Pro-lifers hit back against James Talarico's claim that the Bible justifies abortion

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico recently claimed that the Bible does not address abortion, and pro-life leaders are hitting back.

Key Takeaways:

• Talarico is running for the United States Senate, representing Texas.

• He recently claimed that the Bible is not against abortion, and that abortion should remain legal.

• Pro-life leaders have refuted those claims.

The Details:

In a recent interview, Talarico argued that the Bible does not address the issue of abortion, and therefore, it is not antithetical to Christianity to support its legalization. Talarico, a Presbyterian, pointed to Popes Francis and Leo as "spiritual heroes," but still rebutted their pro-life stance.

He claimed:

I trust Texas women to make decisions about their own bodies, to shape their own destinies in consultation with their family members, their doctors, their faith leaders. I don't believe that's a place for government. I don't believe it's a place for politicians. I don't believe it's a place for the state. And that's a belief I hold not despite my faith, but because of my faith.

Jesus never talks about abortion. The Bible is silent on abortion. And when that happens with a social issue as important as abortion, we Christians have to take Scripture as a whole. And we've got to try to make some kind of ethical determination.

James Talarico Reveals All (Pt 3): Fighting Take Texas, Christianity & the Country Back

Commentary:

Numerous pro-life leaders rejected Talarico's claim on the Bible and abortion.

Live Action founder and president Lila Rose responded on X, writing:

It is sick and shameful to use Jesus Christ as an excuse for politically supporting the killing of unborn children."

Governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders likewise dismantled his argument with one Bible verse:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” - Jeremiah 1:5

The God of the universe undeniably values life at all stages, and it’s absolutely disgusting for Talarico to imply otherwise.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, also strongly disagreed with Talarico's take:

Yeah, that’s not how this works. The Bible is explicit. God didn’t stutter when He commanded us not to kill innocent humans. Scripture makes it completely clear how He feels about preborn babies, explicitly stating that He knit us together in the womb and knew us before we were even born. The spiritual gaslighting here is unreal. You can twist the words all you want, but the Bible isn’t silent about killing innocent humans who are all created in the image of God. And, you will be held responsible for this perversion of the Gospel.

Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck…” Your lies are causing a lot of young women to stumble and choose abortion. Please confess your sin and sin no more.

The Bible isn't silent on abortion, and neither am I.

Writing for the Catholic America Magazine, J.D. Long García also debated Talarico on the notion of the Bible remaining silent on abortion. "The Bible is pretty clear about the dignity of the unborn," he said, adding, "Mr. Talarico has certainly figured out that his approach to talking about religion as a political candidate attracts a lot of attention, helping him grow from a previously obscure state legislator to a national figure. Unfortunately, when it comes to abortion, he is using his facility in discussing religion to defend his party’s pre-existing position rather than to help Americans with sincere religious disagreements about abortion policy have better conversations with each other."

In a lengthy response, Robert Gagnon, Visiting Scholar at Wesley Biblical Seminary, dismissed Talarico's claims as a fallacy and called it blasphemous:

Scripture is clear that humans are made in God's image and that already in the womb God is at work shaping the young child. The Bible affirms that God cares for babies in the womb whom he meticulously forms (Psalms 139:13-16; 22:10; Job 31:15), including even calling prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah) and apostles (Paul) from their existence in the womb (Isaiah 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15)​.

The Bible doesn't mention every issue in society. The absence of mention of abortion is no more significant than its absence of mention of the cruelty of infant exposure. The evidence that we do have from both Testaments of Scripture and from the unified witness of early Christian texts in the period from the second century A.D. ... leave little doubt about the church's consistent stance against abortion as a grave wrong. ...

Talarico's assertion that God gave Mary the option in Luke 2 of aborting the Son of God conceived in her womb is laughable. In Talarico's warped theological thinking, he pictures in his head God saying through his angel: "Hey Mary, if you want to go ahead and kill the Son of God in your womb, that's fine with me. I respect your choice in the matter. I'm 'pro-choice' all the way!"

Evangelist Franklin Graham denounced Talarico's claims as "wicked" on Facebook, writing, "The Bible is not silent on abortion as he claims — that's an absolute lie. God commands us, 'You shall not murder' (Exodus 20:13). Abortion is taking a life — it is murder. The Word of God tells us we are created in the image of God and consistently underscores the value of human life. Jeremiah 1:5 says, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...'"

The Bottom Line:

Christianity is not silent on abortion, and taking an innocent life can never be justified.