5:11 - 31.

Debate on X/Twitter, August 6, 2024. Mako posted about abortion and then debated a very conservative Catholic man perhaps from Spain, Gonzalo de Berceo. Gonzalo threw out a lot of memes, especially with regard to the evidence from the early church and the Catholic Church prior to 1869. Mako countered with how to properly interpret the Didache, Tertullian of Carthage, Basil of Caesarea, and other statements from other Christian leaders.

Debate on Facebook, August 11, 2024. Mako posted about abortion and then debated a pastor from California about why conception should not equal personhood, and why the full range of contraception should become policy for health care, including intra-uterine devices and the morning after pill. This pastor admitted his view does not come from Scripture. He also tried to deflect and disparage the Old Testament itself, which Mako rebutted. The pastor later unfriended Mako over the issue of Trump-Vance rhetoric attacking the Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.

Debates on Facebook, September 10, 2024. Someone posted a graphic that said abortion is not a medical procedure, but is murder. Mako engaged with commenters.

Debates on Facebook, September 13, 2024. Someone posted a quote of Jeremiah 1:5, about God knowing and calling Jeremiah from the womb. Mako engaged with commenters.

Debate on X/Twitter, September 18, 2024. Kristin Kobes du Mez posted about how ensoulment used to be a big part of the consideration for the fetus and abortion ethics, whereas today it is not. Michael Ward said with skepticism, “But it does seem that raising the question of ensoulment is designed to validate the possibility for a pro-choice option to left-leaning Christians.“ Mako replied, “To the contrary: stripping ensoulment from the debate was always designed to validate the anti-abortion right and lead us towards fanatical postures against Scripture, science, legal history and interpretation, and pro-economic justice policies.” Mako then substantiates that statement. Included in the discussion is the legal context of the Comstock Act of 1873, which Project 2025 wants to use to shut down mailing of medication abortion pills. Mako shows why this move would violate the legal context.

Debates on Facebook, September 22, 2024. Someone posted a graphic, “Abortion is Pure Evil.” Mako engaged with people in the comments.

Video: Also called The Pro-Contraception Argument from Scripture and Science. A 60 minute video from our July 2024 Zoom class, now on YouTube. Discussion not recorded.

Why it matters: Comprehensive contraception care has been and would be the single best way to lower the abortion rate. Yet some anti-abortionists want to overturn contraception laws at both state and federal levels. Believing conception = personhood, they think the "morning after" pill and IUD's (intra-uterine devices) cause abortions because they could make a fertilized egg not implant in its mother's uterus.

Some Christians argue against contraception on religious grounds. But Exodus 21 v.22 - 25 and Numbers 5 v.11 - 31 indicate that the fetus should not be assigned full human personhood from conception.

Also, the early Christians recognized that the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of Exodus 21 said different things about the fetus and personhood! They used the science of their day to assist them. We could learn from that. They even recognized that there were two different scientific views, too. Therefore, they had different positions on abortion, and they accepted these differences.

Session 1 Accompaniment

Read The Rights of the Fetus and the Principle of Bodily Autonomy. Blog post, 10 minute read.

Video: A 56 minute video from our July 2024 Zoom class, and now on YouTube. Discussion not recorded.

Why it matters: Catholic New Deal Democrats saw the abortion rate go up during the Great Depression. So they decided that poverty drove abortions, so to be anti-abortion, they had to be anti-poverty.

But in the 1980s, White evangelicals joined the Reagan coalition. They connected the anti-abortion position to Reagan's framework of neoliberal "you're on your own" capitalism and punishing criminality. They decided that poverty should be the "stick motivation" to not have sex until you're married.

Combined with the anti-contraception stance of many hardline anti-abortionists, this Reagan coalition framework is counterproductive. The recent framework keeps the abortion rate much higher than it would be.

Scripture shows that God wants us to care deeply for "other people's children," especially economically. Early Christian teaching demonstrated that, too. John Locke's attempt at elevating private property through a bad Christian theology was quite wrong. We need to return to the pro-economic justice posture of the Catholic New Deal Democrats because it is pro-family and pro-child.

Session 2 Accompaniment

Read Abortion, Poverty, and Private Property: From the Early Christians to John Locke. Blog post, 10 minute read.

Read Abortion, Poverty, and Private Property: Lessons from Modern U.S. Economic History. Blog post, 10 minute read.

Video: A 70 minute video from our July 2022 Zoom class, now on YouTube. Discussion not recorded.

Why it matters: "Abortion abolitionists" want to impose criminal sentences on both the doctors who perform abortions and the women who get abortions. The most extreme people call any abortion a homicide, and ban exceptions for rape and incest. Christian Nationalists, in particular, want to punish having pre-marital sex with parenthood, punish parents who ask for economic help with child raising with little to no help, and punish people generally for not adhering to their vision of a nuclear family. Christian Nationalist policies would make the abortion rate rise; it is self-contradictory.

But Scripture refutes the above and charts a different way. God gave women systemic advantages and the moral benefit of the doubt in cases of desperation. In the early church starting from the Council of Elvira in c.306, Christian leaders applied that reasoning to prostitution: Women were victims; the men who were customers were guilty of personal sin. That reasoning can apply to abortion. Even if a man wants to have the baby and the woman does not: He made the mistake. We can put the burden of relational discernment on the man, because the status quo places the burden on the woman.

Session 3 Accompaniment

Read The Likely Problems With Law Enforcement Under Dobbs. Blog post, 15 minute read.

Read Abortion, Harm, and Accountability. Blog post, 10 minute read.

Read Abortion, Harm, and Retributive vs. Restorative Justice. Blog post, 15 minute read.

This is Session 7: The Powerful vs. the Rest of Society, Part 2 of the Plantation Capitalism vs. Jesus’ Jubilee Economy curriculum.

White evangelicals jumped on the fascism train through the issue of abortion. By joining the Reagan coalition, white evangelical Republicans took leadership of the anti-abortion movement from Catholic Democrats. But by joining Reagan's anti-communist coalition and "Southern strategy" to peel off white Southern segregationists from the Democratic Party to the GOP, they moved abortion policy from a social welfare issue to a criminal justice issue.

They also asserted that if you have sex and get pregnant before you're ready, you should have a child as a consequence, and face economic hardship as a punishment. So they agreed with Reagan to dismantle the New Deal with its pro-labor, anti-poverty, democracy of small businesses vision. They supported a "you're on your own" libertarian economics.

Catholics and evangelicals also used abortion as an issue to stave off their fears of science and stay culturally relevant. So they tied their politics of disgust to their fears of science. Which is why they have such a hard time reassessing their views of the fetus when the science of embryology shows us that God does not ensoul the fetus from conception. Early on, probably. Conception? No.

In this video, we explain Biblical passages that impact our interpretation of the fetus: Exodus 21:22 - 25 and Psalm 139. We touch on the difference between the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of Exodus 21. We highlight how the early Christians approached the science of their day as a helpful and necessary ally, and how the Latin West and the Greek East came to different conclusions about the fetus because they followed different scientific opinions. We appeal to Christians today to treat embryology as a friend and ally in our attempt to know and honor the unborn fetus, and not respond to abortion policy with disgust and fear.

Confront the history and present reality of white evangelicals siding with racial fascism.

1:12 The Comet Pizza Case and How Evangelicals and Catholics Use, and Get Used by, the Emotion of Disgust

5:48 Disgust as a Christian Spiritual Formation Issue

14:34 Abortion in Christian History

30:29 Abortion in US Constitutional Law

35:41 Abortion and Christians in the US from the Great Depression to Reagan

46:00 Why Catholics Changed Their Minds on the Fetus in 1869

53:15 Why God Doesn’t Ensoul the Early Fetus

59:55 Christians Use Abortion as a Political Issue Because They Are Afraid of Science

1:05:55 When Christians Use Retributive Justice to Punish Abortion and Unexpected Pregnancy

All of the podcasts or videos cover Exodus 21:22 - 25 on the fetus, the manuscript disagreements, and how the Greek East and Latin West drew on different scientific sources. We discuss how abortion was used as a political wedge issue, especially by the Reagan coalition tied abortion to capitalism and retributive consequences. Each podcast covered slightly different topics; see comments below:

• Beyond the Binary: Unpacking the Reality of Abortion

  For Rob Dalrymple and Danny Hall at Determine Truth (August 12, 2024). In order, Mako made the cases for the pro-economic justice argument, the pro-contraception argument, and the pro-woman argument. “As pro-life advocates, we believe the conversation transcends the simple pro-life/pro-choice divide. We'll explore the primary reasons women seek abortions, analyze the effectiveness of legislation in reducing abortion rates, and discuss practical, compassionate solutions to address the root causes. Engage with experts, hear real stories, and be part of a movement that seeks to protect life by addressing the challenges women face. Let's move beyond the binary and find common ground for a more just and humane society.”

• My Body, My Choice?

  For Rev. Dr. Jackie Roese and The Marcella Project (September 26, 2022). Dr. Roese said, “I've been quietly asking some of my colleagues if they knew of any scholarship about abortion. Mako Nagasawa's book was everything I was looking for and more.” This podcast covered a bit more about why the ESV Bible and others are wrong about Exodus 21, as well as why differences between the Greek East and Latin West emerged. We also talked about Reagan’s political coalition and how white evangelicals changed how the antiabortion movement was framed, from social welfare to criminalization.

• Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics

  For Doug Pagitt and the organization Vote Common Good (September 2, 2022). This is a Facebook Live conversation, almost 90 minutes. This conversation focused a bit more about American politics and legal history, and proposals to bring down the abortion rate.

• Abortion: What Does the Bible Really Say?

  For Rev. S.J. Munson and Majoring in the Majors (July 13, 2022). This was originally a live radio broadcast on Artist First Radio Network; the audio is also available on YouTube.

• Uncomfortable Conversations: Let’s Talk About Abortion

  For the Boston Faith and Justice Network and Director Elizabeth Grady-Harper (June 30, 2022). This is a 60 minute YouTube video, covering a bit more of the Catholic shift in 1869 from quickening to conception, based on a moral probability, not certainty, argument. We touch on the jurisprudence of Roe v. Wade and the implementation of pre-Roe anti-abortion law.

• Abortion and Economic Justice in America

  For Stephen D. Morrison (June 3, 2022). Covers Scripture on the fetus; the early church on abortion and science; how John Calvin’s shift on interest rate lending and John Locke’s theology of private property contribute to economic injustice and an increased abortion rate

• Abortion from Exodus to Evangelicalism with Mako Nagasawa

  For Keeping the Faith (May 20, 2022). Covers Scripture on the fetus; the early church on abortion and science; modern American political history.

• Reclaiming My Theology from Patriarchy and Abortion

  For Reclaiming My Theology (May 3, 2022). Covers Scripture on the fetus; Scripture and early church history give women systemic advantages over men; the current anti-abortion movement uses the principle of meritocracy-retribution: do what you’re supposed to and you’ll have a happy sex-filled marriage with kids; have sex outside marriage and you should be poor; get or perform an abortion and you should be punished.

• Thinking More Clearly About Abortion

  For Gravity Leadership (April 27, 2021). Covers Scripture on the fetus; early church history on abortion; and recent American political history (the Southern Strategy, Reagan and evangelicals) and the current anti-abortion movement.

The Moral Weight of the Fetus and the Disagreement Between English Translations of Exodus 21:22

A list of English translations of Exodus 21:22, from the Hebrew Masoretic, and the perplexing difference about the moral weight of the fetus. When a pregnant woman is struck by others, does that cause a miscarriage or an early but healthy delivery? The Aramaic Targums, the Greek Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, Wycliffe, New Revised Standard, the New Jerusalem Bible, and Robert Alter’s translation believe that it causes a miscarriage, which carries a fine, which means the fetus is not assigned full human personhood. The Geneva Bible, the King James Version, New American Standard, New International Version, and English Standard Version take the view that the fetus is simply delivered early, which means the fetus is assigned full human personhood.

Why the ESV, NASB, NIV, and KJV Are Wrong About the Fetus and Abortion

A study of two Hebrew words that are both translated “strike” in English shows that “napagh” and “nakah” are not synonyms. “Nagaph” always means “lethal strike” or “mortal blow.” Thus, when the pregnant woman is dealt a “nagaph,” the fetus is miscarried. Since the fetus is not assigned full human personhood, this passage is very relevant to modern discussions about abortions. Unfortunately, some English translations — KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV among them — mistranslate “nagaph” and give a very misleading impression.

Two Types of Strikes: Why Exodus 21:22 Describes a Fatal Blow to the Fetus

A study of two Hebrew words that are both translated “strike” in English shows that “napagh” and “nakah” are not synonyms. “Nagaph” always means “lethal strike” or “mortal blow.” Thus, when the pregnant woman is dealt a “nagaph,” the fetus is miscarried. Since the fetus is not assigned full human personhood, this passage is very relevant to modern discussions about abortions. Unfortunately, some English translations — KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV among them — mistranslate “nagaph,” make “napagh” a synonym for “nakah” in Exodus 21:22, and give a very misleading impression.

Why the Fetus Is Not Assigned Full Human Personhood in Exodus 21:22 - 25

A summary paper, exegetical, historical, and logical in nature. This paper restates and expands on the nine reasons given above in Session 1.

Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics in the United States: Scripture Addendum on Exodus 21:22 - 25

For a conversational argument against the “premature delivery” view of Exodus 21 involving the full fetal personhood view, and in favor of the “forced miscarriage” view involving fetal non-personhood, on literary and historical grounds. This includes a critique of John Piper, The Misuse of Exodus 21:22–25 by Pro-Choice Advocates. Desiring God, Feb 8, 1989. Piper’s arguments are about word use, which means that his oversight of what kind of strike is dealt to the pregnant woman is deeply problematic. Word usage alone indicates that the strike means “mortal blow,” dealt at least to the fetus.

We curate articles and other resources highlighting problems associated with the American political right adopting an anti-abortion posture on this page. For problems encountered by liberal-progressives defining human personhood at some other point, and making permissive policies on abortion, see this page.