Essay, Research Paper: Abortion--Why Pro-Life Is The Right Choice

Induced abortion is defined as "...the deliberate termination of pregnancy by removal of the fetus from the womb." (Dickey, 85) The subject of abortion seems to be a very touchy subject nowadays. Many people have different viewpoints on this subject. The abortion conflict has divided America and its people. On one side, there are the Pro-Choice supporters, and on the other side, there are the Pro-Life supporters. Then there are people who have mixed feelings. I, personally, am not unsure about this topic. I believe that terminating the life of a baby is wrong. Many people may wonder why Pro-Life supporters are pro-life and not pro-choice. They may feel that a woman should have the right to choose whether or not she wants to have her baby or not. Well, if the woman can choose, why can't the baby choose? Because it's a baby and can't speak for itself? Just because it's a baby does not mean that it doesn't deserve to live. The woman has no right to choose whether or not the baby should live or die. When they tell you, "Abortion is between a woman and her doctor," they're leaving someone out. And that is the baby. (Gallagher, 61) The only one that can decide if someone should die is God. Since women certainly aren't God, they do not have the right to choose. Genesis 2:7 reveals how God breathed life into Adam's lifeless body. God is the One who gave us life, therefore, he is the only one who can take it away. Many people think that the fetus isn't really a human life until it is born. However, "...the child's first bonds to its parents are already formed in the womb." (Watchtower correspondent, 21) So this means that a human does not first become a human at birth. It becomes a human the second it is conceived. Pro-choice supporters think that it's alright to have an abortion when: 1. The pregnancy endangers the mother's life. 2. There is a risk of a malformation of the fetus. 3. The woman's health is at risk. 4. A pregnancy is the result of rape. However, out of respect for the Bible's high moral requirements, you should not practice abortion under any circumstances whatsoever. (Watchtower correspondent, 28) "Abortion is wrong. Both the Bible and biology point away from the modern notion that the fetus is merely a physical appendage of the mother rather than an independent human being. We must act on the belief that from the moment of conception, we are dealing with a human being created in the image of God. We must stop aborting millions of unborn babies each year." This was said by a Ronald J. Sider from Christianity Today. A person is someone who cannot be sold into slavery. To kill someone is murder. What Roe v. Wade did is destroy the idea that all humans are people. Since Roe, being a human no longer gives you any human rights. Since Roe, you must meet some other vague and undefined criteria--the ability to reason, the ability to make choices, the ability to live on your own, the ability to make adults go oooooh and aaaah while they tickle their toes. Some ability, it's not clear what, earns for you the right to life. (Gallagher, 60, 61)Those who believe in Pro-choice should think of abortion this way. Many reject capital punishment, yet before capital punishment is delivered to a person, he or she is first tried by jury and found guilty. But many who reject capital punishment accept, support and consider it a "right" to take the life of an innocent unborn baby, who has never had a trial or been found guilty. Now, does that sound fair? If American laws forbid the right to kill innocent human beings or even "endangered species" like birds or animals, why is it alright to kill an innocent human being that hasn't had a chance to be born yet?
People also claim that rape justifies abortion. This, however, is not true. It's important to remember that a child of rape has not wronged its mother or anyone else. If anyone should get the capital punishment, it should be the rapist, not his child. (Monica, 160) Nothing justifies having an abortion; not rape, not fornication, not adultery, not a deformity...nothing, nothing at all. Some of the women who have had abortions, have regretted it. One woman who had an abortion while just a teenager said, "Believe me, it hurts to know that I was the cause of a murder, a murder for which the victim will never know how sorry I am." (Watchtower correspondent, 3) An unwanted child does not justify abortion either. A child's being handicapped does not mean that it deserves capital punishment. It didn't do anything wrong. It deserves the right to live just like any other healthy baby. Abortion is usually thought of as a procedure that benefits the woman. But it is also advocated in the name of helping the child. We need to have love for an unwanted child that is unloved and rejected. We should love him/her in a special way, and try to make up for the love he/she has not received. These are the things we should do--not kill him/her by an abortion. (Schwarz, 132) When people say, "We should not bring an unwanted child into the world," they don't realize that the child in the womb is already in the world. The womb is part of the world. The child in the womb is as much here as its mother is. (Schwarz, 132) The child is as real and as present as the rest of us. Abortion is not the solution for child abuse. It is often said by those who have witnessed child abuse that such a child should not have been born. But to kill the child before he is born? Does that seem logical? First of all, abortion isn't the solution. Abortion is the ultimate child abuse. Think of the methods of abortion: the saline burning the skin for one to two hours, cutting the child to pieces, and the vacuum. Think of the pain these methods cause to the child. Abortion is child abuse because all murder is a form of abuse. There are alternatives to having an abortion. A child unwanted by his natural mother even after his birth may be wanted by others eager to adopt him. Thousands of couples would like to adopt babies. So few are available, and usually only after a very long waiting period. It's tragic that at the same time a million and a half or more are slaughtered each year by abortion. (Schwarz, 133) Another way a woman can avoid getting an abortion is by not having premarital sex. Teenagers have abortions, because they are too young to handle having a baby to take care of. Being abstinent while unmarried, is the safest way not to get pregnant. Married women can avoid having an abortion by not having relations with their husband when they are ovulating. This way, they will have less of a chance of getting pregnant. Young teenagers who were supposedly mature enough to handle sex, should be mature enough to keep their baby, instead of seeking the easy way out and having an abortion. They have a responsibility. And that is raising up their child. They need to learn from their mistakes, not escape them. Women shouldn't keep thinking that it's their choice to have an abortion or not. There are those whom we do not hear, since they cannot speak for themselves. Justice and morality cry out that we must speak for them. No one else will. (Meyers, 175)