I'll never forget the day she came to my office. She had called earlier in the day, audibly upset, and asked if she could come over and talk with me. As her pastor, I naturally said that would be fine and made time for her. A little while later she walked into my office, looking very distraught with her face red and eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. At that moment she looked much older than her 16 years. I handed her a box of tissues and sat down to hear her story.

She began telling me of her relationship with a boy at school. She had been sneaking out to be with him without her parents' knowledge, and one thing had led to another until she had very recently discovered that she was pregnant.

She knew she was too young to raise a child and her boyfriend didn't want the financial responsibility, so he had provided the money required for an abortion. Earlier that day she had added one more baby to the more than 1.5 million who were aborted that year in the United States . With tears running down her cheeks and pleading in her voice, she begged me to tell her she had not just killed her baby. She kept asking, "What do I do now?"

Although the number of abortions taking place has declined over the past decade in the United States , the numbers are still staggering. Experts estimate that worldwide between 36 and 53 million abortions are carried out every year—with slightly less than half of those being legally performed. If current rates continue, more than 40 percent of American women will have at least one abortion by age 45.

For 61 percent of the world's population, abortions are legal. But are they right? Those who call themselves "pro-choice" consider abortion to be a legitimate form of birth control and a matter that is entirely the personal choice of the mother. But it is important for us to ask what God thinks about abortion. Is abortion morally acceptable behavior, or is it a sin before God?

What God says

Most people are aware of and agree with God's command in Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder." But does an unborn child have life? The answer to that seems clear from the Bible, scientific sources and the practical experience of countless parents.

The Bible says that the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:14). Medical science has shown us that within a few days of conception, the tiny embryo attaches itself to the wall of its mother's uterus to begin receiving oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood supply. Within four to five weeks (before many women even know they are pregnant), an identifiable blood system has already developed in the new baby. By six weeks a beating heart is discernable.

Dr. Hymie Gordon, chairman of the Department of Genetics at the Mayo Clinic, in testimony before Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearings said, "By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception" (www.prolife.com/FETALDEV.html).

Practical experience also demonstrates that a baby has the ability to sense and react long before he is born. His mother will often notice him responding to sound or sudden movement in the months before birth. After he is born he will generally respond to voices or sounds he heard while he was in the womb. For example, when a newborn lies on his mother's chest he will calm down as he hears the familiar sound of her heartbeat and the soothing sound of her voice.

One mother reflected that when she was pregnant with her second child, she sat with her first child, a daughter, as the daughter practiced her violin lessons. After the birth of her second child, a son, the mother noticed that when violin practice began each afternoon, no matter how painful it may have been for an adult to listen to, the infant would immediately calm down and listen quietly.

Why? It seems the sound was familiar to him since he'd listened to it for months before his birth!

It is clear that our unborn children have life! They take in oxygen and nutrients through the miraculous means designed by God. Their hearts are beating. They hear and respond to the outside world and remember certain sounds after they are born.

From the moment of conception, a life has begun—an awe-inspiring process by which God allows a mother and father to participate in the process of creation! To do anything to purposely destroy such a precious life is to violate the Sixth Commandment and commit murder. Simply put, abortion is a sin.

After an abortion

With this understanding, let's go back to the young lady I mentioned at the beginning. What was she to do, now that the deed was already done? What should you do if you have already had an abortion? Once again, we turn to the sure Word of God for the answer.

The great and eternal God is a God of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. He has promised to forgive all our sins—whatever those sins may be—if we will only come to Him with a humble heart and repent (Acts 3:19). To repent means not only to ask for forgiveness, but also to make the lifestyle changes needed so we do not repeat the sin.

In the case of my young counselee, she needed to make several changes from that point forward. Premarital sex was the cause of the pregnancy, and the Bible clearly labels any sex outside of marriage a sin.

But as with nearly all cases of teen pregnancies, this young lady's problems started well before she became sexually active.

She needed to reconsider the relationship she had with her boyfriend. She needed to ask if it was a healthy relationship for her (or anyone) to be in. How was that relationship affecting other aspects of her life? How was she handling responsibilities like school, family and perhaps a job? Was she showing her parents the respect and honor she should have been?

As we considered these questions, she could see where she needed to make changes in her life to avoid repeating the same mistake.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you may need to follow this same line of reasoning to determine what areas of your life need to be changed, with God's help, so you may truly repent of this sin. As God said to King Solomon, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Dealing with guilt

Repentance and making positive changes in our lives are what God requires after we realize we've sinned. Following an abortion, an additional step may be needed.

The weight of this sin may result in extreme guilt, grief, anxiety and depression that are nearly impossible for some teens and women to overcome alone. Rather than allow these emotions to become destructive, it would be wise to seek the services of a competent grief counselor. A physician, school counselor or minister may be able to point you in the right direction for a counselor in your area.

And finally, as with every sin we commit and repent of, we then need to go forward in faith, knowing that God will provide what is best for us from this point on. No one can undo the past nor make the physical consequences of sin go away. But with God's guidance and help, we can work through those consequences and strive to make wiser decisions for the rest of our lives—even after an abortion.

May it be from this day onward that you never experience the crushing grief this sin brings. Think about things from above and view life from a godly perspective—because there is a better way! GN