Is it okay to ignore the baby in the womb when talking about abortion? Should abortion be a right, even though it ends the life of the baby?
No! Abortion is wrong
Abortion kills. Abortion “is an action whose sole intent is to end this life.” No one has the right to take the life of another human being, not even — and perhaps especially not — of a baby in the womb.
Yet the lives of millions of babies are intentionally ended in the womb.
The exact number is a matter of surmise, but according to the Texas Attorney General in the 49 years since Roe v. Wade declared abortion to be a constitutional right, “nearly 70 million unborn babies [have been] killed in the womb” in the United States.
Worldwide, “around 73 million induced abortions take place each year. Six out of 10 (61%) of all unintended pregnancies, and 3 out of 10 (29%) of all pregnancies, end in induced abortion.”
The CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Associations), with 16,000 members in the United States, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision. Their press release gave three reasons:
- Life begins at conception.
- Pre-born babies can feel pain as early as 12 weeks’
- Abortion is associated with an increased risk of pre-term birth and breast cancer in the mother
Abortion clearly violates the basic tenets of medical ethics. . . . Abortion is not healthcare (emphasis in original).
In their position statement on abortion the CMDA describes in detail how abortion has been recognized to be wrong through the ages.
The Hippocratic Oath
The Hippocratic Oath, which dates from the time of the Greeks and is still subscribed to by medical doctors today, says: “I will do no harm” and “I will not give a woman a pessary to cause abortion.”
The Bible
The sixth Commandment says, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 in the Old Testament, and Matthew 5:21 and other passages in the New Testament).
In the Old Testament, the penalty for ending the life of an unborn child was greater than that for killing the mother (Exodus 21:22-25).
“Abortion” is not just a word that slides easily off the tongue as a quick, easy, and private answer to an unwanted pregnancy. It is not a woman’s “reproductive right.” It should not be “a common health intervention,” as the World Health Organization says it currently is.
A woman’s right to personal autonomy should not take precendence over an unborn child’s right to live. Abortion kills a little human being made in the image of God.
Discuss with your teens:
- What do your friends think about abortion? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- What can you do to make others more concerned about saving the lives of babies in the womb?
To be concluded
Related posts
Roe v. Wade Overruled Part II — A right to Abortion?
