But... let's not talk about any of the repercussions that come with the act.
Before I had Matthew (my unplanned baby), I knew that I would never have an abortion, but I would not tell another woman that she couldn't. Now, after learning so much about the pregnancy process, I have a really strong repulsion toward abortion, especially for those who intentionally engage in sex and decide that, well, this whole baby thing just doesn't work for them. I think that it is plain unacceptable.
People who support abortion call themselves "pro choice." They argue that what a woman does with her body is her CHOICE. Why don't we talk about choices? First of all sex is a CHOICE (I know that rape and incest are exceptions, but that will have to be a topic for another day!); it is, in fact, a very adult choice. And this adult choice comes with adult consequences. We all KNOW what the consequences are. Even if we are "safe" while having sex, STDs and pregnancy can occur. We absolutely know what the dangers are, and yet people still think that having an abortion is a reasonable CHOICE. I absolutely disagree! How can you legitimize abortion when you KNEW that it was possible, if not likely, for pregnancy to occur? What happened to personal responsibility? You CHOSE to have sex; THAT is the choice. Because you wanted to have sex, it makes it okay to terminate a baby if it's not a good time for you? It makes me want to rip my hair out! Grow up, and try and think of someone else for a change.
As I said earlier, prochoicers think that a woman's body is her business, and therefore she should be able to do what she wants to do with it. "My body, my choice" is one of their common slogans. But, if we take a look at current laws, it is obvious that you CANNOT do whatever you want with your body. For example, it is illegal to attempt suicide. You cannot try and kill yourself, even if you do not harm anyone else. But it's your body; shouldn't you be able to do whatever you want with it? The answer is a resounding NO. Let's look at another example: there are drugs like cocaine that are illegal. You are not allowed to use them, even though it is only your body that is harmed by it. How can people claim that women are entitled to do what they wish with their bodies, especially when they are dealing with another person's life: that of her unborn child. It is simply not the case that women can legally do whatever they want with their own bodies.
Another argument that many "prochoicers" make is that the fetus is not alive, rather, it is just a collection of cells. Okay, let's talk about that! When a woman is five weeks pregnant, the baby's heart is already beating! When do most women find out that they are pregnant? Women learn that they are pregnant between weeks 5 and 6 because this is when they miss their next menstrual cycle. Can women find out before then? As most people know, there are pregnancy tests that claim to be able to detect the pregnancy hormone by AT MOST 7 days before the missed period. But, women who are not trying to get pregnant are not the ones going out and buying those sorts of tests. A website called “College Area Pregnancy Services” which is a San Diego based crisis pregnancy center recommends that a woman NOT get an abortion until after the eighth week. Why do they say this? Because the fetus is too small to locate before this time, the procedure dangerous to the mother’s health if the aborted fetus is not fully taken out. By the eighth week, most of the internal organs are present. Additionally, pain receptors and pain impulse connections in the spinal cord that link up with the thalamus develop between 7 and 20 weeks gestation. It is proven that the baby feels pain by week 20, and many believe that they feel pain much sooner; in fact, scientists believe that the baby feels pain more acutely than we do. Moreover, by week 10 of the pregnancy, the neurons in the brain are rapidly multiplying, 250,000 new ones every minute! Wow! People claim that the fetus is just a collection of cells, but by the time a woman learns that she’s pregnant and has a “safe” abortion, the fetus is not just a collection of cells! It is a developing human child.
Furthermore, many people claim that the fetus is not yet alive, and therefore it is not wrong to abort it. The National Science Digital Library defines life as having seven characteristics:
“1) living things have highly organized, complex structures;
2) living things maintain a chemical composition that is quite different from their surroundings;
3) living things have the capacity to take in, transform, and use energy from the environment;
4) living things can respond to stimuli;
5) living things have the capacity to reproduce themselves;
6) living things grow and develop; and
7) living things are well-suited to their environment.”
Let’s compare.
1) A fetus has a highly organized, complex structure;
2) A fetus maintains a chemical composition that is different from it’s surroundings;
3) A fetus absolutely takes in, transforms, and uses energy from it’s environment (in this case: it’s mommy’s womb);
4) A fetus responds to stimuli by about week seven;
5) A fetus, once born, will have the ability to reproduce itself;
6) A fetus grows and develops;
7) A fetus is obviously well suited for it’s environment.
Now some people would argue that the fetus doesn’t qualify for the fifth criterion; that until it is born, it cannot reproduce itself. But if we do not take future ability into account, then babies would also not be considered alive because they cannot reproduce until later in life. It is the CAPACITY to reproduce that is intended by the seven characteristics of living things. The bottom line is that the fetus IS alive, and it is wrong to kill it just because a person is too selfish to give up a small chunk of her life to claim responsibility for her actions.
I’m sure that I could probably write about this topic forever, but I’ll leave it here for now. I’ll probably pick it back up on another day. So, I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the next episode:o)
