Abortion. There aren’t many words that can stir up such political, social, and emotional turmoil and debate as this eight-letter word. About the only way to stay out of the debate is to hide yourself away and ignore the reality of what is taking place and being said. While many Christians would automatically say that abortion is wrong, many don’t know how to respond to the arguments used by pro-abortion groups. I myself didn’t know all the facts until I decided to research the validity of the arguments.

Every year there are over 1.2 million abortions performed. The foundational phrases for the pro-abortion group’s justification for these 1.2 million abortions are “a woman’s reproductive rights” and the “right to choose.” Notice first the wording of these phrases. In both phrases is the use of the word “right.” The phrase “a woman’s reproductive rights” implies that a woman has the “right” to do anything she wants if it has to do with her own body, even if this means ending the child’s life. The phrase “right to choose” also uses two words to imply liberty and justice...the woman has the right to choose. It isn’t an accident that the pro-abortion groups use these two phrases, especially in America. America is known as a country where humans have “rights” and the ability to “choose” everything from their politicians to where they send their children to school. When it comes to choices, isn’t it strange that the pro-abortion groups never finish the sentence of a “right to choose.” Right to choose what? Ever wonder why they just don’t admit that they want the “right to choose” to end a human life?

The words that pro-abortion groups use to describe anyone against abortion is meant to paint the “pro-lifer” as an intolerant anti-American. Because pro-abortion groups have absolutely no good defense for keeping abortion legal, they must turn to playing word games. Along with the use of the words “choice” and “right” in phrases to support the pro-abortion stance, pro-abortion groups constantly use the word “anti” to describe any person that doesn’t agree with abortion. Although the word “anti” does mean “opposed to”, in a subtle way it also conveys the image of something bad, something evil. Along with the constant use of the word "anti" is the use of the word "attacker."  As an example, look at some of the labels that are given to “pro-lifers” that I found on the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) website:

Anyone against abortion is really:

Anti-choice

Anti-freedom

Anti-choice extremists

Anti-reproductive rights

Attackers on choice who spread anti-abortion propaganda

Anti-choice people who use terrorists tactics

Attackers on women’s reproductive freedom

Those are a few descriptions of someone that takes a stand against abortion. The NARAL website also had a few comments about Crisis Pregnancy Centers. In the words of NARAL, Crisis Pregnancy Centers are “fake clinics” that “use pregnancy tests to hold women hostage.” (emphasis mine)

While this can be a touchy subject, my intentions are to show that the pro-abortion arguments fall apart when challenged. It is not my intention to judge anyone that has had an abortion. It is not the unforgivable sin. I know women that had an abortion before they became Christians, and I also know that when these women asked God to forgive them for what they did, God did forgive them. The emotional turmoil that can live on after an abortion is something that I myself know well. I paid for a girl to have an abortion before I became a Christian. I cannot come close to explaining the guilt that I have felt since I learned the truth about abortion.  

Even today there are times when I wonder what my child would have looked like. He or she would have been 8 years old this year. If you think that abortion is only a woman’s issue, think again. When I paid for the abortion, I had no idea this “fetus” was a real live human being. Evolution theory had taught me that it wasn’t a human life and it certainly wasn‘t a human baby. I saw it as some type of fish like creature, just some substance that would eventually have life. Unfortunately, the teaching of evolution still conveys that image and message.

"Despite many claims to the contrary, life does not begin at conception: It is an unbroken chain that stretches back nearly to the origin of the Earth, 4.6 billion years ago. Nor does human life begin at conception: it is an unbroken chain dating back to the origin of our species, tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago. Every human sperm and egg is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, alive. They are not human beings of course.”  (Carl Sagan, "Is It Possible To Be Pro-Life and Pro-Choice". Parade Magazine, 22 April 1990, p. 5)

"Each child as he develops is retracing the whole history of mankind, physically and spiritually, step by step. A baby starts off in the womb as a single tiny cell, just the way the first living thing appeared in the ocean. Weeks later, as he lies in the amniotic fluid of the womb, he has gills like a fish..."  (Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care. (Cardinal Giant Addition, 1957, p. 223.) Quoted by Walter J. Bock, "Evolution by Orderly Law", Science, Vol. 164, 9 May 1969, pp. 684, 685)

Before we begin, I want to point out the correct way to argue against abortion. In logic and philosophy there is what is called arguing “ad hominem”. Ad hominem means “against the person”, something that you will see many times in the abortion debate. Many people will argue against the person instead of attacking the argument itself. This happens when emotions are stirred up, it happens when there are no reasonable response to what someone says, and it also happens when someone doesn’t know how to attack the argument instead of attacking the person. Speaking for myself, I have a difficult time not arguing ad hominen in the abortion debate. This has been even truer after I researched the arguments and reasoning used by the “pro-choice” groups. What I found is groups such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the People For the American Way, etc., care nothing about the pre-born babies that are being killed. They also care nothing for the women involved. On top of this the evidence is growing that one of the main reasons for wanting abortion legal is to destroy babies and sell body parts for research. When I learned everything that is going on I was so upset that the last thing I wanted to do was argue against their reasons for abortion. I would read something like this from the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger....The most merciful thing a large family can do for one of its infants is to kill it. (Woman and the New Race, 1920)  Or when I read something like this from Dr. Mary Calderone from the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States...”We have yet to beat our drums for birth control in the way we beat them for the polio vaccine, we are still unable to put babies in the class of dangerous epidemics, even though this is the exact truth.”

Maybe it’s because this issue is so personal to me because of what I did 8 years ago, but I have really had to struggle to not argue ad hominem. But for people to learn the truth about abortion we must tear apart the arguments and reasoning that is used to defend abortion. To destroy something, you take apart its foundation. Once the foundation is gone everything else will crumble. Violence won’t do it and hate won’t do it, but if it can be shown that the “pro-choice” arguments are totally baseless and without reason, then we can stand on our firm foundation while watching theirs crumble.

I want to start with this aspect of the issue because when you see all the arguments for abortion, you will notice that many of them are based on the opinion that life hasn’t begun yet. It’s very simple. The view of the pro-abortion groups is that abortion isn’t murder because a real human life isn’t being ended. It used to be that “pro-choice” groups would declare that abortion wasn’t murder because there wasn’t evidence that life began at conception.

As science has progressed, the matter of when life begins has come clearer into focus. As I will point out, it can now be shown that life does begin at conception. The “pro-choice” groups have recognized this and have now changed the wording they use in respect to life. Instead of saying that life doesn’t begin at conception, they will now say that personhood doesn’t begin at conception or full humanness doesn’t begin at conception. A simple play on words in attempt to justify abortion.

Biologically, it is proven that life begins at conception. One argument used by the “pro-choice” groups is that this unborn “entity” isn’t life because it is only male sperm and a female egg. The term “fertilized ovum” is most often used. But their argument falls flat on its face because at conception it is no longer a separate male sperm and a separate female egg, and it isn’t a fertilized ovum, it is a zygote. This zygote forms when the egg and sperm join at conception and this zygote has four things which classifies it as biological life...cell reproduction, development, metabolism, and the ability to react to stimuli. Furthermore, this biological life is of the human species right at the moment of conception and will remain human throughout all stages of life. This human life has a completely separate genetic makeup all it’s own, completely distinct from the mother and father. This biological life is not part of the mother, but is attached to the mother. If this tiny life were actually part of the mother, the mother and zygote would have the exact same genetic makeup. Also if this biological life were part of the mother, this would mean that in a short time the mother would have 4 eyes, 2 noses, etc.

At the moment of conception each one of us were of the human species. All of our genetic information existed in the zygote and even if we live to be 100 years old, there is no new genetic information needed beyond what is included in the zygote, the very zygote that is created at the moment of conception. All of us were a zygote at one time, but we didn’t come from a zygote. All humans go through different stages of development but none of these stages give us our humanity. A baby develops into a 5-year-old child, the child develops into a teenager, the teenager develops into an adult, but none of these stages gives us our humanity. We once were a baby, but we didn’t come from a baby. We once were a 5-year-old child, but we didn’t come from a 5-year-old child. Our complete human nature and complete unique genetic makeup was created at the moment the zygote was formed at conception. Hair color, eye color, skin color, everything in the genetic code is in the zygote established at the moment of conception.

One argument used against life at conception is the fact that many conceptions die before reaching implantation. Implantation takes places within one week of conception when the conceptus is implanted in the womb of the mother. This argument is not valid because even if death occurs before implantation, this doesn’t mean that the zygote made at conception doesn’t have a full human nature and a unique one of a kind genetic makeup.

Another argument against life at conception concerns twins. Twinning happens when a single conceptus splits and becomes two. Some scientists theorize that when a single conceptus occurs at conception, the original single conceptus dies and give life to two new human beings. Other scientists have different theories, but in any event, none of this negates the fact that the original zygote created at conception is a completely new and unique “entity” with a full human nature, it’s own genetic code, and biological life.

Many people in the “pro-choice” movement note that a true human being is not created at conception because many women do not grieve at the loss of a “baby” at 4 weeks. First, most women aren’t aware they are pregnant during the first 4 weeks, so if the conceptus dies before the woman even knows she is pregnant, she isn’t going to grieve about something she knew nothing about. But what about if the women is 4 months into her pregnancy and the baby dies? “Pro-choice” groups will say that because many women won’t grieve over this, this proves that this “baby” isn’t a real live human being. This is a terrible argument used by the “pro-abortion” groups because they are trying to prove this baby isn’t a real human life based on women’s feelings. You cannot prove that something isn’t human based on a “feeling.” Many women will grieve for the loss of a 2-year-old child but not grieve over the death of an adult they have never met. But does this mean that the adult that died wasn’t human? To try to equate the issue of grieving with what is and is not human is a seriously flawed argument.

Another argument used to say that a human life is not created at conception has to do with the issue of development. The “pro-choice” argument says that the conceptus isn’t a real human being because it hasn’t developed into a human being yet. Now I will admit that this conceptus is developing, but it is a fallacy to use the issue of development to disprove full humanity. Four things are needed for the conceptus to grow and develop: shelter, water, food, and oxygen. Now look what is needed for a 5-year-old to grow and develop into a teenager: shelter, water, food, and oxygen. Does this mean the 5-year-old isn’t fully human? Because the 5-year-old needs these 4 things to develop and grow, does this mean the 5-year-old is developing into a human being? Of course not. The zygote formed at conception will develop and grow but will never become a human being because it is already a human being, with a full human nature, and complete lifelong genetic code.

In Part 2 I will address other arguments against abortion. This will include issues such as tolerance, rape, the unwanted child, and a woman’s “right” to use her own body as she wishes.

One thing I want to mention is that most of what I have talked about so far happens within the first week or so after conception. This is during a time when most women aren’t even aware they are pregnant. In fact, most women find out they are pregnant at least 4 weeks after conception. Although women can legally have an abortion at any time during the nine months of pregnancy, and with partial birth abortion can even have the baby killed during a live delivery, many abortions are performed during the first trimester (first 3 months) of pregnancy. Just to give you an idea of what this tiny human looks like, look at what has developed within only the first 4 weeks after conception.

Starting at about the eighteenth day after conception, the formation of the brain and nervous system starts. At thirty days the brain can be seen. At about three weeks, the liver and digestive tract begin to form and a basic heart muscle begins to pulsate. By the twenty-eighth day tiny arms and legs begin to form. And within this first 4 weeks after conception, this little human has developing ears, eyes, mouth, head, and body. He or she is half the size of a pea.

Note: I have talked with “pro-choicers” that have disagreed with my statement of over 1.2 million abortions performed each year. Hence, here are the numbers of reported legal abortions for selected years from 1980 thru 1996 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Abortion Surveillance Report:

1980: 1,297,606

1985: 1,328,570

1987: 1,353,671

1989: 1,393,658

1990: 1,429,577

1991: 1,388,937

1992: 1,359,145

1993: 1,330,414

1994: 1,267,415

1995: 1,210,883

1996: 1,221,585

Just from 1990 to 1996, there were nine million two hundred seven thousand nine hundred fifty six babies killed.