Logially, since the Mosaic law already talked about “thou shalt not kill” and that people who kill will in turn be killed and it talked about penalties for injury, why would it need to be rehashed to specifically talk about pregnant mothers?

What you’re missing is that the prohibition against killing only applied to people who had reached one month after birth. So, killing a full-grown woman got you death, whereas killing her fetus only got you a fine.

The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible has the following:

21:22 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.
Note: If two men fight and cause a woman to miscarry, but do not hurt her, then the one who hurt her shall pay her husband an amount determined by the judges. Only if the woman dies is the punishment to be death. Apparently, then, with respect to abortion, God is pro-choice since he considers a woman’s life to be more important that that of the fetus.

21:23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

It also has a whole page on what the Bible says about abortion:

Abortion is not murder. A fetus is not considered a human life.

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

The Bible places no value on fetuses or infants less than one month old.

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

Fetuses and infants less than one month old are not considered persons.

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

God sometimes approves of killing fetuses.

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
(Some of the non-virgin women must have been pregnant. They would have been killed along with their unborn fetuses.)

Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. — Hosea 9:14

Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. — Hosea 9:16

Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up. — Hosea 13:16

God sometimes kills newborn babies 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 causes abortions by cursing unfaithful wives.

The priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell. And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. …
And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. — Numbers 5:21-21, 27-28

God’s law sometimes requires the execution (by burning to death) of pregnant women.

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

If you believe in the bible, then you wouldnt get an abortion, as it is wrong by God and considered murder, as shown in the bible.

If you do not believe in the bible, then I dont see how you have any moral obligation not to get an abortion. Do what you want. If you are an Atheist, or believe in a god(s) but not the bible (barring any other holy books that condemn abortion) then who cares if you abort?

All in all I still dont think doctors or even other pro life fundamental Christians have the right to tell you that YOU cant get an abortion because THEY believe it is morally wrong. That is wrong.

Brett: nope. Exodus 21:22 says that if fetus dies, a fine must be paid. 21:23 says if the woman dies, the offender must be put to death.

You best read it again. 22 says that if the baby is born premi, but lives, there is a fine, but if there is serious damage or it dies, then the man injuring the child is to die. Its pretty straight forward.

This is just one bible version “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [a] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,”

This is really pretty cut and dry. I don’t advocate pro choice or pro life, I dont really care what you do with your body. But I dont like Incompetent and unethical doctors, or anti religionists saying religionists have no biblical backing, when clearly they do.

The bible quote above was taken from:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2021:22-24;&version=51;
I just googled it. There are many versions there and they all say the same thing.

But do try again.

But yes … there really is no Biblical basis for the anti-birth-control, anti-abortion beliefs of the religious right.

DAS
Exodus 21: 22,23. Indeed if the unborn child is injured and dies, the responsible party is a manslayer and is to be put to death. So thats just one biblical reference against it.

You make some very good points. I will keep this in mind. Clever, aren’t they? Choose words that mean different things to different people. That way they can defend their position from any angle.

“Rare” is also a detriment to my right to choose. It implies that abortion is something that should not be except in special cases, and that abortion is something to be ashamed of because it is fundamentally wrong.

Shawn, I completely agree with you that women should have abortion available on demand. And I completely agree with you that nobody should ever be made to feel ashamed of the fact that she has had an abortion.

But I’m not sure that I agree with you about what the implications of “rare” are. To my mind, “rare” implies that the resources that are available to prevent unintended pregnancy in the first place ought to be more well-known and more accessible. Easy access to EC makes abortion rarer. Easy access to birth control makes abortion rarer. Educating young people about birth control makes abortion rarer.

I don’t think abortions should be rare because they are shameful or morally wrong. I think we should strive for them to be rare because they are a stress on women’s bodies, and if I can avoid surgery by taking a pill, I’d rather take the pill.

Sylvs, http://www.getthepill.org/ will fax prescriptions to a nearby pharmacy for women who are having trouble finding a doctor who will treat them with dignity. They do have legal restrictions on which states they are able to operate in, however.