The Christian scriptures support family planning techniques such as contraception and abortion.

NT = New Testament OT = Old Testament Christianity = NT, Judaism = OT PRO’s arguments are classic selective misreading of scriptures – what the bible deemed as God’s punishment (annihilation of an extremely immoral society including their offspring), PRO mischaracterized them as God’s support for abortion. In addition, PRO read into OT scriptures exclusively - His arguments are best suited against Judaism only. In Christianity, the Bible is a progressive revelation where the NT supplants the OT. The OT remains important in Christianity but only to lay the foundations for fulfillment and redemption thru Jesus in the NT. In the NT, Jesus laid out the universal obligation to love ones neighbors including unwanted children. PRO ignores historical and cultural climate in Old Judaism Numbers 31 - Onan and his brother’s wife Levirate marriage, where the brother of a deceased man marries his brother's widow out of compassion, is practiced in old Israel. So Onan is married to his late brother’s wife. Contraception/coitus interruptus is not the sin itself but the method by which the sin is committed. The sin is the squander of God’s blessing (bear children) and the refusal to fulfill marital obligations (procreation). God punished Onan for neglecting his marital obligations by practicing coitus interruptus. He married for the sexual pleasures only. Hosea 9 - Kill every woman that hath known man by lying witah him This does not refer to abortion. Moses discovered that the Israelites had engaged in mass sexual indiscretions resulting to STDs. They were punished (capital punishment) for adultery and prostitution. Genesis 38, Hosea 9, Hosea 13, Numbers 5, Samuel 12 These refer to God laying the punishment Himself for immoral acts, and in some, God annihilating an extremely immoral society (Samaria) in a similar fashion to Sodom and Gomorra. PRO ignored the context around these scriptures and why God laid out the punishment - Blasphemy Rebellion against God thru promotion of immoral acts Adultery and prostitution Mass Incest and Pedophilia Sex with animals Cannibalism It is true that God’s punishments are harsh but there are underlying historical precedent. In all of these cases, God sent prophets to redeem the community, however, they remain unrepentant, and since the immorality is entrenched culturally, God saw it fit to end that society’s lineage. In all of these, PRO is simply wrong to interpret God’s punishment as equivalent to God's promotion or support of casual abortion/contraception as PRO stated in the motion. PRO is confused between Judaism and Christianity This debate is about Christian traditions. And in Christianity, God revealed himself thru Jesus with a NEW covenant that supplants the teachings in OT. God thru Jesus is about compassion, mercy, solidarity and forgiveness. And NT Christian teaching is simple – love your neighbor. This obviously includes love towards “unwanted” children. Now, contraception was prohibited in the OT (don’t spill your semen) but there was no mention in the NT. But to be clear this debate is about Christian scriptures (NT) in support of abortion and contraception as stated in the motion. And just because contraception was not mentioned in the NT, it does not automatically equate into a support. For the PRO to make a convincing argument that Christian scriptures support contraception and abortion, he needs to derive it from the teachings of Christ (hence, Christianity, duh!) and not misquote Judaism and pass it off as Christian.