Is a Baby a Person at Conception or at Birth?
According to the Bible, a baby is considered a person at conception as seen in the following examples:
In Genesis 25:21,22, Rebekah conceived twins and it says, “the children struggled together within her.” That which was conceived was called “children” before getting born (Heb. BEN).
In Ruth 1:11, Naomi’s husband and her two sons had died. She explains to her two widowed daughters-in-law that she could never provide sons for them to marry after the custom of that day. She asks, “Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?” Again the term “sons” (Heb. BEN) describes the unborn life.
In Job 3:3, he says, “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man child conceived.” Job refers to the unborn child as a “man child conceived.”
In Hosea 12:3, the prophet says, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God.” The reference again is to the unborn as a “brother” in the womb.
Luke 1:43 says, “And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Here, Elizabeth addressed Mary as “the mother of my Lord” before Jesus was born, very soon after He was conceived (compare verse 36 to verses 56,57).
Also, in Luke 1:41,44, 36, we read, “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:.. For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” “ And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” Again, the life conceived in Elizabeth’s womb, before it was born, is called “a son.”
Also, if we compare John’s “conception” to his “birth”: we find that, in Luke 1:36, Elizabeth “conceived a son” and, in Luke 1:57, Elizabeth “brought forth a son.” Here, both the conception and the birth refer to a “son.”
From all of the above verses, we find that the unborn is considered a person from the moment of conception according to the Bible.
A Distinct Person at Conception
Scientifically speaking, human life begins at conception when an egg and a sperm unite to form a being that possesses a new and different string of DNA (coded information, the blueprint for a human) different than the parents. At this point, the genetic makeup of the individual is determined. This new person has the capacity of development and growth. No difference exists between a pre-birth baby and a post-birth baby besides growth. Both are at different stages of human growth.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
