AP English Language and Composition
Statistics show that 46 million babies die from abortion all over the world, which means that approximately one baby is killed every two seconds (Craig). Today, abortion is a growing problem in America and throughout the world. Abortion is the killing of a baby inside the womb within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion laws started to surface in the 1820s in the United States. Many feminists spoke out against abortion, indicating how it was an unsafe procedure that was endangering a woman's body and health. By 1965, all of the states banned abortion with a few exceptions like rape and incest cases. Abortion was legalized in the United States in 1973 with the Roe vs. Wade decision. Many celebrated this decision, but others opposed it. The right to legal abortion has been challenged several times since then but continues to be upheld by the Supreme Court.
Abortion is a very controversial topic. The major discussion points about abortion include: when life begins, potential safety issues, individual rights of women, and cases of incest and rape. The church says that abortion begins at conception but the state says that it begins after the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion is a dangerous procedure that places the mother's life in jeopardy. There are arguments for abortion that include the rights of a woman to make choices pertaining to her own body. In cases of incest and rape, women should not have to carry the unwanted pregnancy to term.
Although some people are pro-choice, nevertheless pro-life is a better option because killing is immoral, it can cause emotional scars, and it is a safety hazard.
Murder
Shouldn't every murder be judged the same, whether the baby is born or still in the womb? Shouldn't there be justice for the fetus?
An immoral act is something that is not right; it goes against one's morals. Abortion is morally wrong; it is equivalent to murder. No matter how one looks at it, it is killing a human being. Abortion is the act of killing a fetus before he or she is born. If a man kills a pregnant woman by accident he is charged with double homicide, but when a doctor aborts a baby there is no punishment. There is no justice for the baby. The baby is a living being at conception, and should be treated like a human. "Abortion is the greatest evil of our time, and we have brushed it off as if it is a woman's choice. If I could do time in prison for the murder I committed, I would." (Ashley) This was a statement made by a young girl who experienced an abortion.
What gives people the right to play God? The Bible states in Exodus 23:7 "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked." The baby in the womb counts as the innocent. The word of the Lord says that killing the innocent is wrong. Pro-choice supporters may claim that they are Christians, but how can one claim to be a Christian and purposely disobey one...
