The earliest Church legislation did not make a distinction between "formed" and "unformed" fetuses, as was done in the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 21:22-23; this position can be found in the writing of early Church Fathers such as Basil of Caesarea and early Church council canons (Elvira, Ancyra).
Undang-undang Gereja yang paling awal tidak membedakan antara janin "berbentuk" dan "belum berbentuk", tidak seperti versi Keluaran 21:22-23 dalam Septuaginta Yunani; posisi ini dapat ditemukan dalam karya tulis para Bapa Gereja awal seperti Basilius Agung dan kanon-kanon konsili awal Gereja (Elvira, Ancyra).