"Indeed . Many people do n't realize that the commandment is not `` thou shalt not kill , `` but `` thou shalt not murder. `` The important question then becomes , when is killing murder ? I have no doubt that God cares for the lives of fetuses . But I also have no doubt that God cares for the lives of pregnant women . The reason I brought up the Exodus passage is that it 's often taken to establish that abortion is murder , and that performing an abortion should be punished accordingly . But the passage is n't talking about abortion at all . Which just leaves us with the question of when it is or is n't acceptable to take a life , and the passage does n't provide guidance to that general question , either ."
"How is that conclusion derived at ? The passage is speaking to the consequences to a man who 's actions cause the death of an unborn child . And the proscribed consequence is death according to OT Law . So although the passage is n't speaking to abortion at all , it is making a very clear statement regarding the value of the unborn , as it is requiring a life for a life just as for any other sentient being according to the OT Law . So these arguments I get from the likes of you and Iangb which argue that until a child shows mental awareness , it is n't actually a person deserving of human rights is a bogus and shortsighted position according to the scriptural point of view . Of that , there is no question ."
"Many people do n't realize that the commandment is not `` thou shalt not kill , `` but `` thou shalt not murder"
"The passage is speaking to the consequences to a man who 's actions cause the death of an unborn child . And the proscribed consequence is death according to OT Law"