Pro-Abortion Arguments are Deceptive

Adapted from "Search for the Truth" by Bruce Malone

Justification is not a neutral term. It implies that something has been done that needs to be excused. Wherever there is justification, there is sin. A myriad of common excuses are used for the purpose of justifying abortion. Perhaps the sheer number of excuses is an indication of just how difficult it is to justify.

IT’S A FETUS - NOT A BABY
Calling a baby a fetus is mere semantics. Labeling an unborn child by the scientific name is purely an effort to depersonalize the baby in order to make the process of disposing of the baby less emotionally painful. Any woman who plans to keep her child immediately refers to the child as a baby. No one asks, “What are you going to call your fetus?” As soon as sperm and egg combine, a new human is the result. Biologically and physically, the baby is a completely separate entity from the mother. The baby is only dependent on the mother for time and nutrition to survive. Women do not give birth to guppies, cabbages, or blobs of tissue. The only reason for calling a baby anything other than a baby is to depersonalize it in order to justify its disposal.

IT’S MY BODY, I’LL DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH IT
As soon as a woman becomes pregnant, her body becomes two bodies. At first a young baby may not resemble a human, but it is one, and not long after conception, it is easy to recognize as human. The developing baby is a different entity from the mother and, half the time, is of a different sex. An unborn child carries innumerable characteristics that distinguish it from its mother.

The most basic purpose of any society is to provide justice and assure order. Almost every law places some kind of control over how we use our bodies. We are not free to strike other people except in self defense, drive a car in a reckless manner, or steal the property of others. For the good of society as a whole, we are not even allowed to use certain addictive drugs or commit suicide. Justifying the disposal of an unborn baby by claiming it is part of the woman’s body is biologically illogical and culturally inconsistent with other laws which protect innocent life.

EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE A WANTED CHILD
Everyone is “unwanted” by someone at sometime, but this is never considered adequate justification for murder. Why should it be considered valid justification for the disposal of an unwanted child? There is no shortage of dedicated couples who would gladly adopt and raise a child rather than see it aborted. Mother Theresa pleaded with mothers to send their children to her rather than killing them before birth. This was no idle gesture. Dedicated Christians are willing to raise these children regardless of race or other circumstances surrounding the child’s conception. If the money our government has put into encouraging abortions was used to streamline and encourage adoption; there wouldn’t be any unwanted babies.

SOME BABIES ARE BETTER OFF NOT BEING BORN
Does the prospect of poverty or physical handicap justify disposing of a child before it is born? If so, why not use the same rational to dispose of a child after it is born? Countless accounts of marvelous accomplishments by physically handicapped people attest to the remarkable value of every human life. Helen Keller (deaf and blind) and Steven Hawkins (a brilliant physicist who can currently control nothing, but eye movement) are just two examples that show a person’s worth is not dependent upon a perfect body. Even more numerous are people who have risen to the height of human accomplishment from the depths of human poverty.

If there is any established fact of human existence, it is that material wealth does not assure happiness and fulfillment. Disposing of babies based on affordability is the ultimate in selfishness. It is also the clearest possible representation of a lack of trust in the providence of God! Women in poverty are a social concern, but allowing them to destroy their unborn children has obviously not removed their poverty. Furthermore, our society has certainly not improved in the 40 years since it has become “legal” for mothers to kill their unborn children.