Thirty-nine years ago, America made abortion legal. 1973 was the beginning of American acceptance of this horrific procedure. Abortion and murder both involve the destruction of human life, however, the former, is considered perfectly legal. Many Americans consider abortion to be acceptable because they believe the unborn child is not alive. They believe the baby in the womb is nothing more than a clump of cells. This is not true. The baby inside his mother’s womb is most certainly alive. Abortion is murder because the baby is more than a fetus: he is a person. Every time an abortion takes place, a murder is committed.
An unborn child exhibits life from conception. One of the most obvious signs of life the baby portrays is growth. The moment a baby comes into existence, he begins to grow. After a mere 4 weeks of life, the baby’s backbone, arms and legs, and sensory organs are beginning to form (Turner, Anna; Rhodes, David). During the next eight months, the baby continues to grow as his body develops and prepares for birth. Growth is an obvious sign of life since non-living things do not grow. Based on this evidence, one is able to conclude that the unborn child is indeed alive.
Yet another sign of life the unborn child displays is the need for nutrition. Just like any other human being, the unborn child needs proper nutrition in order to develop properly. During her pregnancy, the expectant mother is advised to “consume one extra serving of each of the food groups” and to “drink more water, obtain more iron…. and lower her consumption of caffeine, sugar and sodium” (Turner, Anna Sumabat). These nutritional guidelines are very important to follow because the mother’s eating habits affect the baby’s nutrition. If the baby was not alive, he would not have any nutritional needs, and therefore, the pregnant woman could eat as she wanted to without affecting her child.
“All living things respond to stimuli in their environment” (“Characteristics of Life”). This characteristic of life is seen in clearly in the unborn child. A baby in the womb can respond “to the stimulus that surrounds them including light and sound” (Pugh, Rebecca). Non-living organisms are not at all aware of what is happening around them, and therefore do not respond to their environment. The baby in the womb is alive and therefore can and will respond to his environment.
There are people who believe that abortion is a perfectly legitimate practice. They do not believe that the child in the womb is alive. They believe the unborn baby to be nothing more than a pile of cells. “As a Biologist, I want to note that a 'baby in a womb' only begins to feel and to think after 12 weeks in the mother's womb. Before this period it is only a pile of cells, if you do a abortion in this period, you only kill a few cells” (Matt Slick). This philosophy is completely wrong. Even before reaching 12 weeks, the baby is indeed alive. He has a heartbeat. He has detectable brain waves. He can hear. He has functioning organs. He can move (“Fetal Development From Conception to Birth”). He is alive. He is a person. Terminating the pregnancy would be killing the baby. Aborting the child would be murder.
No matter how much a person may try to avoid the truth, it is undeniable that the unborn child is indeed alive. Scientific facts prove this. No matter how much man may fight this, it is true. The child in the womb is a human being. Abortion is murder because the unborn child is not a fetus: he is a baby. Abortion is murder because the unborn baby is alive. Abortion is murder because the baby is a person.
Works Cited:
"Characteristics of Life." Astrobiology. Web. http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=origin06.
"Fetal Development -- From Conception to Birth." National Right to Life. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/fetaldevelopment.html.
Pugh, Rebecca. "Essay on the Unborn Baby." Mountainbirth. Web. <http://www.mountainbirth.com/downloads/essay_on_the_unborn_child.pdf>.
Slick, Matt. "A Biologist Says the Baby in the Womb Is a Pile of Cells | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry." CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. <http://carm.org/biologist-baby-pile-of-cells>.
Turner, Anna S., and David Rhodes. Health for Christian Schools. Greenville: Bob Jones UP, 1999. Print
Turner, Anna S. Family Life Skills for Christian Schools. Greenville, SC: BJU, 2004. Print.
