Twenty-six Days

Reading:   Leviticus 17

In chapter seventeen, The Lord reiterates his prohibition on the drinking of blood and reemphasizes that sacrifices are to be offered only to Him, satanic offerings of any kind are strictly prohibited.  There is also a verse explaining when life begins; a trigger for the ever popular debate on abortion.  I believe in the sanctity of life and, understanding that life starts at the first beat of a heart, can unequivocally say, that life has begun and should not be terminated.  Now, I agree that every situation is unique and poses its own set of issues, so on, and so on, and in some cases there might be cause; but, 97.9% of the time, no!

I also want to make clear that I am not the supreme judge and will not hold my head above any other soul for choices made.  My place is to love and accept.  Finally, terminating a pregnancy is not held in the same regard as murder and, like all sin, there is a process of forgiveness that cannot be denied the contrite spirit.

But, in regards to this issue or any for that matter, please don't blindly accept or even listen to, the extreme voices out there.  There are zealots on both sides; from the physicians who peddle abortion to vulnerable women like ambulance chasing attorneys looking for a quick buck, to the crazies screaming pro-life, yes CRAZIES, who stand on street corners holding up signs of aborted babies to make a point.

For me it's as simple as the scripture...

LEVITICUS 17:11

11    For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 

Here is stated the beginning of life, "...life of the flesh is in the blood."  We are talking about the flow of blood within the fetus, the first beat of a heart...to understand when exactly that is let me turn to a former heart surgeon and current Apostle of God, Russell M. Nelson:

 It is not a question of when "meaningful life" begins or when the spirit "quickens" the body. In the biological sciences, it is known that life begins when two germ cells unite to become one cell, bringing together twenty-three chromosomes from both the father and from the mother. These chromosomes contain thousands of genes. In a marvelous process involving a combination of genetic coding by which all the basic human characteristics of the unborn person are established, a new DNA complex is formed. A continuum of growth results in a new human being. The onset of life is not a debatable issue, but a fact of science.

 Approximately twenty-two days after the two cells have united, a little heart begins to beat. At twenty-six days the circulation of blood begins. (See J. Willis Hurst, R. Bruce Logue, Robert C. Schlant, and Nanette Kass Wenger, The Heart, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978), p. 7.)

The woman's choice for her own body does not validate choice for the body of another. The expression "terminate the pregnancy" applies literally only to the woman. The consequence of terminating the fetus therein involves the body and very life of another. These two individuals have separate brains, separate hearts, and separate circulatory systems. To pretend that there is no child and no life there is to deny reality. 

     -Reverence For Life, April General Conference 1985 (Saturday morning session)

Again, for me, it's as simple as the scripture...life of flesh is in the blood...26-days...

~Kipling