Abortion is ungodly

It is my opinion that abortion does equate to murder, but that is not the topic of this debate. The debate is about whether abortion is ungodly. In the Old Testament - regarded as truth by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike - God justifies murder numerous times. In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the biblical flood, the genocide of the Amalakites, and the various wars the Israelites fought we see that perticular circumstances can warrant the act of taking a life. In some cases, murder is religiously defensible and morally acceptable. Of specific note, I quote Samual 1:3 "Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey."" Though not directly said, it can also be understood that in killing the children and infant and women there would have been a number of fetuses as well. If the killing of children and infants is an action God condones then by definition it cannot be ungodly - though we must ask ourselves under what conditions is it acceptable. I now present to you a list of birth defects and complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth. These are taken directly from the Center for Disease Control <http://www.cdc.gov...;: Anencephaly - a baby is born without parts of the skull, scalp and brain. The top of the head of the baby has no flesh and the interior of the head is exposed. There is no treatment or cure, and babies will die shortly after birth. Occurrence: 1,200 per year. Spina Bifida - a baby is born with a deformation to the lower spine which impairs the ability to walk, control bowels, mate, or bear children. The rate of survival depends upon the technology available - in most countries the baby dies in the first year. Occurrence: 1,500 per year. Microcephaly - a baby is born with an abnormally small skull and brain. This creates hearing, vision, and coordination problems as well as intellectual difficulties and seizures. There is no cure, and survival depends primarily upon the wealth of the parents - in most countries the baby dies within the first year. Occurrence: 4,800 per year. Craniofacial Dismorphia - a baby is born with deformities to the face and skull. In extreme cases (such as treacher collin's syndrome) surgery is needed for the baby to survive. Without surgery, these infants will die because they lack a nose or mouth through which to breath. Occurrence: ~7,000 per year. Additionally, 600 American women die each year from pregnancy related complications (globally it is more than 600 per day). Pregnant mothers with disorders such as hemophilia, asthma, diabetes, or uterine fibroids are at an increased risk of dying because of pregnancy complications and in these situations doctors recommend abortions to save the life of the mother. It is also a growing practice when a mother is pregnant with multiple babies (twins, triplets, etc) to abort one fetus but keep another - this is related to the complications and medical risks of multi-fetus births which could result in all fetuses dying. It is because of information like this that the National Right to Life Committee (a Pro-Life group) issued a statement saying that its position is "to allow abortion if necessary to prevent the death of the mother." (http://www.usatoday.com...) It is with this in mind that I say that abortion can be considered, at times and in extreme circumstances, to be a godly action and a mercy. To say that abortion is ungodly is to say that God Itself has behaved in an ungodly manner. To say abortion is ungodly is to say that abortion is never a mercy. To say that abortion is ungodly is to say that a mother should be forced to give birth to a deformed child and watch it die in her arms only moments later. I say that in these circumstances abortion is in the best interest of the parents and the child, and that an abortion can save a life. Just because abortion is murder does not mean that it is fully unjustified, amoral, or ungodly.