Apparently, Sen. Obama and the LDS Church share the same view on when life begins: They don’t know.

From this weekend’s Saddleback Forum, the Rev. Rick Warren asked Sen. Obama:

Q. At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?

A. Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.

However, Sen. Obama’s attempt to side-step an issue that many Americans take very seriously didn’t work. (Note how he short-circuited the intent of the question by draining it of politics and converting it into a religious and scientific issue?) Obama then cut off any follow-up with the perfunctory recognition that “there is a moral and ethical content to this issue” (thanks!) and went on to expound the typical pro-choice line.

Despite the Senator’s glib response, the Mormon Church has actually expressed a similar non-view on when life begins for the unborn child:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the moment that human life begins.

Although, I am more comfortable with Sen. McCain’s view that life begins at conception, it’s a matter of fact that our limited knowledge prevents us from saying for sure when life begins in the womb. But that uncertainty should make our approach to abortion all the more definite.

In light of the unknown beginnings of life, a logical and morally serious approach to abortion should limit it to all but the most extreme of circumstances. Despite some claims that is is “pro-choice,” LDS Church policy forbids “elective abortion for personal or social convenience.”

Sen. Obama pretends to defer to God, but as a state and U.S. Senator he has demonstrated that he either has definite views on when life begins or that he simply doesn’t care. He has a record of consistently opposing any restrictions on abortion, including defeating a bill that would have required medical attention for infants born alive during an abortion. Either way, he certainly doesn’t want to talk about it and yet, he has no qualms implementing policies that show a complete disregard for unborn life.

Rev. Warren clearly wanted to follow-up on this issue. Afterwards, he best summarized Obama’s apparent lack of curiosity and with more charity.

I think he needed to be more specific on that. I happen to disagree with Barack on that. Like I said, he’s a friend.

But to me, I would not want to die and get before God one day and go, ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t take the time to figure out’ because if I was wrong then it had severe implications to my leadership if I had the ability to do something about it.

He should either say, ‘No scientifically, I do not believe it’s a human being until X’ or whatever it is or to say, ‘Yes, I believe it is a human being at X point,’ whether it’s conception or anything else. But to just say ‘I don’t know’ on the most divisive issue in America is not a clear enough answer for me.

P.S. Note that Sen. Obama was incorrect when he repeated the canard that abortions have gone up during the Bush administration:

Obama wrongly claimed that abortions “have not gone down” under President Bush. In fact, the abortion rate has gone down 9 percent, and the annual total has declined by more than 100,000.