What the Early Church Said About Abortion: Quotes from Christian History

To be Christian is to be anti-abortion. From its earliest days, the church has stood firmly against the practice of taking innocent life, recognizing the unborn as precious creations made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This conviction is not merely a cultural stance but a foundational aspect of Christian faith, rooted in Scripture and upheld throughout church history. True Christianity is marked by obedience to Christ’s teachings and a commitment to the sanctity of life. While it may be easy for some to claim the name of Christ while supporting abortion, such a position contradicts both the clear teaching of Scripture (Psalm 139:13–16; Exodus 21:22–25) and the witness of early Christians who opposed abortion in the face of a pagan, life-disregarding culture. To follow Christ is to uphold life, defending those who cannot defend themselves.

Christian Culture and Abortion

Western cultures love to praise abortion. Case in point, the American culture is saturated with pro-abortion thinking. Americans have been soaking it up for years. For example, in a 2020 survey of 3,002 respondents, Lifeway Research found that only 51% of Americans agreed with the statement, “Abortion is a sin.” To put this in perspective, this means that one out of every two Americans you meet will likely believe that abortion is not a sin. That is a very troubling stat.

But what is even more troubling is that Christians often are the ones defending the right to murder unwanted children. Even more than that, there are pastors and sometimes whole denominations that advocate for abortion. It is viewed as a human right, and oddly, it is viewed as an extension of biblical justice. However, these Christians who advocate for abortion are not just arguing against Scripture (which is the most important consideration), they are also arguing against a historical practice that goes back thousands of years. Both Scripture and church history are problems for Christians who try to defend abortion.

Scripture and Abortion

Scripture is so clear on the issue of abortion. All human beings are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). There is no reason to exclude preborn children from this category. Biblically, children are treated as persons before their birth (Ps 139:13–16), and they are even able to respond to what God is doing on the outside (Luke 1:39–41). It comes as no surprise that Mosaic Law expects justice to be done to an individual who causes harm to a preborn child (Exod 21:22–25).

Although there is no indication Josephus was a believer, he provides a good 1st-century witness to the Jewish understanding of the Law. He understood the Old Testament Law to forbid abortion.

The law, moreover enjoins us to bring up all our offspring, and forbids women to cause abortion of what is begotten, or to destroy it afterward; and if any woman appears to have so done, she will be a murderer of her child, by destroying a living creature, and diminishing humankind.

Against Apion, 2:202.

Early Christians and Abortion

Abortion was commonplace in Greek and Roman societies. However, from the earliest records we have, the church strongly opposed abortion and took steps to care for unwanted children.

One of the earliest documents we have from the early church is The Letter of Barnabas, which dates to late 1^st century or early 2^nd century AD. Barnabas prohibits abortion in the midst of a string of commands:

Thou shalt love thy neighbour more than thy own life. Thou shalt not procure abortion, thou shalt not commit infanticide.  

Barnabas, 19:5

Similarly, The Didache, which is an early Christian summary of doctrine dating to the same time period notes the following:

Thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit infanticide.

Didache, 2:1

Marcus Felix was a Roman lawyer who converted to Christianity in the 2^nd or 3^rd century AD. He wrote Octavius, which was one of the first apologetic defenses of Christianity. The capstone of his argument is that Christians “do not preach great things, but live them.” (38:6). With regard to abortion, apparently some in the Roman community accused Christians of murdering infants and drinking their blood. In response, Marcus Felix writes in chapter 30 of his work that the murder of babies was a gentile practice only:

“There are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels, and thus commit a parricide before they bring forth.”

But for a Christian, Marcus argued, “To us it is not lawful either to see or to hear of homicide; and so much do we shrink from human blood, that we do not use the blood even of eatable animals in our food.”

Athenagoras was another Ante-Nicene apologist (probably from Athens) who lived during the 2^nd century AD. In his apology, A Plea for the Christians, Athenagoras promotes the fact that Christians condemn all forms of murder, and he specifically talks about abortion.

And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very fœtus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it.

A Plea for Christians, Ch 35.

Logically, because Christians were against abortion they were also against infanticide, which was often practiced in the Roman world by leaving an infant exposed out in the elements. Christians were known to adopt many of these exposed children and to raise them as their own. The exposed children would often die despite the care of the Christians. There are many inscriptions on tombs in the catacombs which demonstrate that Christians considered the children part of their family and saw to a proper burial for them.  

Tertullian is a well-known 3rd-century apologist, and he spoke with great clarity against abortion.  

In our case, murder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fœtus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth.

The Apology, Ch 9

Tertullian also gives testimony of an early belief that life begins at conception (this is not a novel idea by Christians). In his discussion on the human soul he notes the following:

Now we allow that life begins with conception, because we contend that the soul also begins from conception.

The Apology, Ch 27

John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD), one of the most celebrated orators of the early church, spoke very harshly about abortion—calling it something worse than murder!

You see how drunkenness leads to whoredom, whoredom to adultery, adultery to murder; or rather to a something even worse than murder. For I have no name to give it, since it does not take off the thing born, but prevent its being born.

Homilies on Romans, Ch 24

The evidence could go on and on, but I think it is sufficient to say that it has always been intrinsically Christian to oppose abortion because abortion is the killing of innocent life. The fact that there are major pastors today who support abortion does not change that fact. The fact that not all “Christians” think abortion is wrong does not change the truth of the matter. When a Christian does not oppose abortion, it says more about his phony claim of being Christian than anything else.  

From its earliest days, true Christians have stood as a countercultural voice, defending the sanctity of life in a world often marked by violence and disregard for children. While abortion was a common practice in the ancient Roman world, early Christians denounced it as incompatible with their faith in Christ. This conviction is clearly articulated in the writings of the early church. Their words provide a powerful testament to the early church’s commitment to protecting the unborn and affirming the image of God in all human life. This is certainly an issue where we would do well to follow their example.