Last week was officially the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, as established by President Reagan in 1984. In Genesis 1:27, we find that God is the Creator of persons, and in Acts 10:34, we find out that He is no respecter of those persons. That verse in Genesis is all we need to know about why human life is sacred. It says we are created in the image of God Himself, which means that we have this divine resemblance that makes our lives different than any other created thing.
Christians believe that life and personhood begin at conception, but believing in the sanctity of human life means that we believe there is inherent value in every human being — regardless of age, gender, social status or any other reason we may use to rank order the value of other people. Their value is provided to them by their Creator, and the fact that they deserve to be treated with a certain level of decency and dignity that transcends their actions, attitudes or circumstances.