Taking morals, spirituality, and
religion out of the question as a whole, the point at which human life begins
must be established. The Pro Choice Network argues that “Personhood at conception
is a religious belief, not a provable biological fact.” However, there is
considerable scientific evidence that combats that rather ambiguous,
wishy-washy statement. The earliest cell formed at conception is referred to as
the zygote, the fertilized egg. First of all, is it alive? Based on its
capacity for metabolism,
growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction, it can be scientifically classified
as a living organism. Secondly, is it human? The Family Research Council argues
that “the zygote is composed of human DNA and other human molecules, so its
nature is undeniably human.” The third, and perhaps most debatable, question: is
it not just human, but an organism, a human “being?” While it may seem like a
matter of religious preference or a debate about the presence or acquisition of
a soul, science presents a convincing argument on this issue. Scientists define
an organism as “a complex structure of interdependent elements constituted to
carry on the activities of life by separately-functioning but mutually
dependant organs.” Immediately upon its formation, the zygote fulfills this
definition by initiating a program of development that will continue through
all the phases of its life from pre-birth to death. It begins forming organs
and systems that are designed to “carry on the activities of life,” as the
scientists detailed in their description. Entirely through the eye of
scientific reason, an embryo can be proven to be alive, human, and decidedly a
human being.
Under
the US Law Code, section 1111, murder is defined as “the unlawful killing of a
human being with malice aforethought.” With this significant scientific
evidence presented in support of the embryo as a human being, how can it be
exempt from this blunt definition? How can it remain unprotected by this
explicit law? Mother Teresa said, “And if we can accept that a mother can kill
even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” While
morality is a matter of debate, there are certain principles that society has
reached agreements on. If it is immoral and thus illegal to kill another human
being that is outside of the womb, it should be no less immoral and illegal to
kill a human being that is inside the womb. The pro-choice argument that “there
is no scientific consensus as to when human life begins” and that “it is a
matter of philosophic opinion or religious belief” discounts religion for its
subjective nature while simultaneously feigning ignorance of considerable
scientific evidence. Their support is almost entirely subjective and opinion
based.
On the
subject of rights of the unborn vs. rights of the mother, there is much dissent
as well. The Pro Choice Action Network argues that “bearing a child alters a
woman’s life more than anything else…being born is a gift, not a right.” If you
want a true feminist perspective, take it from the original feminist, Susan B.
Anthony, who said “No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save
from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the
deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death.”
While I don’t have a solution besides adoption for those women who abort
children out of believed “necessity,” I simply can’t make a case in favor of
those women who abort out of convenience. There is no consideration of the
child in situations when they are merely unwanted, as opposed to unable to be
cared for. Abortion is not birth control and by treating it as such, we are
sadly deceiving ourselves.
If you are
still adamant about the necessity and legality of abortion, I challenge you to
think about what comes after. Do you think after a woman has an abortion, her
life returns to normal and the consequences are erased? It is quite the
opposite. A multitude of problems that cannot be dismissed follow women that
have abortions- problems that I would argue highly outweigh the “benefits” of
the practice. Upon watching the documentary Life
After Abortion, I was moved to tears by the heart wrenching stories of
women dealing with abortion and its effects. They told of their experience with
pregnancy: the panic and the decision to abort. They told of the horrible
clinic: the cold tables, the disinterested doctors, the dishonest nurses, the refusal
to show the women the ultrasound so they wouldn’t change their mind after
seeing and becoming emotionally attached to the ever-growing baby, as opposed
to the “clump of cells” they claimed it to be. Worst of all, they detailed the
horrible process of the abortion itself: a vacuum sucking the innocent life out
of their womb, leaving horrible scars that could complicate later pregnancies,
and sometimes even lead to hemorrhaging that almost killed one of the videoed
women. The emotional and physical tolls that came after the abortion were
shocking and hard to listen to. The women became depressed, turned to alcohol
and drugs, became even more promiscuous, some even became suicidal. One woman,
at the point when she wanted to have a child, was devastated to find out that
the only children she could ever have she had aborted. Even without taking into
account the rights of the unborn, I’m struggling to see the benefits that
abortion provided the women in that documentary. Not only that, but it revealed
the deceptive motives behind abortion clinics. Aside from intentionally not
showing women their ultrasounds to keep from losing their business, many
abortion clinics have performed pseudo-abortions on women who are not pregnant!
This process is more of a money-grubbing business than a necessary service.
The
women in that video were not alone. Silent No More Awareness is a campaign that
aims to reach out to those who have been hurt by abortion as well as educate
the public about the very real negative effects, emotional, physical, and
spiritual, that abortion has had, and will have, on women. Hundreds of women
march around holding signs that proclaim “I regret my abortion.” Hundreds of men
hold signs that read “I regret my lost fatherhood.” We need to realize that
abortion affects more than just the potential mother. It affects her
especially, but also her entire family. If you won’t take it from someone who
has no firsthand experience with it, take it from those who do, those who
regret their decision and beg others to think before making their same mistake.
The testimonies all tell of remorse and loss. “I was never told how I would
feel afterwards: the tremendous shame that would stay with me for decades,”
said Michelle from Indiana. Stephanie from Texas said “Abortion steals so much
more than the precious, priceless life of your baby, a unique gift from God. It
steals what could have been from them, from you, and your family.” That’s what
gets me the most: what could have been. We are taking human lives into our own
hands, something that was never ours to take.
Ronald Reagan once said, “I've
noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” I find it
telling that proponents of abortion find it absurd to even consider rights of
the unborn simply because they are within a woman who can make her own decisions.
The child is still a separate being even if it must live inside of its mother
for a short time. Just imagine how different the lives of those around you
would be if you had been aborted by your parents. Now think about all the lives
that would be touched by those millions of babies that are aborted every year.
We will never know what could have come of them. Abortion should not be tread
on lightly, and until we see it for what it is, we continue to foster the gray
areas of society and dilute ever-fading morality.
Works Cited
"18 U.S.C. §
1111 : US Code - Section 1111: Murder." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Dec. 2014. <http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/51/1111>.
"Abortion."
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortion>.
"For
Expecting Mothers: Deciding Whether Adoption Is the Right Choice." Healthywomen.org.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
Life After Abortion. Dir. Barkley, Brian. Crown
Entertainment, 2011. Film.
"Misconceptions
About Abortion." THE PRO-CHOICE ACTION NETWORK. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2014.
<http://www.prochoiceactionnetwork-canada.org/abortioninfo/misconce.shtml>.
"Quotes About
Abortion." (121 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/abortion>.
Schwarzwalder,
Rob. "Family Research Council." Family Research Council. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. <http://frc.org/arguments>.
The Silent No More
Awareness Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/>.
"Slideshow:
Fetal Development Month by Month." Webmd.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Dec. 2014.
<http%253A%252F%252Fwww.webmd.com%252Fbaby%252Fss%252Fslideshow-fetal-development>.
"STAND FOR
LIFE." : The Abortion "Sign" For The Deaf: A Two-Second Video
Tells A Thousand Words. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.standforlife.net/2013/06/the-abortion-sign-for-deaf-picture.html>.
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