"The Value of Life"
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
· The Declaration of Independence
Abortion should never have been made into a choice. Abortion by choice is murder. “Abortion” was once only known as a “miscarriage”, (“the premature expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus”, i.e.: a tragic accident) today, even, the usage of “abortion” is still used as such in hospitals. “Abortion”, in the more common conception of the word, is defined by the process of inducing death of a “fetus” (a word that has been changed to undermine the true meaning of the word “fetus”, being “living human”), using various heinous procedures, often of which are extremely dangerous to the mother involved in the process. The methods of abortion are so brutal that to disassociate the practice with infanticide would be to disassociate an ocean with water. For abortion methods, see here.
What “rights” does a woman have in choosing whether or not she wishes her child the right to live, or to die? Is the life of her child her own? No. All life is free life, under the basic understanding between right and wrong, under the absolute Law of God. “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” Acts 5:29 (NIV).
What crime has the unborn committed against man? Children are the most innocent of humans; “the unborn” even more so. “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:5-6 (NIV).
I often wonder when abortionists and pro-choice activists assume life begins; the variance of stances that pro-choice activists make on this issue undermines their case. There has to be an absolute time when life begins, and that absolute time when life begins accords each beginning life with the same inalienable rights as granted to all of humanity under the Law of God. Life begins from the moment of conception. Could any reasonable person conclude otherwise? If any one of you can think of a more valid stage at which life, the basic right of all humanity, begins, other than from the moment of conception, respond accordingly. “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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 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 (NIV). “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” Matthew 19:14 (NIV).
Granted, a parent has the right to govern her child according to a Law of God "Honor your father and your mother…” Exodus 20:12 (NIV), but this does not extend to mean that a parent has the right to dictate a choice of life or death upon their child; this is in accordance with God’s Law, "You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13 (NIV). “Do not murder…” Matthew 19:18 (NIV).
“America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord in the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts- a child- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.”
--- Mother Teresa
By: Rebecca Ruggles
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“Abortion is not, contrary to popular belief, a “religious issue” in the sense that it has to do with a moral standard that does not have legal standing. Murder is obviously punishable by law, and the slaughtering of infants certainly is one of the most heinous examples of murder. Yet, thousands of women continually try and justify their desire to terminate their unborn children’s lives. The clichéd expression “the right to one’s own body” is obviously fallible. An infant is not the same as, say, an appendix, and “removal” of such a tiny human is certainly no where near controlling one’s body with a tattoo or with surgery. Yes, the child is dependent on its mother, but so are children outside of the womb. Do you justify slaughtering them for this reason as well? Is an infant who is breast-feeding any less of a human? No matter what state a human is in, as long as they have not taken away lives from many others (which is a completely different issue entirely); they have an ultimate right to live. This right goes beyond the selfish desire of a mother to rid herself of the “burden” of a child (how did such a blessing come to be a horrid thing?).
If any of you have ever viewed the pictures of aborted infants, you know the horrors behind the practice of abortion. Bloodied, lifeless bodies are shown among severed heads, and the tiny children are discarded as if they are nothing more than waste. I am absolutely appalled that our society would ever think of creating this practice, let alone making it legal. I have learned just how important children are in my life, and the incredible blessing they can be. Each person should have a chance to live, and these babies are robbed of that before even out of the womb. Not only are children (obviously) harmed in abortion, it also has serious physical and mental repercussions for the mother. Long term injury and even death has been known to result from different abortion procedures.
There are facts to support my position. Only 18 days after conception a child’s brain begins to form. At about three weeks, before most women find out they are pregnant, a child’s heart starts beating, and then within a week from this point limbs form and the face takes shape. According to the National Right to Life Committee, brain waves have been measured as early as six weeks after conception. Between weeks 20 and 30 of pregnancy an infant has more pain receptors per square inch than at any other time, and their pain inhibition is not fully developed until weeks 30-32. This means that the infant will likely experience far more pain when torn limb-for-limb (or any other heinous method used) than any born child or adult.
In an article in Creation magazine entitled “Abortion argument unravels,” scientific reasons against abortion are discussed. When a sperm meets an egg, a completely different DNA strand is created. This separate DNA structure means that an entirely unique life has begun. This is the same DNA structure that will follow the infant throughout his or her life. The mother’s body recognizes this foreign DNA and attacks the infant because of this. This is called the Killer T cell attack. A child has a very specific defense against this, and if this works properly, the child will develop normally. If not, the child will inevitably die and a miscarriage will occur. Mammalian embryos produce a special enzyme called IDO (which stands for a much longer word I won’t bore you with) that suppresses the mother’s T cell reaction. Production of IDO increases during the most crucial time for establishing that vital link between mother and child. All this would not need to happen if the infant was truly just a part of the mother’s body.
As for the very few abortions that are done due to rape (and the even fewer done due to incest), I am still absolutely against it. I believe that a child can be a blessing, and that something absolutely wonderful can come out of something completely horrid. That child should not be punished for his or her father’s actions (or mother’s depending on the conditions involving incest), and, as unfortunate as the circumstances are, the child could change the mother’s life or the lives of adoptive parents for the better. I have not been in either of these situations and God willing, I never will be, but I am absolutely committed to giving my future children all that I can (my life included in that). This is each parent’s duty, and it is as absolute as an infant’s right to life.
Roe vs. Wade should absolutely be overturned. This is not an issue of feminism, but an issue of thousands of children who will never experience the joys and pains of life. The most important right and the one of most value is the right to live, and this should never be taken away, under any circumstances, from an innocent infant who has never had the chance to experience all that we take for granted.”
By: Mindy Elliott