"A person's a person, no matter how small"

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.”- Eleanor Roosevelt

I've been trying to figure out for a while now what my first blog post should be about. One of the things I'd considered writing about was abortion, however, I thought that since this is such a sensitive issue I should wait until I had already posted a few other things as to not tick people off right from the start of my blogging. I decided that blogs are to write about things that you care about or are passionate about and no matter what I write about I'm sure I will irritate at least one person so I might as well start with something worth writing about. Winston Churchill said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you stood up for something in your life.” and novelist, Brad Thor said, “I think freedom of speech includes the freedom to offend people.” I think they're on to something.

I also thought today would be an excellent day to finish writing and finally get this posted because forty years ago yesterday, abortion became legal. More than 53 million abortions have been performed since Roe v. Wade was decided back in 1973.

I would appreciate it if you would read this no matter what your views are on the subject. Worst case you'll waste 20 minutes of your life. 20 minutes that 3000+ plus babies are denied every day.

As I'm sure many of you know, abortion is something I have strong opinions on and something I share my opinions on as frequently as I can. I recently got into a discussion with someone on Facebook about abortion, so if you have already read my comment on that post a lot of this is the exact same thing I already said. Bear with me though because I did throw in some new stuff! For the sake of exploring both sides of the argument for those of you reading it who are pro-choice, I am posting the conversation I had with this person but with some more arguments on my part added in.

Before I post the discussion here are just a few of the many heartbreaking facts about abortion:

~More than 53 million abortions have been performed since Roe v. Wade was decided back in 1973.

~When you total up all forms of abortion including those caused by the abortion drug RU 486, the grand total comes to more than one million abortions performed in the United States every single year.

~The number of American babies killed by abortion each year is roughly equal to the number of U.S. military deaths that have occurred in all of the wars that the United States has ever been involved in combined.

~Approximately 3,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. Every single day, more than 3,000 American babies are killed by abortion.

~A study showed that 86% of abortions are done for the sake of convenience.

~Planned Parenthood alone performs over 300,000 abortions per year.




The following is the conversation I had with someone on Facebook about abortion. My comments are in purple and his are green.

(Referring to this video - Obama: Babies are a "punishment) Somehow I'm just now seeing this. I am DISGUSTED by his [Obama's] comment. Congratulations America. You have re-elected a man who just said babies are punishments. I have seen that people have put things on Facebook about how even if you don't like the President you still need to show respect and blah blah blah. Why should I respect someone who has no respect for another human being? I also love how he compared babies to STDs...

I think that you have misinterpreted what he was attempting to say, Azriel. On the topic of sex, and the consequences there of, Obama was pointing out the importance of education because if someone is sexually active, and is not aware that they are at risk or does not believe that the risk is significant, they may contract an STD or get pregnant because they did not use protection. Both, dealing with an STD and being pregnant (whether you decide to go through with the pregnancy or not), can be extremely difficult. When he says he does not want them to be punished with an STD or a pregnancy he means to be saying that both of those are consequences, intended or not, of unprotected intercourse. He is not saying that a new born baby is a "punishment" in a literal sense, nor is he comparing a baby to an STD. He is saying that dealing with either can be extremely difficult (similar to dealing with a punishment) and should be avoided, if wanted, through education.

I see your point. However, he specifically says "If they make a mistake I don't want them punished with a baby".

Despite what I said above I do understand that he's not saying a baby is a punishment in a literal sense, but it shouldn't be dealt with like a punishment. It's a result. If someone isn't aware of the risk of having sex or doesn't believe it's significant then they are clearly too young and immature to be doing it. Every action has some sort or result. It's disgusting to me how many women get abortions because of THEIR lives being "ruined". They only think of themselves. There was a poll in 1988 asking women who had gotten abortions why they did it. These are the statistics-

21% said they were not ready for the responsibility.
21% said they could not afford the baby.
16% were concerned about how a child would change their lives.
12% blamed a relationship problem.
11% felt they were not mature enough.
8% said they had all the children they wanted.
1% were the result of rape and incest.

Why didn't they think of these things before they had sex? How many women have you ever heard of that didn't know that unprotected sex can get you pregnant? There are a lot of ignorant people in this world but I am sure everyone voluntarily having sex knows what they are risking. (Pregnancy wise. Perhaps they aren't aware of the severity of STDs.) Once they make that choice they shouldn't have any other choices (abortion) except keeping the baby or adoption. I just feel that if you get pregnant (especially because of choices you made) you need to deal with the results of your actions because, at that point, it's not just about you.

Women have a right to choose. They have a right to choose whether or not they have sex. Sadly, some of them are denied that right., but that does not give them an excuse to take away another human beings life. Abortions are legal, however, killing a pregnant woman is a double homicide or manslaughter against the infant (in most states.) So clearly they recognize that an unborn baby is a life. So why should the mother, the one who got pregnant (in most cases) because of choices she made, the one who is supposed to love her baby more than anyone, have the right to kill her unborn child?

As for him comparing a baby to and STD, I know that he's not literally comparing the two it just irritates me that he put them in the same category. They're both consequences/results, but they're not both punishments.

Your point is very well worded, Azriel. However, some would argue that there are a few key points that are not included.

Simply because someone is "aware" that they are putting them self at risk of a pregnancy does not mean that they truly understand that they can ACTUALLY get pregnant. This plays into the mentality of: "Well I know it can happen, but it can't happen to me". People often believe they are invincible. I, for example, don't always lock my car because I don't believe that I will be robbed; I truly do understand that robbery is a very real thing though. In this sense, someone may be fully aware that people get pregnant by having unprotected sex but may still hold a mentality that it can't happen to them. This is extremely important to be aware of because social pressure is all around us in our teenage years, and most people are not strong enough to step above it.

Now, I would not want to simply point out how our minds work psychologically because we all have had different experiences through out our lives that have shaped how we think. For this reason, I would like to also point out that a male bodied individual, physically, will have the greatest sex drive in their entire life in their teenage years. My point in saying this is not random, let us tie it to a scenario: A young teenage girl falls for a guy that she really enjoys being around, they spend a lot of time together and eventually start dating. After a few months, due to the boys intense sex drive that he is experiencing in his teenage years, he begins pressuring the girl into sleeping with him. At first she says no, but she has really fallen for this guy and does not want to lose him, so she gives into the pressure and decides it is okay.... In this scenario, it is probably very likely that the two of them would use a condom at first because they are mostly aware of the risk and have never engaged in sexual activity before. However, after some time of sleeping with one another while using a condom, she finds that she is not even worried about getting pregnant anymore. The boy may, by this time, possibly be pressuring this girl into having sex with him with out a condom in hopes of having better sex. Of course the girl could refuse, but she is afraid of losing the boy that she had lost her virginity to and possibly fallen in love with, so she says yes because satisfaction in the short term is most always chosen over satisfaction in the long term. therefore, if she can have sex without a condom now, and makes this boy very happy, she will hardly think about the consequences (especially since by now she has built up this "invincibility" mentality). Although this scenario is very specific, it doesn't even come close to being the only scenario where a young girl can develop an "invincibility" mentality.

Now sure, she has made every decision so far by herself, and all along the way she could have said no, but the psychological, physical, and social aspects have played heavily against her. But as you say, every individual has a right to choose what they want to do with their body and has the right to say no just like they have the right to say yes. Due to her decision, she allowed the opportunity for an egg cell to be fertilized and became pregnant.

At this point, we must look at simple facts, a fertilized egg NEEDS the female body that it implanted in in order to survive. Literally, if you took a fertilized egg out, it will die on its own. Due to this, many would argue that, at that point, a fertilized egg is an EXTENSION of the female bodied individual, emphasizing that an individual can live on their own. This means that the fertilized egg is still the body of the women and, as we agree, she has the right to choose what she wants to do with her own body, the same way she chose to put her body in the position to get pregnant.

You may point out that the fertilized egg is a human being of itself already because it is a potential human, or in the process of potentially being a living human being (not all fertilized eggs will survive even if a female bodied individual chooses to continue with the pregnancy; this can happen for very many reasons), or you may argue that the fertilized egg is feeding off the women on its own, therefore it is a life in itself. But if you agree to that, then you must agree that millions of potential human lives are killed every single time a male bodied individual ejaculates. Why do you have to agree to that? Because a sperm cell, similar to a fertilized egg cell, has the POTENTIAL to become a living human being, if provided with the right circumstances. But what about being able to feed? Every time a male bodied individual goes through the process of becoming aroused, engaging in sexual behavior, and ejaculating, the millions of sperm cells travel through the reproductive track and EVERY SPERM CELL IS FED fructose when passing the seminal vesicle. Even without using a contraceptive method, millions of these sperm cells will be unable to find an egg cell and be flushed out of the uterus and die, similar to the contents of the uterus being flushed out during an abortion.

If you choose to disregard everything that I have stated so far, then let me make one more point. You also stated that women who have abortions are only doing it out of selfish reasons. To this, myself and many others would disagree; not ALL women who have abortions are being selfish. A woman who does not have to resources to raise a child may choose to not go through with a pregnancy because she does not want a child to be born into a life in which they can not be fed what a child would need to be healthy, can not be given the proper medical attention, or maybe can not be living in a sanitary environment. Someone may choose to end a pregnancy for the child, rather than for them self. But what about adoption? Unfortunately, the adoption system does not always work the way that we play it out to work.

Despite that, an individual may simply believe that it is more wrong to have someone else raising their child, or may believe that it will adversely effect the child's life and, again, choose to end the pregnancy for the child, rather than for them self, at which point, one must choose the lesser of two evils, and that will totally depend on their own values and beliefs.

First, let me say that the following is in no way meant to pass judgment on any woman who has made a decision based on the world's teaching of conception, life, and abortion. As said by Maya Angelou, “We do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better, we do better”.

Let me make it clear, too, that I am not only vehemently against abortion for the child's sake, but also out of compassion for the mother (and the father, who is also losing a child.) I think a lot of women are uninformed about the short term and long term effects abortion can have on them. Women who have abortions are more likely to have issues with substance abuse, they're more at risk for breast cancer, it can cause problems with future pregnancies (including preventing future pregnancies). Aside from the physical side effects abortion can cause many emotional side effects (Some father's of the baby also struggle with some of the same emotional issues.).

A British survey in several women's magazines asked women if they regretted abortions. 248 women replied. Of the 248: 26 said they had a few or no regrets about their abortions, 9 other women said they were undecided about their abortion experiences, 204 of the 248 women said they deeply regretted their abortions. They did a follow-up survey asking 96 women whether they would have gone through with the abortion had they known the medical and emotional problems abortions can cause. 64 of the women answered no. The survey found some of the women who had abortions had severe problems afterward, including 14 who had seriously contemplated or attempted suicide, 15 who had developed alcohol addictions, and 3 who had severe eating disorders, 5 confessed to abusing drugs, several had emotional breakdowns and another 4 said they got pregnant again quickly to have "atonement" babies. Knowing that; (assuming you didn't already know it before.) what seems like the better choice, abortion or adoption?

Once mothers considering a potential abortion are given the opportunity to hear the baby's heartbeat (via sonogram), at least eighty percent reevaluate their choice, with at least sixty percent choosing life.

Now to get back to responding to your comment...

Thinking your invincible is not ignorance though, therefore it's not excusable. If you have an invincible mentality you obviously know that there are risks, but as you said you just don't think it could happen to you. If you left your car unlocked and it got broken into there would be two people to blame; the person who broke into it, and you, since you knew the risks but decided you were immune. A long time ago my mom kept a spare key hidden in her car and it got broken into and her car got stolen. Even though it was locked she is still partly to blame for knowing the risks and still leaving her key in the car. Just like people who know the risks of tanning and continue to do it have no one to blame but themselves if/when they get cancer or a skin disease. That's like those people who become morbidly obese and sue McDonalds. They're not ignorant of what fast food can do but they continue to eat it, then another has to suffer. Just like with abortion. People know the risk of having unprotected sex but they do it anyway. They don't want to admit it was their fault and another innocent human has to suffer, or in this case, die.

There was a baby born last year at 24 weeks that weighed just 9 oz. (roughly the size of 2 iPhones) and she survived. 90% of abortions happen in the first 10 weeks. At 3 weeks babies get a heartbeat, brainwaves at 6 weeks, and fingers and toes at 7 weeks. How is that not a life? Babies have all the same parts and characteristics as any other human being. As I said in my previous comment the law clearly recognizes that unborn babies are living humans since killing a pregnant women is double homicide.

I tried to come up with an analogy and this is what I was able to think up: Imagine someone baked a pumpkin pie but said it wasn't a pie. Why isn't it a pie? It has all the same ingredients as any other pumpkin pie. It smells like a pie. Looks like a pie. Tastes like a pie. At what point does it become a pie? When it comes out of the oven? What is it then while it's still in the oven? Same goes for humans. Just like a pie becomes a pie as soon as you pour the filling in the pie crust--- life begins at conception.

About 50% of the time, the unborn baby has a different gender than the mother and is, therefore, not part of the mother. An unborn baby also has it's own DNA, heartbeat, and body parts, therefore, it's not the same being as it's mother. ALL children need their mother or some other human to survive inside and outside the womb. Even some elderly people or mentally disabled people need help from another human to survive. At some point in our lives we all rely on someone else to survive. That doesn't make us any less human.

As for your argument that condoms/birth control pills are always an option, so is having the strength to break up with a guy that is pressuring you into doing things you don't want to do. Planned Parenthood gives out free birth control to most women (I believe you have to make under a certain amount of money but I don't remember exactly how much money). That being said there is no excuse to not get on birth control. There are 3 (obvious) relatively easy ways to not get pregnant: condoms, birth control pills, and abstinence. Nowadays, abortion is used as another form of contraception.

Girls cannot blame the guys for getting them pregnant. Regardless of whether or not she was pressured into it, they BOTH made a decision. She still let herself get pressured into it by saying yes.

Adoption is always the better option. If you cannot keep the baby because you feel you're not equipped to be a parent then you should put it up for adoption, if you really do have the baby's best interest at heart. If you have a toddler and decide you can't provide for him/her but you don't want to put it into the foster care system would it be okay to kill him/her? No. So why is it legal to kill that same baby before it's born?

Some people say that abortions should be okay or legal if there is a genetic disorder that could be passed down. That is nonsense. Almost anything can be passed down. Alcoholism, physical features, genetic disorders, depression and even cheating and promiscuity. That being said, every child is probably going to inherit something bad from their parents. Whether it's an addiction or a disorder, it's not a valid reason to abort a baby.

“But if you agree to that, then you must agree that millions of potential human lives are killed every single time a male bodied individual ejaculates.” You're smart, so I'm sure you know that it takes more than just sperm to make a baby, therefore, sperm alone is not a life.

Does the child/fetus not have it's own rights? At this point, we both agree that women have a right to do what they want with their own body, correct? Then what if that unborn baby is a female? What about her rights?

I'd like to end with several quotes. I'm sure you've probably heard a couple of them before, but I'm going to say them anyway.

“I've notice that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.”- Ronald Reagan

"Even though you can't see them or hear them at all, a person's a person, no matter how small!" - Dr. Seuss

“To say a child is unwanted says nothing about the child, but it says much about the person who does not want his or her child.”- Jean Staker Garton

I got this one from the Facebook page, Let's find 1,000,000 people against Abortion: “Here's something to ponder. If pro-lifers are wrong, and the unborn aren't human beings, we are guilty of trying to deny women access to an elective medical procedure. However, if pro-choicers are wrong, and the unborn are human beings, they are directly responsible for the violent deaths of, and have on their hands the blood of, over 55,000,000 innocent babies.”

"Either life is always and in all circumstances sacred, or intrinsically of no account; it is inconceivable that it should be in some cases the one, and in some the other.” -Malcolm Muggeridge

"What irony that a society confronted with plastic bags filled with the remains of aborted babies should be more concerned about the problem of recycling the plastic."--Winifred Egan

"Only half the patients who go into an abortion clinic come out alive." - Author Unknown

"If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate." - Gregory Koukl

“I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion', because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love... And we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts...”- Mother Theresa

"If we don't know if the unborn is alive, why take the risk? If it's not alive, then why is an abortion

necessary?" - Allison Martinez

"If it isn't a baby, then you aren't pregnant, so what are you aborting?" - Author Unknown

"If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate." - Gregory Koukl

While the last 3 are all very similar they're equally profound.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I'd love to get some feedback and/or opinions you might feel like sharing! :)