Considering how well my last blog went over (and the length of the ensuing debate on Facebook), I decided to go ahead to make blog #2 in my series another hot button issue. :P I'm sure there will eventually be topics I cover that people will read and just think "Duh." But for now, I'm going with one that very well may upset some people.
For most of you that know me, my stance on this topic will be no surprise - I view a life as a life, a child as a child, from the moment of conception. I don't understand how some people can say that "it's not a baby" until 3 months, 6 months, birth. What exactly is "it" if not a baby? It's not like women are carrying fish in their uteruses (uterii?). I've heard the "mass of cells" argument, but let's be honest here - that's all we are too. Every living, breathing being on this earth is a mass of cells. I've also heard the stance that since the fetus can't survive on its own, then it can't be called a baby. But neither can an infant. Or a toddler. Babies and children rely on their parents/guardians because they can't take care of themselves. Every argument I've heard that is pro-choice ultimately makes no sense to me. So, in the end, I view abortion as murder. Plain and simple.
Let's talk about a child as a product of rape. Many people have stated that the only way they would be ok with abortion is if the pregnancy resulted from the mother's rape. She didn't ask for this; she didn't even do anything to cause it. It was thrust upon her, and it's unfair to force her to live with the child of her attacker within her. But do you know what I find unfair? That you would say it's ok to murder this innocent baby because of the crime of his or her father. This child didn't ask to be a product of rape. He didn't do anything to harm his mother. Why should she have to die because her father committed a heinous crime? Let's look at it this way - a man is struggling to feed and care for his 2 year old. He makes enough to provide for himself, but the added mouth to feed is taking it's toll, and there is always more month left at the end of the money. In a panic, he decides to rob a store. All he wants is to provide for his child. But during the robbery, something goes wrong and 3 people wind up dead. So the world says "kill the kid. After all, if there hadn't been this child, he never would have committed the crime." ... It's the father's crime. It's the father's choices. We have no right to murder a child for something her father has done.
What about medical reasons? The baby will be born with a disease or mental disability. The baby will die. The mother will die. All I can say is, doctors are not infallible. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that there will be something horrifically wrong, only for everyone to be completely healthy. When my aunt was pregnant with her first child, she had all the testing done and was told her child would be born with Down's Syndrome. She spent the rest of her pregnancy stressed and worrying. He was perfectly healthy when he was born. And I have a friend who's doctors never noticed anything wrong throughout her pregnancy, and her son was born with a heart defect. Love is not weighted by perfection. Even if the doctor is right, and your child has a mental disability or is born needing surgeries, do you really think you will be incapable of loving them? Doctors have been wrong so many times in these situations. A mother could be told she would die from giving birth, but that doesn't mean it will happen. I just can't see this as an excuse. A doctor could tell you that the baby will have no quality of life because of a defect he would be born with. But who can really say what qualifies as quality of life? Who can say that the life they live isn't "good enough"? Talk to anyone who has a child with Down's. Ask them if their child really has any quality of life, and suggest that they should have had an abortion. Then run for cover.
I've even heard people saying that abortion is ok if the parents can't care for the child (they are jobless, already have too many children, etc). This is the one that makes the least amount of sense to me. There are millions of people just waiting to adopt a child. People who would give him a good home, love her endlessly, build him up to be a fruitfully contributing member of society. Adoption is such a good resource for those who do not wish to raise their child, or can't.
So there you have it: my unpopular opinion. I can not think of a single reason why I would ever say that abortion is ok. Recently my church asked people to watch a documentary. It's short (about half an hour) but so very compelling. A word of warning - it's not for younger viewers. There are images that can only be deemed graphic, and not something a child should see. But if you want to really figure out where you stand on abortion, you should watch this. Or watch it anyway. You may find your opinions changing. Ben's did. I'm not going to lie to you, there are parts that are hard to see. But I really feel that everyone should watch this. It is compelling and thought provoking.
http://180movie.com/
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