Should I Get An Abortion?

This is a big topic. An extremely controversial political debate. As you know. So let’s get into it.

Where It All Began

The debate began in 1973 with Roe v. Wade. It ruled that the Constitution protects the rights of women to choose abortion. This is due to the court’s interpretation of a section of the 14th amendment – “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” However in 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned because the court ruled abortion, in fact, did not fit under the values listed in the 14th amendment. So power has been given to the states to decide whether abortion will be legal in each state.

Pro Life V Pro Choice

The two sides of abortion are pro life v pro choice.

Pro life argues that life begins at conception. The unborn baby should be granted the same rights as a fully born baby/person out of the womb. Therefore it should not be legal to have an abortion, because it’s murder.

Pro choice argue for women’s freedom. Because it’s the woman’s body, it should be her choice what to do with the baby. The woman’s body comes first and whatever happens to the baby is secondary. They don’t consider it a baby until a certain point (mixed opinions on when this is), and simply view abortion as a medical act.

Complications Of Each Side

Pro Life

People who are pro life often struggle with their view on situations in which the woman was raped or her life is at risk because of the baby. Should abortion be okay then?

Pro Choice

People who are pro choice struggle with when the “lump of cells” or fetus becomes a life worth saving. Is it in the 2nd trimester? 3rd? Not until the baby’s born?

Response

Pro Life

I’m stealing Charlie Kirk’s response from his many debates on abortion. (Here is a great video of him explaining his thoughts). Put 2 ultrasound pictures next to each other, one from a mother who was raped and one from a mother in a loving relationship. There’s no difference, right? So why does one baby deserve to live and the other doesn’t? If the mother does not want the baby or feels she won’t be able to adequately care for the baby, adoption can be an amazing solution! According to American Adoptions, there are approximately 2 million families waiting to adopt. I’m not saying the pregnancy/giving up the baby won’t be hard, I’m sure it will be. But the baby will be given the opportunity for life, and a family will be blessed by them.

To address the mother’s life at risk, often times, the baby and mother can be saved with an emergency caesarean section (depending on how far along the mother is). According to the Health University of Utah, a baby is viable for birth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, so by removing the baby via caesarean section, you can save both the baby and the mother.

Pro Choice

When does a fetus become a baby? This is complicated. Because it’s really opinion based. According to the Lozier institute, a baby’s heart starts beating 22 days after conception (5 weeks and 1 day gestation). As a result, some pro choice activists believe this is when the fetus becomes a baby and at that time you shouldn’t abort. Others believe the second trimester makes the fetus a baby and you shouldn’t abort after that. Still others think an abortion is okay any time during pregnancy!

Ultimately, pro choice puts women’s rights first, so the discrepancy on when it’s okay to abort the baby is of less concern to them.

Thoughts

I think the severity of abortion is belittled by doctors (and many others). I googled “what is abortion” for the sake of this post. One of the first results from the World Health Organization was “a simple health care intervention.” I strongly encourage you to watch an abortion. It sounds crude. But it will help put it into perspective. It is SO much more than a simple medical procedure and a couple of cramps. It is a traumatic experience. Often causing women pain, guilt, and grief for the rest of their lives.

Women are fighting for their rights but don’t want to take any responsibility for their actions. I don’t disregard women and their desire for the right to decide what’s best for their body. But I also want to remind you that in many cases, they decided in the first place to risk creating a baby through the act of intercourse. If they are “responsible” enough to for intercourse, they should be ready to take responsibility for the baby that could result.

Abortion is an “easy” fix for irresponsible decisions, but the consequences (murder of the unborn child, long term guilt, etc) are large.

Take Action

It is not my intention to shame anyone who has had an abortion in the past. Jesus wants to fully forgive, forget, and restore your heart! He loves you and wants you to come to Him. I want to encourage you, moving forward, to consider these facts. And develop your stance and actions based on truth, not on what you’ve been told by medical doctors or women’s rights activists.

Please comment your thoughts! I’d love to talk more about this topic with you. I want to be informed and continue to learn about abortion. I know there are many things I still don’t fully know or understand about it, but I felt compelled to start a conversation. Can’t wait to hear from you!