Scripture does not support equating abortion with murder, and the Lord does not direct us to consider a fetus to be the same as a living person. In Genesis 2:7, the Lord gave life by breathing into Adam — showing that breath is what brings life. A child becomes a living person when it takes its first breath.
And formed God the man, dust from the earth, and breathed into his face breath of life and became the man into a living being.
The punishment for murder was death, yet when someone struck a pregnant woman and caused her to lose her fetus, the penalty was only a fine. This shows that, in the law, the life of a fetus was not regarded in the same way as that of a living person.
If in a fight a pregnant woman was injured and lost her fetus, the attacker would have to pay a fine. But if the woman herself was harmed, it was eye for eye, tooth for tooth. And if the attacker caused her death, he would be put to death, because he had committed murder.
“If any should strike any and he should die, to death let him be put to death.”
ἐὰν δὲ μάχωνται δύο ἄνδρες καὶ πατάξωσιν γυναῖκα ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσαν καὶ ἐξέλθῃ τὸ παιδίον αὐτῆς μὴ ἐξεικονισμένον ἐπιζήμιον ζημιωθήσεται καθότι ἂν ἐπιβάλῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ τῆς γυναικός δώσει μετὰ ἀξιώματος ἐὰν δὲ ἐξεικονισμένον ἦν δώσει ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς
But if two men fight and strike a woman who is pregnant, and her child comes out not fully formed, he shall be punished with a fine, according to what the woman's husband shall impose; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if it was fully formed, then he shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Masoretic text Exodus 21:22-25
“If fight men and hurt a pregnant woman her children come out and yet no further harm, surely he shall be punished accordingly as imposed by the husband of the woman and he shall pay as determined by the judge. But if harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
The Law was so clear Sprinkle noted:
The penalty paid is assessed on the basis of the stage of the development of the dead fetus. The rationale for this view is that the later the stage of pregnancy, the more time has been lost to the woman, the greater the grief for the loss of a child, and the more difficult. This may have been the view of the LXX, which paraphrases אָס֑וֹןיִהְיֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א as “imperfectly formed child” and translates בִּפְלִלִֽים׃ “with valuation.”
Furthermore, Speiser’s view gains credibility in that penalties for miscarriage actually do vary with the age of the dead fetus in the parallel ancient Hittite Law §17, which states, “If anyone causes a free woman to miscarry—if (it is) the 10th month, he shall give ten shekels of silver, if (it is) the 5th month, he shall give five shekels of silver and pledge his state as security.”
— The Septuagint has the Correct Translation of Exodus 21:22-23, Thomas F. McDaniel, Ph.D. (2012), p. 7.. Thomas F. McDaniel, Ph.D. (2012)
The Lord has not directed us to consider a fetus a living being, nor to equate abortion with murder. God’s Word is consistent and clear. If abortion were truly murder in His eyes, it would be treated as such here in Scripture.