Is Dr. Tiller’s Killing Justified by the Bible?

George Tiller, the Kansas doctor who performed late-term abortions, was killed May 31 while attending a Sunday morning church service. 

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry said it best: "What that man did by shooting George Tiller is wrong. Period." 

I couldn’t agree more.

But then he added, “[Tiller] was a mass murderer. … He killed tens of thousands of innocent human beings at his own hand." 

Here, I must disagree.

The reason I disagree with Terry is not what you might think. You see, this self described Christian activist group should know that nothing in the Bible specifically equates killing an embryo or even a fetus with killing a human being. 

In the interest of fairness, I’ll begin with scripture that is often quoted by right to lifers.  There are several accounts in the Bible of God communicating with embryos or fetuses. I’ve selected two, one from each Testament:

"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15)

If God knew Jeremiah and John the Baptist while they were in their mother’s wombs, so the argument goes, then  they were clearly human beings. If they are human beings, then killing them is murder.

Fair enough.

But how does that compare with other versus that more directly address the issue of unborn life?  God specifically addresses the killing of a fetus in the book of Exodus:

“If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life.” (Exodus 21:22-23)

God clearly tells us that a man who accidentally induces a miscarriage is to be punished, indicating that He does value the unborn child, but not very much, as the taking of that life only entitles the woman’s husband to a fine. [Side note: If you’re worried about how unwed mothers would be compensated- stop. They’ll most likely be stoned to death.] The life of the unborn child is worth much less than the mother’s life: If she died, the killer would get the ultimate penalty.

It would be hard for judges to rule in such a case because who can put a value on the potential of human life? 

Apparently God can.  

In Leviticus, God actually assigns a value in shekels based on age and gender of the child. My Thomas Nelson King James Version actually converts shekels to dollars which is really handy should I need to compensate my neighbor for killing his children. A female from five to 20 years old will get you $17.60! Unfortunately children younger than one month aren’t worth anything:

“And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.” (Leviticus 27:6)

The lesson here is clear:  If you're going to kill children, you should do it after they’re born (lest you incur a fine), but before they are a month old (when they are worth something).

If that’s not enough evidence of God’s low estimation of the unborn consider this verse:

“Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD.(Numbers 3:15-16)

Sometimes God, through his prophets, orders killing women who might be pregnant:

“And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. (Numbers 31:15-17)

God sometimes kills newborn babies just to punish their parents.

“Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. (2 Samuel 12:14)”

God sometimes requires pregnant women to be burned to death with their babies:

“Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.” (Genesis 38:24)

I think you’ll agree that Randall Terry should’ve paid closer attention in Sunday School.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my neighbor’s three-week old won’t stop screaming....