Conservative and liberal theologians must distort the nature of Biblical ethics in order to argue for their respective assumptions about morality, and the topic of abortion is no exception. While conservative theologians often make the mistake of prioritizing the protection of the unborn over practically every other moral action, liberal theologians may claim that the Bible does not condemn abortion, perhaps citing a law in Exodus 22 as evidence. It is this latter error that will be addressed here.
The only cases where the Bible explicitly permits killing humans are the 1) execution of those guilty of specified capital offenses in a way that does not degrade them, 2) proportionate personal self-defense in scenarios such as nighttime home invasions (Exodus 22:2-3), and 3) warfare that is conducted within the moral limitations of Mosaic Law for the purpose of self-defense or the elimination of a particular group God wants dead (such as the Amalekite genocide in 1 Samuel 15). Several other noteworthy examples of killing humans that do not contradict Biblical laws even though they are not prescribed or mentioned are the discontinuation of life support for those in a permanent unconscious state and abortion before births that would threaten the mothers' lives (if the parents so choose).
Due to the strict nature of Biblical allowances for the killing of a human being, the absence of the word abortion in the Bible does not mean that abortion falls outside the scope of clear commands in Mosaic Law. Just as the requirement of sexual consent (Deuteronomy 22:25-27) logically excludes sexual behaviors with newborns, although pedophilia is not specifically mentioned, and the condemnation of drunkenness condemns drug abuse by logical extension (but not mere drug use), the prohibition of murder logically entails a prohibition of abortion, with only one exception [1].
In fact, some have argued that the case law in Exodus 21:22-24 permits abortion or at least regards the killing of the unborn as a lesser offense than an accidental assault of a pregnant woman. These verses detail the just response if two brawling people happen to harm a pregnant woman nearby, the punishment being financial in nature if there is no serious injury--to either the baby or the woman--and being physical in nature if a permanent injury is inflicted. In neither case does Mosaic Law treat unborn humans as not having the same moral rights held by adult men and women.
Biblical ethics would still oppose most instances of abortion even without Exodus 22:21-24. As aforementioned, the Bible only directly permits the killing of humans in situations that fall into three specific categories, while killing a human in a small handful of other situations would not contradict the laws of the Bible. Abortion outside the context of an attempt to save a mother's life is not included in any of these scenarios. It follows that Biblical ethics rejects abortion for the same reason it rejects other cases of murder: it deprives a human made in the image of God of life without a just cause.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2019/07/abortion-in-cases-of-life-threatening.html
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