Abortion is one of the hottest topics of our time. The controversial battle between pro-life and pro-choice is still an ongoing one. So many men and women are passionate about this issue, including myself. I have wanted to write about this for a long time, however I know that it is a touchy subject. I wanted to find a way to express my opinion without attacking the opposing side or calling anyone out or passing judgement. This article is simply me stating why I believe what I believe. I’m not saying anyone is right. I’m not saying anyone is wrong. This is just my opinion. This is why I am pro-life.
I have changed my mind on a number of things since my early teenage years, however, being pro-life is something I have always identified myself as since I was 13. My parents never talked about it with me, and I was not influenced by any one specific person. I came to be anti-abortion after thinking long and hard about what life is and what it means to be human. One reason, a prominent one I might add, is that I am a Catholic Christian. Life is one of God’s greatest gifts. I am so thankful to be on Earth, to have air in my lungs, and to be able to take in God’s creation. I want every baby that is conceived to have a chance to experience this world we live in. Every soul that God creates has a right to life. The idea of a soul is another reason that I am pro-life. I believe that God does everything for a reason. Every baby conceived and born is meant to do something in this world, and therefore has a soul. I am pro-life because the very second a baby is conceived, they have a soul and a purpose.
That being said, I do believe that a fetus is alive at the moment of conception. A thing cannot go from being an object to being a living creature. One can only go from life to death, not the other way around. Something that is alive has been alive since it was conceived. A chick inside an egg is alive even before it hatches. A plant is alive even before the sprout pops out of the ground. I cannot understand why a baby would be any different. I am pro-life because all forms of life are sacred.
The most widely known and accepted indicator of a living being is a heart beat. A fetus’s heart begins to beat three to four weeks after conception. Most women do not find out they are pregnant until about two months into the pregnancy. Therefore, most if not all abortions occur after a baby’s heart is already beating. I am pro-life because stopping a person’s heart from beating means that they were killed.
By eight weeks, an unborn child can feel. The baby’s nerves have developed and it has already undergone much of the development of the brain, spinal column, and nervous system. I am pro-life because when a woman discovers she’s pregnant at two months, her baby will feel pain. The baby being aborted will feel everything when it is killed. I use the word “killed” because it is the only way to destroy what is alive. There are many pictures and videos of real-life abortions in which the fetus is seen making a facial expression that exhibits pain. These images are why I am pro-life.
Thirty-six states have laws the increase the penalty of the murder of a woman if she is pregnant. In other words, the unborn baby is considered a child, and the murder of the mother counts as two deaths. So then if a woman decides she does not want her baby and has an abortion, it’s not murder because the child was unwanted? Abortion cannot be legal in a place where the murder of a pregnant woman is equal to two murders. I am pro-life because the law decides that a fetus is a human being and that its death is the death of a child.
The fetus is its own person. I do not believe that a woman’s rights to her own body include that of another body growing inside her. A woman has rights to birth control and to safe sex. Failure to practice safe sex is the fault of the mother and father, not the child that is conceived. Once a woman decides to have unprotected sex, it is no longer just her body involved. The baby inside her is its own body and has its own rights to life. In cases of rape and incest, my heart does go out to those victims. Like I said earlier, I am not telling anyone that they are right or wrong. I do not judge any woman who was raped or a victim of incest and has had an abortion. Do I support it? No. Do I feel for her and understand her decision? Yes. I am pro-life because I believe in protecting the innocent.
I believe abortion is murder. I believe that all babies, born and unborn, are people. Every man and woman are equal and every baby has rights. No unborn baby should be punished for events that resulted in their existence. Not wanting a baby is not a reason for murder. It may be hard to go through a nine-month pregnancy. It may be inconvenient. It may be emotionally stressful and difficult. Adoption, however, is always an option. Someone will love that baby and raise it as their own. No matter what happened whether it be rape, incest, or just unplanned, that little person growing inside you is still your baby. That little innocent baby who has not yet so much as taken a breath is already fighting for its life against the threat of abortion. Many woman who have gotten abortions regret it, and many suffer depression and guilt. I am pro-life because no woman should kill her own child.
These are the reasons I believe what I believe. I know many people do not agree with me. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I respect anyone who is pro-choice and feel for any woman who is put in the position of an unplanned pregnancy. I as a Catholic Christian, however, stand by my pro-life mentality. I will continue to speak for the voiceless, and pray for the victims of abortion both mother and child. I pray that one day abortion is made illegal, but until then all I can do is continue to speak my voice and give reasons as to why I think this way. Thank you for reading.
