As the ideology of the sexual revolution has taken root and abortion has been readily available to sever sex from its natural consequences and corresponding obligations, sex outside of marriage has become normalized in society. American culture has progressively accepted sexual libertinism and promoted the idea that sex is necessary for self-actualization and is a biological need that ought to be satisfied with or without commitment to sex partners. In this context, abortion is perceived as a crucial tool for securing women’s equality, empowerment, and positive futures because having children at the wrong time or with the wrong person can hamper women’s pursuit of education and employment, interfere with relationships and desired activities, and result in women becoming single parents, possibly raising their children in poverty or unsafe, unhealthy, or abusive situations. With sexual freedom and self-fulfillment among the highest priorities of popular culture and abortion deemed a human right, Christian teachings defending the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life are frequently denounced as repressive and harmful, particularly to women.
Against the contention that biblical teachings are harmful to women, this paper will argue that biblical teachings on sex, marriage, and family promote the dignity and flourishing of women and children and can alleviate the perceived need for abortion. First, the paper will survey the reasons women choose abortion, especially noting that abortion almost always occurs because of an act of sex between two people who are not married as well as the high association of abortion with poverty and financial insecurity. The paper will then identify key biblical principles pertaining to sex, marriage, and family and contrast the impact of the biblical prescriptions with the impact of sexual libertinism on women and children’s welfare. It will highlight negative effects on women and children, including misogyny, financial hardship, and abuse, among other things, and contrast those with the implications of biblical teachings on sex, marriage, and family. The paper will show how the Bible’s prescriptions for marriage are not abusive, neglectful, or indifferent to women and children but, rather, are loving, nurturing, and protective of women and children, celebrating and valuing them as fellow image-bearers prized by God. It will also provide evidence that marriage and limiting sex to marriage has positive effects for women and their children, particularly in reducing poverty and abuse, increasing overall happiness and sexual satisfaction, and improving outcomes for children. As believers seek to show God’s goodness to a culture that values radical sexual freedom and sees Christians’ moral beliefs as repressive and at odds with self-fulfillment, it is helpful to recognize the value of biblical principles for sexuality and family. Abiding by biblical standards for sexual activity, including treating sexual partners with love and respect rather than as mere sexual objects to satisfy lust, committing to one’s partner in the covenant of marriage, and limiting sex to marriage, would prevent most crisis pregnancies, thus reducing the perceived need for abortion and the number of abortions associated with poverty.