A scriptural reflection

Hosea 12:3:

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Their ancestor Jacob held on to his brother's heel while the two of them were in their mother's womb. When Jacob became a man, he struggled with God.

King James Bible
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:

American Standard Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:

Bible in Basic English
In the body of his mother he took his brother by the foot, and in his strength he was fighting with God;

Douay-Rheims Bible
In the womb he supplanted his brother: and by his strength he had success with an angel.

English Revised Version
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:

World English Bible
In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he contended with God.

There's really only one point I want to raise here, and that is the clear continuity between what Jacob did in the womb, as a fetus, and what he did as a man.

Jacob wasn't a non-entity, or a different entity, before his birth. He was still Jacob.

This should give serious pause to those who profess Christianity who nevertheless try to convince themselves that none of the Scriptures addressing justice, hospitality, compassion, protection, or love apply to the smallest and most vulnerable members of the human family. You're standing on very, very shaky ground.

The Bible doesn't mention cats. But it does state and restate that animals are to be treated humanely. From this we can safely conclude that we are to treat cats as humanely as we are to treat animals that are mentioned. Abortion as a form of killing is not specifically mentioned, but enough is said about killing the innocent to make it very plain that it's not an acceptable practice, and enough is said about children in the womb to indicate that they're within the human family. And what's more, the prohibition against cruelty to animals would reinforce the anti-abortion message, since what's unacceptable violence against a sheep or a goat or a bull would certainly be unacceptable violence against a tiny, helpless human. We're not to rip the legs off living livestock; how much more are we not to rip the legs off living unborn children?

Yeah, the Bible never specifically addresses abortion -- just as it never specifically addresses child molestation, arson, or the use of nuclear weapons. But it does address how we are to treat children, and it never makes any distinction whatsoever between a child in the womb and a child that is born.

"Even as you do unto the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you do unto me." Think about it.