Before I Formed Thee In the Belly

After learning of yesterday’s news of the Supreme Court’s decision, I was led to reread an old conference talk by President Nelson when he was a new apostle. He declared, “As sons and daughters of God, we cherish life as a gift from him…. Society professes reverence for human life. We weep for those who die, pray and work for those whose lives are in jeopardy. For years I have labored with other doctors here and abroad, struggling to prolong life. It is impossible to describe the grief a physician feels when the life of a patient is lost. Can anyone imagine how we feel when life is destroyed at its roots, as though it were a thing of naught?” He quoted this scripture which the Church Handbook also uses in discussing this topic: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.” Surely that latter statement was meant as a declaration from the Lord concerning this very practice.

               As I pondered this issue yesterday I realized that as Latter-day Saints we have a unique perspective on life due to our understanding of the Plan of Salvation. When asked the question, “When does life begin?” we do not respond with “at conception” or “when the heart beats” or “when life is viable outside the womb.” Rather, it began long before any of us came to earth! As spirit children we lived with our Father in Heaven before coming to this earth, and we know that each child sent here lived with Him and progressed to the point where they could come and obtain a physical body. The Lord declared of Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Jeremiah was known to the Lord long before he was in the womb of his mother because his spirit was created by the Lord long before his body was (also) created by the Lord in the womb. In his final paragraph of his final general conference message Elder Maxwell said this: “I testify to you that God has known you individually, brethren, for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Ps. 147:4; Isa. 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys! By the way, you have never seen an immortal star; they finally expire. But seated by you tonight are immortal individuals.” We are all immortal beings, and our Father in Heaven has more spirit children to send here to the earth to obtain a physical body and continue in their eternal progression. He created our spirits, He created our bodies in the womb, and we fight against His plan for His children when we take the life of one of those immortal beings in the womb.

               President Nelson ended his talk with these powerful words, “Yes, life is precious! No one can cuddle a cherished newborn baby, look into those beautiful eyes, feel the little fingers, and caress that miraculous creation without deepening reverence for life and for our Creator. Life comes from life. It is a gift from our Heavenly Father. It is eternal, as he is eternal. Innocent life is not sent by him to be destroyed! This doctrine is not of me, but is that of the living God and of his divine Son.” I give thanks for life that our Father in Heaven has given us and which He allows us to play a role in giving to others. But ultimately He is the Giver of Life, and as King Benjamin told His people: “[He] created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will” (Mosiah 2:21).