The_Immorality_of_Abortion

The Immorality of Abortion When the topic abortion comes up, it is not typically something people like to discuss. We may avoid this issue because we do not want to offend or upset anyone, but the horrors of this subject are too extreme to be ignored. Terminating a pregnancy after conception is considered abortion. There are currently 3,700 abortions every day in the United States. This unethical practice should be outlawed because of moral issues, political matters, and its negative impact on society. Exodus 20:13 states: “Thou shall not kill.” However you interpret murder, it comes across plain and simple: we are a nation built upon Christian principles, and abortion is immoral. Ever since abortion was legalized in 1973, people seem to have degraded the value of human life. It is a miracle to bring something so special into this world, and people too often overlook the sanctity of life. For many Christians, this has become a tragedy because people do not see or think about the consequences of their actions. People have tried to justify abortion by saying it is a woman’s right to control her own body and do what is best for her. However, she also has the right to prevent a pregnancy from occurring in the first place. As Ronald Regan once said, “I’ve noticed everyone that is for abortion has already been born.” (qtd. in Knapp 56) Many people in society today think that children are a burden and not a blessing. As Michael Mckenzie once said “Women are pressured to abort to save the world, and preserve their Bruchu 2 ‘happiness and freedom.’” (qtd. in Knapp 31) This shows how irresponsible people can be. The media seems to promote being pro-choice because they seem to convince people it is their “right” to abort, and how great it is that we can make our own decisions. However, many feel the media should focus on informing society on how gruesome abortion is. There are many different methods, but they are all considered murder. Below is a picture of an innocent baby aborted at 22 weeks in 2001. Looking at this picture makes me sick to my stomach because it is a blatant destruction of human life. Thomas Jefferson once said, “The chief purpose of the government is to protect life. Abandon that and you have abandoned all.” The new health care bill, The Health Care Recovery Act of 2010, states federal funds will be used to fund abortions. Is that protecting life' What kind of an example is that sending to our future generations' When a woman becomes pregnant, it is almost encouraging her to have an abortion knowing that the government will pay for it. Society needs to persuade women to look at their options before making a permanent solution to a temporary problem. However there are alternatives. People can help a woman through the pregnancy, and she can give it up for adoption. There are currently 400,000 couples in the U.S. trying to adopt. We should try to make known how horrible the procedure is to society and save a life. Bruchu 3 It ultimately comes down to two sides of the issue, “Either you can subscribe to the American creed which says that God endowed us with our rights, or you can subscribe to the abortion creed which says that those rights are the consequences of our mother’s will” (Keyes, par 14). Our political parties have been greatly influenced by what side they take on the abortion issue. It has divided our nation since 1973. For instance, the majority of Republicans are pro-life, and the majority of Democrats are pro-abortion. Note the expression “pro-abortion” rather than “pro-choice” this is deliberate, as many liberals try to shy away from facing the reality that they are literally for abortion. People feel it is their duty to vote based on their faith. Therefore, political parties tend to target certain populations immediately because they know in general what their stand on abortion is. The landmark Roe vs. Wade challenged our nations core beliefs. “As our nation’s founding documents make clear, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is God-given and unalienable.” (Assoc of Pro Life Physicians, par 15) Not only is this backed up by the Bible and our beliefs, it is backed up scientifically. “By all criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception.” (qtd. in Dr. Hymie par 9) The media, politicians, doctors, and citizens will forever quarrel if abortion should be legal or illegal. In fact, this issue has become more controversial over the years because of the advances in technology as experts are now able to prove life is present at conception. It is astonishing that people even try to argue this issue with all the evidence scientists and doctors have gathered over the years. “There is no longer any serious scientific dispute that the unborn child is a human being who dies violently in the act of abortion.” (Knapp 64). I believe that the Roe vs. Wade decision was the single most important and devastating Supreme Court decision. Bruchu 4 Never has the morality of this issue been more clear than in Jeremiah 1:4, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” This Bible verse is implying that God has a plan for you before you are even born. He has decided your destiny and shaped your days before they came to be. “Day 1 is fertilization: all human chromosomes are present; unique human life begins.” (Fallin, par 2) Jill Fallin from St. Croix Valley Life Care Center believes in life at conception. She also said, “I am rattled by the idea that people try so hard to prove a certain fetus is not an innocent life.” From a moral position, it could bring you to tears of this wrong practice. No one should take this decision lightly. Hypocrisy in this issue is alive and well. It is hard to imagine that one can abort a “fetus” in the advanced stages of pregnancy, yet if a criminal act was committed against the mother, killing her unborn child, the perpetrator would be charged with murder. In one case, it is legal to abort the baby, in another, a crime for killing the same baby. Clearly, this moral fuzziness is difficult to sort through when discussing this controversial issue. Exodus 21:22 states: "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” God is saying that the value of an adult man is equal to the value of an unborn fetus that was young enough, or injured enough, to die. Abortion is immoral because it is the murdering and suffering of an innocent child. Murder is morally wrong. It violates our Constitution, and the before and after factors have a Bruchu 5 negative impact on the society. This paper may not change how you look at the decisions women have to make. You may think it does not apply to you at all, but someday, even if it is in the slightest way, abortion will affect you. People that are enlightened about this issue may feel obligated to step up and take a stand for what they believe is right. A life could be in your hands. What if you chose not to have an abortion and your child grew up to cure a disease' Imagine they might have not even existed. This unethical practice should be outlawed once and for all. Bruchu 6 Works Cited Fallin, Jill. Personal interview. 28 October 2010 Knapp, Lynette. The Abortion Controversy. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Torr, James D. Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints. Farmington Hills, MI. Greenhaven Press, 2006. Saint Mary’s Press. The Catholic Youth Bible. Christian Brothers Publications: Winoa, MN. 2005. “When Does Human Life Begin'” The Association of Pro-Life Physicians. 19 October 2010. U.S. Constitution. 14th Amendment, Sect. 1