Ten Pro-Life Bible Verses to Ponder

Sometimes I think that we’ve heard so much about Roe v. Wade and the March for Life (both occur on January 22) that we become numb to their meaning and impact. In the far out chance you are not familiar with these two events, January 22 has been named a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and coincides with the 1973 landmark decision by the US Supreme Court to legalize abortion in Roe v. Wade. The March for Life is a peaceful protest of the killing of innocent children in the womb as well as other anti-life atrocities.

This is not a question of “my body, my choice” as some would have us think. If that were the case, we would be able to tout the same claim when threatened by loss of livelihood and vital freedoms if we don’t succumb to forced inoculations. Plain and simple, the fact of the matter is that our bodies do not belong to us – they belong to God, our Creator. That means the child in the womb does not belong to the mother but to God. The body of the homeless person we just walked past belongs to God. The bodies of the sick and elderly belong to God. The bodies of the lost and impoverished belong to God. The bodies of human trafficking victims belong to God. Even the bodies of our enemies belong to God and therefore we must not inflict bodily harm on them unless in self-defense. (See Catechism of the Catholic Church 2263-2267)

And so I urge you not to let the impact and meaning of January 22 be lost on you and the people in your life. Take time, please, to really pray for the sanctity of human life in all forms. If you are able, fast on that day, offer alms, and ask others to join you. Understand that if human life is undervalued, so will our freedoms be undervalued. This is not about a law as much as it is about an attitude. Laws can only change behavior in the sense that people obey them to avoid unpleasant consequences. What is needed in an immediate and widespread way is a change of hearts away from evil and disregard for life and toward God.

Below are ten pro-life Bible quotes for you to ponder. Pray them, meditate on them, and let them sink deeply into your heart. Share this post with others so that they can ponder the verses as well. Only by opening our own hearts to change can we begin to change the hearts of others.

You Knit Me in My Mother’s Womb

For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.^[a]
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
    my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;
    in thy book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them. (Ps 139:13-16)

Male and Female He Created Them

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen 1″27)

Children Are a Heritage From the Lord

Lo, sons are a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has
    his quiver full of them!
He shall not be put to shame
    when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.. (Ps 127:3-5)

Be Fruitful and Multiply

 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. (Gen 1:28)

A Prophet to the Nations

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jer 1:5)

The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy

 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. (Lk 1:44)

Do Not Slay the Innocent and Righteous

 Keep far from a false charge, and do not slay the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. (Exodus 23:7)

The Servant’s Mission

Listen to me, O coastlands,
and hearken, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
    from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
    in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, “You are my servant,
    Israel, in whom I will be glorified. (Is 49:1-3)

Choose Life

 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Dt 30:17-20)

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)