Disputing James Talarico’s Assertion the Bible is Silent Regarding Abortion

Introduction: Is Abortion Merely a Public Policy Issue?

Recently, Texas State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico made the controversial assertion that the Bible is silent regarding abortion. During a CNN town hall, Talarico was challenged by Catholic theology professor Jodi Hunt concerning his position on protecting unborn human life.

According to an October 15, 2026, report in The Christian Post, Talarico defended his position during a public discussion about abortion and reproductive rights.

Read the report: Talarico Challenged Over Claim That Bible Is Silent on Abortion — The Christian Post⁠

Talarico’s argument raises a profound theological question: Is abortion merely a matter of public policy, or does Scripture provide a moral framework concerning the sanctity of unborn human life?

While the Bible does not use the modern medical term abortion, the absence of contemporary terminology does not mean the absence of biblical teaching. Scripture also does not explicitly mention human trafficking, pornography, or embryonic genetic engineering by their modern names. Nevertheless, biblical principles provide moral guidance concerning these issues.

Here are seven reasons why.

1. The First Divine Mandate for Human Government Was to Protect Human Life (Genesis 9:5–6)

Following the flood, God established a foundational principle for human civilization:

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:6, ESV)

This passage establishes the sanctity of human life as a foundational concern of human government..

Human life possesses intrinsic dignity because every human being bears the image of God.

Consequently, the protection of innocent human life is not merely a religious preference but a fundamental moral responsibility of civil society.

2. Biblical Case Law Addresses Harm to an Unborn Child (Exodus 21:22–25)

The sixth commandment declares, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

Exodus 21:22–25 provides an important legal case involving pregnant women who are injured during a physical altercation.

The passage describes men fighting and striking a pregnant woman, resulting in premature delivery or pregnancy loss. It subsequently establishes penalties, including the principle of “life for life.”

I believe this is compelling because it recognizes that the unborn child possesses legal significance and that fatal harm demands the most serious consideration – “a life for a life”

Far from being silent, biblical law explicitly addresses the consequences of violence involving pregnant women and their unborn children.

3. God Hates the Shedding of Innocent Blood (Proverbs 6:16–17)

Proverbs identifies seven things the Lord hates, including:

“Hands that shed innocent blood.” (Proverbs 6:17)

God hates the unjust destruction of innocent human life.

Who could be more innocent, vulnerable, and defenseless than an unborn child?

The biblical prohibition against shedding innocent blood must inform Christian moral reasoning concerning abortion.

Furthermore, passages such as Isaiah 1:17 and Proverbs 31:8–9 command God’s people to defend the vulnerable and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

The unborn represent a profound test of whether our concern for justice extends to those who possess no political influence or public voice.

4. God Personally Forms Human Beings in Their Mothers’ Wombs (Psalm 139:13–16)

David declares:

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

He continues by describing God’s intimate knowledge of his development before birth.

This remarkable passage demonstrates that prenatal human life is neither accidental nor insignificant to God.

David does not describe himself as becoming valuable only after birth. Rather, he identifies his developing prenatal existence as the object of God’s creative activity.

The continuity of personal identity is unmistakable.

If God is personally involved in forming human life within the womb, Christians cannot dismiss that developing life as merely disposable biological material.

5. John the Baptist Was Filled With the Holy Spirit Before Birth (Luke 1:15, 39–44)

The account of John the Baptist provides extraordinary insight into the spiritual significance of prenatal life.

The angel Gabriel declared that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15).

Later, when Mary visited Elizabeth, the unborn John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.

Elizabeth exclaimed:

“For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:44)

Notice that Scripture describes the unborn John as a baby who responded with joy in connection with the presence of Mary, who was carrying Jesus.

This unmistakably demonstrates that Scripture attributes personal and spiritual significance to life before birth.

John’s prophetic identity did not begin at delivery.

6. Jeremiah’s Prophetic Calling Preceded His Birth (Jeremiah 1:5)

God declared to Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

This passage reveals that God’s knowledge and purposes transcend the moment of physical birth.

Jeremiah was not an anonymous biological entity who suddenly became significant upon entering the world.

God identified him personally and appointed him to a prophetic vocation before his birth.

This passage contributes to the larger biblical theology of human personhood, divine foreknowledge, and prenatal dignity.

When considered alongside Psalm 139 and Luke 1, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue that Scripture has nothing meaningful to say concerning human life in the womb.

7. The Earliest Christians Explicitly Condemned Abortion (The Didache 2:2)

Perhaps one of the most compelling historical arguments comes from the earliest generations of Christianity.

The Didache, commonly dated to the late first or early second century, is among the earliest surviving Christian instructional documents outside the New Testament.

In its moral teaching concerning the Two Ways—the way of life and the way of death—it explicitly prohibits abortion.

Didache 2:2 states:

“You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.”

This is an extraordinary historical witness.

Within the Greco-Roman world, abortion and the exposure of unwanted infants were known practices. Yet the early Christians distinguished themselves through their conviction that vulnerable human life deserved protection.

The Didache demonstrates that Christians living close to the apostolic era understood biblical morality to prohibit abortion.

The earliest Christian opposition to abortion was not invented by modern American political conservatives. It was embedded in Christian moral teaching long before contemporary political parties existed.

Conclusion: The Sanctity of Life Is Both a Theological and Public Policy Issue

James Talarico’s assertion that the Bible is silent concerning abortion is theologically inaccurate 

If we cannot trust our leaders to recognize and defend the dignity of the most innocent and defenseless human beings, how can we trust their moral judgment when legislating other matters involving justice, human dignity, and the common good?