“Thou shalt not slay thy child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten. For everything that is shaped, and has received a soul from God, if slain, it shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed.” (The Apostolic Constitutions, circa 380 AD)
“Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics)
“The most significant thing about abortion legislation in Biblical law is that there is none. It was so unthinkable that an Israelite woman should desire an abortion that there was no need to mention this offense in the criminal code. All that was necessary to prohibit an abortion was the command, ‘You shall not murder’ (Ex. 20:13).” (Meredith Kline, American theologian and Old Testament scholar)
“He who destroys germinating life kills a man.” (Karl Barth)
“When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” (Pioneer feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)
“The right to life is the first right mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every human being, born or pre-born, is entitled to this fundamental right.” (Dr. Jerome Lejeune, French pediatrician and geneticist)
“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)
“It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born or destroy one that is coming to the birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder.” (Tertullian, Apology, 2nd Century)
“Surely at such a time (conception), the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed.” (Martin Luther)
“Why sow where the ground makes it its care to destroy the fruit? Where there are many efforts at abortion? Where there is murder before birth? For you do not even let the harlot remain a mere harlot, but make her a murderer also. Why then do you abuse the gift of God and fight with His laws, and follow after what is a curse as if a blessing, and make the place of procreation a chamber for murder, and arm the woman that was given for childbearing unto slaughter?” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 24 on Romans, late 4th Century)
“From conception to our final breath on this earth, all life is a sacred gift from Almighty God. It must be cherished in our hearts and protected through our actions, both in our capacity as individuals and also through our laws and policies as a nation.” (Dr. James Dobson)
“The solution [to a crisis pregnancy] is not to kill the innocent baby but to deal with the mother’s values and her attitudes toward life.” (Rev. Jesse Jackson, 1977 March for Life, Washington, DC)
“Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” (Pioneer feminist Alice Paul)
“Probably nothing has been as damaging to our cause as the advances in technology which have allowed pictures of the developing fetus, because people now talk about the fetus in much different terms than they did 15 years ago. They talk about it as a human being, which is not something that I have an easy answer on how to cure.” (Harrison Hickman, pollster for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, addressing NARAL’s 20th Anniversary Conference)
“The fetus carried in the mother’s womb is already a man and it is quite unnatural that a life be destroyed of one who has not yet seen its enjoyment. For, it seems more unworthy that a man be killed in his home rather than in his field because for each man his home is his safest refuge. How much more abominable ought it to be considered to kill a fetus in the womb who has not yet been brought into the light.” (John Calvin)
“How can the ‘dream’ [of Martin Luther King] survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate.” (Dr. Alveda C. King)
“The unborn child is a human being created in the image of God, and to deny this is to deny the authority of the Bible. It is impossible to read Psalm 139 and truly believe what it says without realizing that life in the womb is human life. It is impossible to truly believe in the incarnation and not realize that the Child conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit was indeed the Son of God from the time of conception. If we truly believe the Bible, there is no question when human life begins. And to deny this is to deny the authority of the Bible. Are we so blind not to see what is involved?...But if we are not willing to take a stand even for human life, is there anything for which we will stand?” (Francis Schaeffer)
“I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” (President Ronald Reagan)
