Recently, Alabama passed a law banning abortion, causing the controversy of pro-life versus pro-choice to escalate in the media. People are angry, and rightfully so. Even conservatives are remarking that the law is too regimented.

Why? It doesn’t make an exception for rape or incest. Although Democrats and Republicans clearly have a difference of opinion, one common ground that most can agree on is that forcing a rape victim to carry and give birth to her attacker’s child is abominable. There’s a line separating political beliefs and moral standards, and this bill crosses it.

Although the escalating pro-life movement in the south is a controversial issue within itself, the debate surrounding Roe vs. Wade has been going on since the case was settled. There are two main beliefs people side with regarding abortion: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life is against abortions, the “life” in the name being the embryo, while pro-choice people believe that what a woman does with her body should be her choice.

I’m pro-choice, and here’s why.

The woman is the one carrying a child, so why should anyone else but her have a say in how she chooses to handle her pregnancy? If you don’t agree with abortions, then don’t get one. Trying to take away someone else’s freedom to make a choice just because you don’t agree with the choice isn’t right. People should be entitled to a certain level of freedom with their decisions.

The 25 people who passed the Alabama abortion ban were a group of men. Yes, that’s right, men. They aren’t the ones getting pregnant or getting the abortion, so how come they have the right to choose whether others get them or not?

The choice to abort shouldn’t be in the hands of a 70-something male who will never have to deal with a pregnancy.

Not only that, but every situation comes along with its own set of circumstances. Maybe the person who got pregnant was a teenager who doesn’t want to become a mother at such a young age. Perhaps the woman isn’t financially stable and lacks the funds to support a child. And the worst one of all, maybe the woman was raped and becoming pregnant was completely out of her control.

An important factor pro-life people aren’t necessarily considering is what happens after the child is born: also known as the quality of their life. Every child deserves to have a roof over their head and food on their plate, yet many children aren’t so lucky. Every child is also entitled to a safe and healthy life with quality health-care. However, some Republicans don’t seem inclined to put the same emphasis on those factors.

From their actions, it appears that certain members of the government care more about a woman going through with an unwanted pregnancy than how the child is cared for after the fact. If pro-life people are bound and determined to force a children in the world, they should put the same amount of emphasis on making sure the child is taken care of.

Although these reasons are valid, the biggest issue I have with banning abortion is that it’s unconstitutional. Separation of Church and state can best be defined as “the principle that the government must maintain an attitude of neutrality towards religion”. The government shouldn’t require their subjects to follow a certain set of religious beliefs, simply because it’s what they personally believe.

The constitution also says that the government will protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In terms of the woman’s life, pregnancy comes with an array of health risks, some known and some unknown. People shouldn’t be forced to undergo or not undergo a medical procedure due to these complications.

Kids also restrict financial and personal liberty. It’s a huge responsibility and commitment to be a mother, a job that some women can’t take on.

And finally, the choice to restrict abortion prevents the pursuit of happiness. Part of pursuing happiness is the freedom to make choices and choose your own path, and by some Republican lawmakers restricting this freedom, happiness is harder to achieve.

Each and every individual is entitled to their own opinion, of course, meaning that pro-life and pro-choice people should just agree to disagree. Nobody should have to adopt a view they don’t believe, nor should another’s view be enforced on them, nor should the government control their constitutional freedom to choose.

Your body, your choice.

I am not really sure how else to start this article, so I am just going to say it: I am pro-life. I do not uphold this position because of my parents or because I want to “take away a woman’s choice,” but because I believe that human life, especially that of an innocent individual, is non-disposable. Obviously, an abortion goes against what I believe, and therefore, I do not support them. It is as simple as that, but for many of you reading this, it is a lot more complicated, which is understandable, so let me break it down for you.

Before I get into my opinion on the subject, let’s answer a few questions, to provide a basic understanding on the topic.

What is an abortion?

According to the online dictionary, it is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. Most abortions are performed using ‘suction aspiration,’ but a woman must be in her first trimester (first 12 weeks of pregnancy) to abort a child with this method. Abortions can also be performed surgically and with medicine, two methods typically done after the first trimester.

Why do women get abortions?

• Poor financial situation
• Partner problems
• Not ready to raise a child
• Rape
• Incest
• Physical/mental abnormalities of the child
• And more

Is having an abortion legal?

Due to the implementation of Roe v. Wade, a court case from 1973, restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional, therefore, making them legal nationwide. Although Roe v. Wade is in effect, many states disagree, supporting the, in some cases entire, ban of abortions.

What is the argument regarding abortions?

There are people who support the idea of allowing women to undergo an abortion. The most common argument on this side, also known as the pro-choice side, is “my body my choice.” Pro-choice supporters agree that the mother has the right to do what she wants with her body, since she is the one carrying the child. On the other hand, there are people who are against such an act. These people are well-known as pro-life, which is where I fall. Pro-life supporters see an abortion as murder, since an innocent life is being taken away. Recently, tension between the two sides has ensued beyond belief. In the past three months, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, Kentucky, and Alabama have enacted strict laws regarding abortions, starting a ‘war’ between pro-life and pro-choice advocates.

Do state abortion laws override Roe V. Wade?

The Supremacy Clause, listed in Article IV of the Constitution, states that in a situation where state and federal laws disagree, federal prevails. This being said, the new laws created in the states listed above are not in effect…yet. The goal of these states, and any other state against abortion, is to take the initial Roe V. Wade trial back to court and revote. Since President Donald J. Trump nominated two new pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, Roe V. Wade is predicted to lose the vote, taking it out of play. If Roe V. Wade is shut down, these newly created laws would soon be implemented, banning abortion in their respective states.

Now that you have a better understanding about what an abortion is and what the argument is about, here is my opinion.

Abortions are wrong. It’s plain and simple.

To start off, here is a fact. Numerous states have laws that define the fetus as “a child in uterus”. If the child is killed or injured during an act of violence, purposeful or not, the suspect is charged as he or she normally would have, had it been a born person. If this is the case, why are abortions acceptable? An abortion is the deliberate murder of an unborn human, yet to the federal government, although the majority of states consider a fetus a person, abortions are constitutional. Things don’t seem to add up there.

I agree with these states. A fetus is a person, no ifs, ands, or buts. The science of embryology states that a human is being formed from the moment of conception. Not only is DNA present in a fetus, but DNA distinct from that of either parent. The purpose of DNA is to distinguish one person from another, therefore, a fetus is a seperate human being. Yes, I understand that fetus’ cannot survive without the care of the mother until a certain point in a pregnancy, but that is no reason to deny them the right to live, experience high school, get married, and everything else that comes with being alive. Denying someone the right to live just because they cannot support themselves without the care of someone else is like saying those on life support do not deserve to live.

Around 650,000 abortions occur every year in the United States alone….650,000. Luckily, this number is dropping year by year, but is still a lot of innocent lives being thrown away. These people aren’t even being given the chance to experience life, what some would call the greatest gift someone could ask for. Most of us taken life for granted as it is. I will admit, sometimes I do the same, but when I think about how many abortions happen every year, I am grateful to be where I am, as so many don’t get to experience even the simple things.

Do you still not think abortion is murder? Maybe Dr. Anthony Levatino can change your mind.

Being a board certified obstetrician gynecologist, Dr. Levatino has had hands on experience with abortions. After realizing what he has been doing in his years in his practice, he has stopped performing abortions, as he now sees them as immoral and unfair. In 2015, he gave a testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee, and shared these things with those in attendance:

“After suctioning the amniotic fluid out from around the baby, you introduce an instrument called the sopher clamp. It’s made of stainless steel…with rows of sharp teeth. This is a grasping instrument. When it gets ahold of something, it does not let go. The D&E (dilation and evacuation) procedure is a blind abortion, so picture yourself introducing this and grabbing anything you can blindly, and pull, and I do mean hard, and out pops a leg which you put down on the table next to you. Reach in again, pull again, pull out an arm…[next is] the head of the baby thats size is about the size of a large plum. You can’t see it, but you know you did it right if you crush down on the instrument and white material runs out of the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. Sometimes a face comes back and stares back at you. Congratulations, you have just successfully performed a D&E second trimester abortion.”

I do not include this quote to scare you, but to show you how real and serious this topic is. That right there, listed in Levatino’s quote, is not only an abortion, but murder, and in no circumstances should that be allowed, especially during the second trimester. I understand that there are other types of abortions and times that they are performed, but at the end of the day, murder is murder. It shouldn’t matter if you are unborn, three, or eighty-five….taking an innocent life should not be tolerated.

When I tell other people that I am pro-life, the first question I am asked is if I think abortions should be allowed in the case of rape or incest. To be honest, this subject is hard for me to decide on. If I said yes, I am going against my own word, but I don’t think it is fair to force someone to go through a pregnancy if they did not choose to have sex in the first place. This being said, I think Alabama’s lawmakers have gone too far. I am happy to see that abortions are illegal, but not allowing a woman to get one after being rapped is a little far. That is how it is though, so I support their efforts in ending abortions.

If a woman DID choose to have sex however, it is her responsibility to carry and birth that child. Sex isn’t just meant for pleasure, and therefore, every individual must recognize that, even with the use of protection, a pregnancy is a possible outcome. I am sorry to say, but if you accidentally get pregnant, it is time to be an adult and give birth to that child. I am not saying that you must raise the child, but that is no problem, as adoption is always an option. It is hard for people in poor situations to do so, I understand, but in my opinion, if you cannot afford to raise a child, you probably shouldn’t be having sex in the first place.

There is one other circumstance in which an abortion should be allowed, and that is if the mother’s life is at risk. Besides rape, incest, and the life of the mother at risk, abortions should not be legally permitted. My only hope would be that the abortions would occur before the second trimester, because after reading the above quote, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Not only do abortions have negative effects on the baby, but the mother, as well. Multiple studies show that young adult women who undergo abortions are at higher risk of subsequent depression.

Another study shows that 15% of miscarriages are attributed to a prior history of an abortion. Therefore, aborting a baby you do not want can end up killing a baby you do want.

Lastly, abortions have negative societal effects.

For those who are religious, killing a human being goes against the act of God. The 6th commandment reads: “thou shall not kill.” This applies to all human beings, born or unborn. Even in the Hindu religion, abortion is an equivalent misdeed to killing one’s parents.

As you can see, there are too many negatives. Abortion is murder and murder is illegal. Using the transitive property (if a=b and b=c then a=c), abortion should be illegal as well.  

Sources:

https://www.archbalt.org/abortion-is-murder/

https://abortion.procon.org/

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/we-categorized-hundreds-of-abortion-restrictions-heres-why-the-anti-abortion-movement-is-escalating/

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/life-issues/dignity-of-human-life/abortion-statistics