Abortion Prohibition: Support of a Pro-life Movement

Introduction

Life is the greatest gift we ever had, being able to experience the gift of life is a such a privilege. But is it right to take one's life? If ever, when is it right to terminate a pregnancy? And in what circumstances is abortion morally acceptable? These are only the some of the questions that challenges a person's moral dilemmas in terms of dealing with the issue of abortion. Abortion is doubtless one of the most controversial occurrence in modern society. It includes numerous matters concerning moral, lawful, medical, and religious issues related to the deliberating issue.

An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. This can occur spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced through chemical, surgical or other means. Commonly, 'abortion' refers to an induced procedure at any point in the pregnancy; medically, it is defined as a miscarriage or induced termination before twenty weeks' gestation, which is considered nonviable. A pregnancy that ends earlier than 37 complete weeks of gestation, and where an infant is born and survives, is termed a premature birth. A pregnancy that ends with an infant dead upon birth at any gestational stage, due to causes including spontaneous abortion or complications during delivery, is termed a stillbirth. In common parlance, the term 'abortion' is synonymous with induced abortion of a human fetus. However, in medical texts, the word 'abortion' can also refer to spontaneous abortion or miscarriage

Abortion is the most controversial issue having a lot of arguments against two difficult decisions. The pro-life argument is life and death though the uncertainty of complication makes it difficult. Abortion is a life or death matter, life is too important to be taken negligibly.

Body

Based on the conducted research of WHO, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day. in 1994 there were 400,000 abortions performed illegally in the Philippines and 80,000 hospitalizations of women for abortion-related complications. It was reported in 2005 that official estimates then ranged from 400,000 to 500,000 and rising, and that the World Health Organization estimate was 800,000. Seventy percent of unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines end in abortion, according to the WHO. Approximately 4 in 5 abortions in the Philippines are for economic reasons, often where a woman already has several children and cannot care for another.

According to Merriam Webster, Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Though having this definition which includes the word ‘death’ people are still confused whether abortion is immoral or moral. In this essay, it will be discussed why abortion is immoral from the pro-life point of view.

Abortion is Murder

Killing is a major crime. Considering that the embryo inside a woman’s womb is alive and a human being. The discontinuance of a pregnancy is considered murder. According to the federal of Unborn Victims of Violence Act, anybody who intentionally kills an unborn child should be punished for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being. Moreover, they state that an unborn child, even though not fully developed, is a member of the species of Homo sapiens.

In addition, from the Exodus 21: 22-25, “22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” This only means that even if there is no harm did to the unborn child, if it is intentionally done to kill it, then it is still punishable in the eyes of the people and the law. And if it actually killed the child, then it equals to death of the one who inflicted harm.

Abortion Defies the Word of God

It is known that Roman Catholic is the number one people who are against with abortion. For them, the deed is unforgivable and an evil thing to do. There are many verses that can justify that abortion is a sin and should not be done by anyone. Though the embryo is supported by her mother and can’t survive outside of the womb, it is considered a human being and is recognized by God. As demonstrated in Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” applies in all human beings, including the unborn ones. Doing so is an abomination to the Lord.

Moreover, Psalm 127:3-5 interprets that an unborn child is a reward from the Lord and everyone should be glad that he or she have many children and shall not be ashamed with the reality of it. On the other hand Deuteronomy 24:16 states that “16 the fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” Whatever should be the situation, it is not an individual’s decision to end one’s life but it is the decision of the Lord.

Abortion Promotes a Culture in Which Life is Disposable

According to Don Marquis, if people did abortion, they deprived the fetus of a future like ours therefore most abortion is morally wrong. He states that the act is not morally wrong at all times. For instance, when the mother is in critical danger if the pregnancy continues, then it is considered right. However, if we look at the values people have, killing is nowhere near in being right. It is a natural law that whatever the reason, murder is not acceptable. Moreover, a fetus holds a valuable future thus aborting a fetus would as well impound them from their future. Pro-life supporters argue that using abortion as contraception should not be allowed for the sole reason that it is not moral and people should take responsibility from the deed that they have done.

Conclusion

Abortion is a difficult and extremely sensitive topic to discuss. To define if it is moral or immoral is even way harder because there are cases that are considered before it is decided. People have different opinions regarding this topic. Some says it is evil because it is considered murder while other says it is a woman’s constitutional right to choose if she’ll want to continue the pregnancy or not because it is her body. However if one were to end a blameless child’s life, it is not only unethical or inhumane, but also morally wrong.

Our world consists of many evil doings and on top of this is murder. Killing is placed as the worst crime because it strips an individual his right to life and a future. In spite of the fact that an embryo or fetus does not have the features of a human being, it still has a heartbeat and feels pain. Whatever the appearance of the fetus, it is still part of the Homo sapiens and will develop if not terminated. Not only that, the act of terminating an unborn child is an abomination to the Lord. There are many scriptures that indirectly states that abortion should not be done with the same reason that it is considered murder. Whereas, those women who suffered from sexual harassment/rape and conceived a child, and wants abortion should also not be entertained. There are various psychological treatments that can help them through accepting their pregnancy and abortion is not one of them. The act of sexual harassment that cause pregnancy is immoral, but the child is innocent and should be given a chance to live. Abortions can cause many conflicts not only within the body but in the mind as well.

After considering all pro-life arguments, this essay can conclude that abortion should be completely illegal; terminating an unborn fetus is an extremely cruel act that should be prevented in any way possible. If murder is illegal and has consequences that came along with the action, then abortion should be treated the same way. They are both intentional crimes committed to inflict harm. Anyone who thinks abortion is justifiable and can lead to better future is a person who is ignorant of the importance of life. People should remember that each person who supported slavery was not a slave, and every person who is for abortion wasn’t murdered and got to live. If you were to be put in the shoes of the unborn babies that were removed from their mother’s womb, you wouldn’t be here and have the life that you got to enjoy. Whatever is the situation; abortion is murder and considered immoral.