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Alanna Boroski

Mrs. Burr

English 2010

26 March 2018

The Value of Life: Abortion

Millions of helpless lives are taken away every year, never even getting to taste the first

breath of life. Abortion is a major issue in the United States and everywhere around the world.

According to ​Students for Life of America’s​ article, it states, “The U.S. abortion rate is among the

highest of developed countries”​ ​(Guttmacher Para. 1). Even though our country is highly

respected and looked up to, it is unfortunate and saddening that it has such an incredibly high

abortion rate. Abortion has become a monstrous problem, drastically increasing in the past

decade and continuing to do so until major changes are enforced. A few questions that have

millions of people wondering are, “what are the consequences to getting an abortion?” as well as,

“what is the big deal on getting an abortion?” For those who are new to this topic, abortion is

purposefully killing an unborn child whilst in a woman’s womb. Abortion has been an ongoing

controversial matter for many years and continues to be a large topic throughout society and

even in state/federal levels. The two sides of this issue are: pro life advocates who do not support

abortions and believe in standing up for what these unborn babies cannot say, and pro choice

advocates who believe that women have the right to choose what they want to do with their

body. Hundreds of organizations, researchers, and protesters have spent countless hours trying to

uncover a solution or persuasive argument to better solve this debatable topic and to higher their

chances of making a difference in the country. After reviewing and reading the highly advanced
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research on abortion, it is safe to say that abortions should be illegal in the United States as well

as every other country around the world and the government should no longer permit

organizations to support/promote abortions. People need to understand that it is crucial that

babies are to be given a chance at life. Society should also entirely remove the option for women

to make such an agonizing and life changing decision. Consequences to deny such actions should

be upheld and acknowledged.

Unfortunately, abortion is authorized by the law and is affecting many lives every single

day. In her court testimony, Melissa Ohden expresses, “As a fellow American, as a fellow human

being, I deserved the same right to life, the same equal protection under the law as each and

every one of you”(Para. 5). Melissa Ohden is an

abortion survivor who brings wisdom and

emotion in every word she speaks. She was

tortured as a fetus, burnt inside her mother’s

womb, and was unable to do anything about it.

Many would argue that it was a miracle that she

survived and quite frankly there are numerous

babies out there who did not get as lucky as her.

Proven by scientists, babies can feel and portray

emotion in the womb just the same as any human

being. Allowing pain to be felt by millions of

fetuses is unfair and quite inhumane, especially

when society constantly punishes offenders of

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assault, abuse, and murder but appoint no punishments to abortionists. Like Melissa Ohden, there

are many people and stories to support that abortions should not be approved by the law and that

these murderings need to be stopped. The government is supposed to stand up for people’s

rights; however, when it comes to unborn babies, the government claims that the rights for them

should be different; which is utterly unjust. Trusted by many, America is a country with

prominent laws and smart reliable authorities, and sadly it is falsifying the rights of human

beings. Fetuses deserve their rights as human beings and America should be able to commend

that. By giving unborn children their undeniable rights, it will also ensure a solution for the

larger issue: ending abortions nationwide.

There are many facts and statistics to support that an unborn baby is still a human being.

Science supports that argument and it is hard to deny scientific facts. In the article, “The Best

Pro-Life Arguments for Secular Audiences”, author Rob Schwarzwalder emphasizes, “By the

end of the eighth week, the child, now known scientifically as a ‘fetus,’ has developed all of his

organs and bodily structures” (Para. 1). After 2 months, a fetus already has every singly structure

that a full grown person has. This statistic proves that unborn babies are humans too.

Disgracefully, some people and America’s government fail to believe that. Social activists will

continue to protest this argument and do so until change is brought about. In this day and time,

with the unbelievably advanced technology that has developed, it is very simple to understand

and prove that a fetus is a human and that mothers should never be able to rid them in any way.

Emma Green states in the article, “Science is Giving the Pro-life Movement a Boost,” that “New

technology makes it easier to apprehend the humanity of a growing child and imagine a fetus as

a creature with moral status” (Para. 6). To see and hear a fetus inside of a woman’s stomach is
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incredible. Current machines allow people to listen to the heartbeat of a fetus, even as early as 10

weeks old. The brain and heart are major functions that every living being has and technology

has proved that a child obtains these essential body parts when they are only two and a half

months developed. These organs are vital for life and it is undeniably clear that fetuses are just as

human as already birthed humans and they deserve the right to be brought upon this Earth

without notion of murder.

In addition to the effect that abortions have on the fetus, it also plays a massive role on

the mother. Abortions are incredibly harsh on a woman’s body; although, it does not just hurt a

woman physically, but mentally as well. Abby, a published journalist, tells the story of her

experience on abortion, which left her in so much trauma and regret. She explains how she

completely regretted it and mourned every day. There was not a day that went by that she forgot

about what she had done and it left her in a miserable state for so many years and she believed

she would never overcome this incident and deserves nothing in life(Para. 2). Abortions mentally

affect woman in so many negative ways. There are hundreds of stories just like Abby’s that all

portray and exhibit the same feelings and endings. This situation is a tremendously unhealthy

and unstable thing to put on a person and it should not be happening to so many women

throughout America. Abortion has become one of our country’s biggest unresolved issues and a

world wide crisis too. Shockingly, women are not given all of their options first hand when they

are in a contemplating situation, but it is true. In an interview coordinated individually with Mary

Taylor, president of Pro-life Utah, explains “Immediately--as in--as I’m laying on the table, I

knew something was wrong. I just...knew something was wrong. It felt horrible, you could feel

death in the room.” Mary Taylor did not know her other options before going into that room to
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make that life changing decision. She felt as though abortion was the only option for her. Woman

who unexpectedly become pregnant go to clinics such as Planned Parenthood, hoping that the

“experts” will give them helpful advice. However, many times, abortion clinics rarely give a

women all of the alternatives before resulting in the option of abortion. Every woman deserves to

get help in exceeding understandment beyond their present situation rather than assuming that

the only choice that seems suitable for them and their pregnancy is abortion. It has to be

acknowledged that it does not just affect the fetus but it has a negative toll on the mother as well.

In the article “Why we Must Become Pro Abundant Life”​, ​it explains how a large amount of

women (20%) who get abortions undergo great depression, unhappiness, and other psychological

matters(Para. 5).This proves to show that out of 1 million abortions, 200,000 women go into a

depression state and suffer mental illnesses. Society needs to understand that this is a major issue

and the only way to advance the mental health for women who undergo abortions, is to put an

end to them in the first place.

In the book ​Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation​, Ronald Reagan explains how life

is becoming less valued due to the fact that the US is discriminating against the unborn (Page

21). Many would claim that life is the most valuable aspect of the world and to remove newborns

from that category is diminishing life’s entire value. In another aspect, society is basically

cherishing the oxygen given off by trees yet killing off the buds that form these beautiful

necessities of nature. The same relates to all of the Earth’s unborn children. Children are the

roots of life and without them, the world could not prosper and develop into an astounding and

civil environment for all. Society’s future lies in the hands of the youth. This expression means

that birthing, raising, and teaching the children should be the biggest priority and focus to
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parents. Women should not be conjuring up thoughts about whether or not to kill their baby, but

rather if they have the mindset and drive to raise an amazing child who could potentially grow to

be an amazing impact and contributor to society.

Being said, abortion has hundreds of defective reasons causing negative impacts on

millions of lives and needs to become a discontinued phenomenon throughout the country.

Abortion is an act that should be widely acknowledged as “non permissible”. Ending the option

of abortion can only be stopped by unauthorizing this murderous occurrence in the country’s

federal law, understanding that life is not determined by the “looks” of something, and lastly, to

provide knowledge to pregnant and hesitant women of their numerous other options. Taking

away the option of abortion will create a superior livelihood and favorable atmosphere within

every community. Abortion goes against everything that America has to offer and it especially

lessens the most important notion from humans; the value of life.
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Work Cited

Abby. "Abby's Story." ​Project Rachel – HopeAfterAbortion.org​. N.p., Jan. 2018. Web. 18 Apr.

2018.

Green, Emma. "Science Is Giving the Pro-Life Movement a Boost." ​The Atlantic​. Atlantic Media

Company, 18 Jan. 2018. Web. 18 Apr. 2018.

Guttmacher, Alan. “Abortion Facts.” ​Students for Life of America.​ 28 February 2013. Web.

Ohden, Melissa. “Testimony of Melissa Ohden” ​Abortion Survivor and Founder of The Abortion

Survivors Network​, March 15, 2016.

Reagan, Ronald. "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation." ​Abortion and the Conscience

of the Nation​. N.p.: n.p., 2014. N. pag. Print.

Schwarzwalder, Rob. "Family Research Council." ​The Best Pro-Life Arguments for Secular

Audiences​. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2018.

Taylor, Mary. Personal Interview. April 9, 2018.

Warren, Roland C. "Why The Pro-Life Movement Should Become Pro Abundant Life." ​Care

Net​. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2018.

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