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Ever since the spring of 2018, I have been especially heartbroken by the sin of abortion. I have always been pro-life. That's due in part to my Christian upbringing, but it also just seems like common sense to me. The event that caused me to take my pro-life conviction more seriously was when I heard that one of my favorite singers was on the side of abortion for a law about to be passed in his home country. He wasn't actually going to be able to vote on the measure, but his stance was enough to thoroughly upset me.

As I said, I thought protecting all life from the moment of conception was common sense. I couldn't understand how he could be so ignorant. I told myself it was probably because he was a guy who just wanted to look like he supported women's rights. Then I realized he wasn't the only ignorant person who cared more about a woman's right to choose than a baby's right to live.

I cried myself to sleep that night at the injustice of it all. The next day, I spent some time researching pro-life organizations that I could donate money instead of spending it on a concert ticket for that pro-choice singer.

Abortion has remained a subject that I am very passionate about. I've never had an abortion, nor do I personally know anyone who has. My investment in ending abortion is not because of any experience I've had with it. Rather, it is because of my belief that life is sacred and should be protected and preserved at all costs.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139:13-16

I've been looking for ways to make a difference in the fight against abortion. The other day, one presented itself. Recently, a movie was released about a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who quit her job and started advocating for the rights of unborn babies after she witnessed an abortion. It is called Unplanned.

When I was looking for tickets, I saw that Students for Life was offering two free tickets to a pro-lifer who pledged to bring a pro-choice friend. Most of the people I know are Christians and, therefore, pro-life. So, I reached out to the other creators in my Odyssey community and said I'd pay for someone's ticket if they were pro-choice and willing to come to see the movie with me.

Four girls expressed interest. I kept in touch with them and we chose a date and time to see the movie. When the day arrived, I'd lost hope that anyone would show. No one had said anything in days, so I figured they had either forgotten or were ignoring me.

Low and behold, no one came.

While I was disappointed, it wasn't going to stop me from seeing the movie.

I SHOULD WARN YOU THAT GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS AND SPOILERS FOLLOW. YOU CAN SKIP TO THE END IF YOU WISH.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE UNPLANNED, PREPARE TO BE UPSET BY THE DEPICTIONS OF ABORTION. I ALSO SUGGEST YOU DON'T GO ALONE.

The hardest part of the movie to watch occurred in the first ten minutes. Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood clinic director, went to work just like any other Saturday. On Saturdays, they only performed abortions. Abby was in her office when, for the first time in eight years, she was asked to help with an abortion.

The doctor needed her to perform an ultrasound so he could see where the baby was to be able to suck it up. The baby fought for its life to no avail. Abby watched the ultrasound as the baby squirmed and eventually got sucked out of the womb. She left the room sobbing uncontrollably.

https://www.unplannedfilm.com

I was too. I thought I'd never stop crying. It was one of the most horrific things I'd ever seen in my 20 years of life.

It's important to note that when you get an ultrasound at Planned Parenthood, they don't let you look at it or hear the baby's heartbeat. Its only purpose is to determine the size of the baby and, therefore, the cost of the abortion.

If you are pregnant, I implore you to get an ultrasound somewhere you can see your child and hear its heartbeat. If you're considering an abortion, such an ultrasound might change your mind. In the very least, you deserve to see the life you conceived.

The abortion Abby saw was a surgical abortion, where they go in and remove the baby from the womb. The other kind is chemical. The woman takes a series of pills that flush the baby out of her womb. It's like having a miscarriage at home, which means she can expect lots of blood and cramps.

Abby had both kinds of abortions when she was younger, but since she never saw the ultrasound, she didn't think much of it. Later, when she checked her own file and saw it, she was filled with guilt and grief. Many people believe that a fetus is just a clump of cells and tissue. But if you look at an ultrasound, there's a real human baby in there. A baby that deserves to live just as much as you do.

https://www.unplannedfilm.com

While abortions are usually performed within the first six to twelve weeks (the baby in the ultrasound above is twelve weeks along), they are sometimes allowed to be performed at the last minute. Eight states have laws that permit late-term abortions. It is not shown in the movie, but it is discussed.

It's a three-day process. On day one, the baby is euthanized. On day two, labor is induced. On day three, the mother gives birth to her dead baby.

I think all abortion is equally horrible and inhuman, but I especially don't understand how anyone could have a late-term abortion. The baby can survive outside the uterus as early as 24 weeks. If a woman is going to have to deliver the baby, she may as well deliver it alive and put it up for adoption.

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The organization that peacefully assembled outside Abby's clinic and that she eventually got involved with is 40 Days For Life. They hold prayer vigils 24/7 for 40 days where people can come to pray outside an abortion clinic. What they do is important because prayer is powerful.

https://www.unplannedfilm.com

Some of them even have the opportunity to talk with pregnant women who are considering or planning on getting an abortion. Praying with them can make a difference.

In Unplanned, Abby said that, according to Planned Parenthood, people praying outside of clinics can dissuade up to 75% of women from going in.

After I saw the movie, I went online to look for a 40 Days For Life near me. Luckily, there was one in Norman. And what's more, it was currently doing its 40-day prayer vigil where volunteers gathered outside an abortion clinic in Norman. I signed up for a time slot.

If you are interested in helping to end abortion, go to 40 Days For Life's website.

If you'd like to read the book the movie is based on, which has the same title, check online. Barnes & Noble no longer carries a physical copy. That's probably because of Planned Parenthood's opposition to the book and movie and its efforts to end both. Planned Parenthood should be called Preventing Parenthood.

Abortion is a disgusting act that shouldn't be tolerated. If you are pro-life, please do your part. It's as simple as praying. If you live in the Norman area, 40 Days For Life plans on continuing their presence outside the local abortion clinic after the 40 days are over. Please come to 2453 Wilcox Drive and stand in solidarity with fellow pro-life advocates as they talk to and pray for women considering and getting abortions. You only have to do as much as you feel comfortable with, but your presence alone can make an impact.

If you are pro-choice, I encourage you to go see Unplanned and experience Abby's story for yourself. It's certainly powerful.

5 weeks: The heartbeat can be detected

8 weeks: The embryo becomes a fetus

12 weeks: Most organs are formed

14 weeks: Gender can be determined

16-20 weeks: The baby can move, dream, feel pain, and recognize its mother's voice

24 weeks: The baby has a chance of survival outside the uterus