We briefly commented on same-sex marriages and capital punishment, but the majority of our conversation focussed on abortion. Mr. Hutchinson had trouble reconciling my support of capital punishment with my utter detest of abortion. Sadly, he fails to acknowledge two things:

• when a criminal is put to death, it is not an act of murder, but an exercise of justice afforded to governing authorities (Ro 13:1-7)

• when an unborn child is put to death, it is not merely a collection of tissue called a "fetus", but an innocent human being (Jer 1:5)

To strengthen his position on abortion, Mr. Hutchinson informed me that the early church supported abortion. He stated that ample evidence could be found in quotes from antiquity to demonstrate that the early Christians were not opposed to the act of aborting a pregnancy. When asked for the evidence, our MP want-to-be said he would likely be too busy to supply me with any specifics, but that the testimony of early Christians should be easy enough to find.

Indeed, evidence of what the early church believed on abortion was not difficult to find. However, Mr. Hutchinson will not like what the evidence reveals. Notice:

• Thou shalt not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born.
  (74 AD — Letter of Barnabas 19)
  

• There are some women among you who by drinking special potions extinguish the life of the future human in their very bowels, thus committing murder before they even give birth.
  (170 AD — Octavius 30, Minucius Felix)
  

• Among surgeons' tools there is a certain instrument, which is formed with a nicely-adjusted flexible frame for opening the uterus first of all and keeping it open; it is further furnished with an annular blade, by means of which the limbs within the womb are dissected with anxious but unfaltering care; its last appendage being a blunt or covered hook, wherewith the entire fetus is extracted by a violent delivery. There is also a copper needle or spike, by which the actual death is managed in this furtive robber of life: they give it, from its infanticide function, the name of embruosphaktes, ‘the slayer of the infant', which of course was alive.
  (210 AD — The Soul 25, Tertullian)
  

• 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 ont that is coming to birth. That is a man which is going to be one; you have the fruit already in its seed.
  (210 AD — Apology 9, Tertullian)
  

• (Christians) marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not cast out their offspring.
  (250 AD — Letter of Diognetus, Diognetus)
  

• The man, or woman, is a murderer that gives a philtrum, if the man that takes it die upon it; so are they who take medicines to procure abortion; and so are they who kill on the highway, and rapparees.
  (374 AD — First Canonical Letter 8, Basil the Great)
  

• Wherefore I beseech you, flee fornication... Why sow where the ground makes it its care to destroy the fruit? – where there are many efforts at abortion? – where there is murder before birth? For even the harlot you do not let continue a mere harlot, but make her a murderess also. You see how drunkenness leads to prostitution, prostitution to adultery, adultery to murder; or rather to something even worse than murder. For I have no names to give it, since it does not take off the thing born, but prevents its being born. Why then do thou abuse the gift of God, and fight with His laws, and follow after what is a curse as if a blessing, and make the chamber of procreation a chamber of murder, and arm the woman that was given for childbearing unto slaughter?
  (391 AD — Homilies on Romans, John Chrysostom)
  

• Some go so far as to take potions, that they may insure barrenness, and thus murder human beings almost before their conception. Some, when they find themselves with child through their sin, use drugs to procure abortion, and when, as often happens, they die with their offspring, they enter the lower world laden with the guilt not only of adultery against Christ but also of suicide and child murder.
  (396 AD — Letters 22, Jerome)

Though the Bible does not specifically address the issue of abortion, it certainly does supply information which necessarily infers that God is opposed to such an action, and that all who would serve Him should likewise appal such a deed. Note:

God knows us from before our birth, even before our conception:
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered my in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." (Ps 139:13-16)

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:5)

God values the life of an unborn child the same as the life of a grown man:
"If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." (Ex 21:22-25)

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20)

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Thanks to Steve Rudd for his work in compiling quotes from antiquity regarding the topic of abortion. More quotes may be found at: www.bible.ca/H-Abortion.htm