The Speaking Eagle
Let’s Not Allow Abortion to Deny Anyone Our Most Precious Gift -- LoveWednesday, April 04, 2012 By MariaFernanda Gomez
I like to think life is more than a bunch of cells composing an organism. I like to think we each have a purpose. Call me pro-life. Every day when I pick up my brother from Kindergarten, I walk through the beauty of life. The yellow and green grass is crawling with hundreds of unique species. The sidewalk cracks host even more. The breezy blue sky hosts birds. And the most beautiful life I encounter at the end of the walk is my brother, whose eyes sparkle at seeing me as his grin widens. But it isn’t just my brother who is so full of joy and energy that grabs my attention. Grandparents regularly fight illness and weakness just to have the opportunity to cuddle and spoil their grandchildren. There are also parents who might be busy, but push everything aside to assure their child is happy. And that life fills me with joy because I know everyone is accepted and loved by someone. No one is perfect, or wanted by everyone, but they are perfect and wanted by someone. And because of that powerful connection of love that sets humanity apart from all the other species, it is horrible to deny any one of us that precious link. The biggest genocide bolstered by selfish arguments has been toward the most precious and innocent of us all -- unborn children. Human life isn’t measured by economic, social, or political value. And when it has been, we look back at it with shame and sorrow and vow to “never let it happen again.” In the United States, more than 40 million unborn babies have been killed in the 29 years since abortion was legalized, and more than 1.3 million are killed each year, according to statistics from several recognized national institutes [the Alan Guttmacher Institute, Centers for Disease Control, National Right to Life Committeee, and Central Illinois Right to Life]. It would take more than 13 thousand September 9, 2011 terrorist attacks to kill as many people as abortion has killed since Roe vs. Wade . It is a tragedy that must end if we seek to foster a culture for our children that will value life, as it is – a gift from God. In Utah, an abortion may only be performed before the stage where an unborn child can survive outside of the womb (usually, in most cases, this is at 28 weeks of gestation). After the recent 2012 Utah State legislative session, laws regarding abortion changed slightly. A woman seeking abortion now has to wait 72 hours before having the abortion; before those 72 hours, she must meet face-to-face with a medical person with information ranging from a description of the procedure, developmental stage the baby will be in at the time of the abortion, legal right to demand child support from father and alternatives. She must also be given written copies of it, and a DVD. “She must be provided with how it affects the baby, the risks of carrying the baby to term,” says Jean Hill, the Government Liaison of the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese. “And, if the woman is four months pregnant or more, discuss fetal pain and options for protecting the baby from feeling pain during the procedure.” While this step is in the right direction because it discloses more information to women, I believe it is not enough. The law admits the unborn child is a human by restricting the period an abortion may be performed to a certain stage of its development, before five months. Even by this time, the unborn child has already developed more features that adults have. His/her skin is the pink and soft we adore. More of that baby fat we love grows. Hair is visible; teeth are growing in; and eyes can open and close, and the unborn child could be dreaming because the eyes are starting to move in their sockets. They even have their own regular intervals for sleeping and being awake; branches of the lungs are developed; and the brain continues developing rapidly. In fact, the baby now looks much like he/she will at birth. Perhaps more beautifully, he/she can recognize the voice of the mother, the mother that can choose to kill them before they have a chance to recognize her face. Some supporters of abortion imply a distinction between humans and “potential” humans because the unborn child is not as fully developed as an adult. Just because the appearances differ, however, doesn’t mean an unborn human is not a human. Part of all living organisms experience growth and development; there is no such thing as the moment when a “potential” human springs into a human. If that were the case, couldn’t it be applied against children? Children are “potential” humans because they are not matured adult “full-fledged” humans ... just a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? It is true that supporting a child is a huge responsibility. But in fact, approximately 93% of all induced abortions are done for elective, non-medical reasons, according to researchers Aida Torres and J.D. Forrest. This means medical emergencies when the mother’s life is at risk are practically nonexistent. Current national legislation allows mothers to just murder unborn children because they want to, or feel they need to. But, mothers, there are alternatives. Nearly 3,000 Crisis Pregnancy Centers throughout the country are staffed with volunteers eager to explain those options, like adoption. They can even alleviate medical expenses by helping with pre- and post-natal medical care, housing, clothing, and legal assistance. Young mothers are also offered advice on how they can continue their education while caring for a child. Human life is a gift in itself that empowers us to love one another. And that love doesn’t have to be displayed grandly and lavishly. No, that love is pure and good in itself and the first place it is experienced is within our homes. It is displayed through kind gestures -- a newborn gripping a sibling’s pinkie, a father squeezing his wife’s hand, a toddler leaning against his father’s arm, a teenager helping her mother peel potatoes. That love shouldn’t be rejected because someone doesn’t realize they want that precious link. Many abortion advocates claim abortion is acceptable in rape cases. This argument appeals to our heartstrings, but is empty and assumes rape cases are common -- which they are not. But, even so, how does a baby have less of a right to live because of who his/her father was? The argument is null because it tosses aside the reality that the unborn child is alive, and he/she can’t be killed solely because one person doesn’t want them. And abortion isn’t even the easy way out; in fact, it causes an enormous strain -- emotionally and sometimes physically -- on the woman. P hysical problems from abortion can include hemorrhage, infection, sterility and even death. Psychological effects can include depression and mental trauma to divorce and suicide. We teach our children to treat everyone with respect and dignity; what lesson are we teaching them when we tell them it is okay to deny an innocent’s life? Abortion isn’t explained to a child because we who love them can’t find it in ourselves to teach that horrifying reality to innocent giggles and bright eyes, in pants with holes and muddy shoes. And if we can't teach it to them, then why do we fool ourselves into ignoring the real value of life? Love is the most significant treasure that keeps each one of us going; don’t continue to allow the horrendous mistake of denying it to anyone. So why are a mother’s whims given preference over an innocent baby’s chance to completely experience life? Allowing abortion says a woman is more important than an unborn child, a horrifying resolution that shatters the inherent dignity of equality in all life. Almost 1 out of every 4 Americans babies is aborted , according to the Guttmacher Institute. Let’s stop. Sponsoring abortion undermines our most precious gift -- life. |