One of the hottest topics for the last 35+ years has been the abortion issue. It is always characterized as a complex issue. It is only complex if one fails to address the real issue.
What is the real issue? Quite simply that abortion is the termination of a human life and as such is no different than any other form of murder. I realize that sounds harsh. Proponents of pro-choice would say that there are so many other issues at work here. I agree. But they are side issues to what the main issue is. The following is an argument against abortion from a logical standpoint and not from a religious standpoint.
It comes down to life. Do you advocate life or not? There are those that would argue this point, obviously, and claim it is a woman's right to do with her body as she chooses. I would argue there is a bigger issue that they don't want to face which allows them to make the arguments that they do.
Here is what we know: 1) women bear the children in the human species. That's just the way it is. It doesn't matter if you don't like it, it just is. 2) when a child is conceived a human being is created and advances through the many stages of growth rapidly. By four weeks the heart is beating and the brain and central nervous system have formed. For all intents and purposes this is a human being. By twenty weeks, through the miracle of modern medicine, this person can live outside of the womb if needed.
Now, our society professes to value life. You can't take someone's life without consequences unless it is through self-defense. Doctors take an oath to above all do no harm. The Constitution provides for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The real issue in the abortion debate is the unborn child. This child doesn't appear to have any rights in our society. It is the main victim that pays the ultimate price, with no say in the matter. It is the main victim who has no fault in the matter. It did not choose to be conceived, yet it happened. How is it legal to terminate it's life? This is not a judgement on those that have chosen abortion, but a legitimate question.
How is it legal to terminate an unborn child at any point in the pregnancy, but if a pregnant woman is injured in a car accident and her unborn child is killed, in some states manslaughter or vehicular homicide charges can be brought against the driver of the other car? Is this logical? There really are only victims in the abortion issue. The unborn child is a victim. The mother is a victim. Women who have abortions often suffer psychological issues of guilt for the rest of their lives. How many women do you know who proudly state that they have had an abortion? The father of the child is a victim. He has no rights in this issue, much like the unborn child. It doesn't matter if he does not want the mother to get the abortion. Under the law, it's not his call.
All of the focus in the abortion debate has been with the rights of the woman who is pregnant. None of the other parties involved have any rights. How is that fair? There are alternatives to abortion of course, having the child and keeping it or putting it up for adoption. Those alternatives at least give rights to the other parties involved. The child, it gets to live, the mother, may have a change of heart after seeing her child, and the father who, if the mother doesn't want the child, can choose to keep it.
I am not diminishing the rights of the mother in this argument, but as stated earlier, women are the ones who bear the children, like it or not. If she becomes pregnant she is carrying another human being and her body becomes not entirely her own for that period of time. Whether the reason for the abortion is inconvenience, possible birth defects or whatever the reason, that reason is not more important than the real issue, the life of the unborn child. Two wrongs don't make a right. What seems like a solution to a 'problem' only ends up creating more pain and heartache for those involved. If we value life as a society, then having abortion on demand is illogical.
If you are considering abortion, please take into account all of the factors that will be a result of a decision that cannot be reversed. A decision that may haunt you for the rest of your life.
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