"We Are Pro-Life"
Few issues have polarized American society more than that of elective abortion and the rights of a woman to make what is termed a "choice". On one side, there are those who feel a woman should be able to choose what she wants to do with her body, even when it involves a pregnancy. The opposing argument takes the stance that the unborn fetus is a human life and therefore, cannot be tampered with once established, regardless. And then there are those who take the middle ground where the argument is for life except in cases of rape and incest or maybe even for a teen mother who "made a mistake". Clearly, these are difficult issues and beg for there to be some type of definitive understanding or insight to this most important dilemma.
As a Pro-Life practice deciding to put forth a statement on this sensitive subject, the focus had to be such that anyone reading this could fully understand the facts, the science and most importantly the truth about the unborn baby, the devastating procedure known as elective abortion and why it is not only wrong, but a terrible dishonor to our Creator. The issue will be approached by examining the actuality that dishonesty and lack of knowledge pervade the entire issue by both those delivering the service and those on the receiving end, respectively.
Falsehood #1: Before ultrasound technology, there was a legitimate chasm in our understanding of the unborn fetus. While there was certainly evidence that an unborn baby did indeed fully form some time prior to delivery, there was a relative uncertainty as to when. This "lack of understanding" has been used by those favoring abortion to help justify their position of performing them. It was this mindset that ultimately led abortion providers and their ancillary staff to depict a pregnancy at the time of the procedure to be nothing more than a "blob" of tissue. This misleading representation has not only duped millions of women, it has persisted to this day and has been purposely used on pregnancies as advanced as 15-16 weeks gestation.
The Truth #1: Ultrasound technology has been around for more than thirty years and has been able to clearly identify a fully formed fetus at a gestational age that was far earlier than previously thought. And with the advent of Hysteroscopic camera technology, our understanding has advanced even further. In fact, there is a formal cardiac structure pumping blood as early as five and a half weeks gestation. And the unborn Human Being is fully differentiated (arms, legs, fingers, toes, brain, heart, kidneys, liver, reproductive organs, etc.) by ten weeks gestation. This is only SIX WEEKS after a woman's missed period! The middle picture at the right is from around this time. Is this not a human being? And further, does a human need to be fully formed in order to be considered off limits? We all start as a single cell (complete with the full compliment of DNA information found in any living human) that multiplies into a "ball" of cells which (through the miracle of embryologic development) becomes a small person. Once fully formed at ten weeks, the remainder of the pregnancy is for maturation of all systems in order to survive outside the womb. With the majority of abortions occurring between 8 and 12 weeks gestation, clearly we are not dealing with a "blob" but a tiny little baby.
Falsehood and Truth #2: Another of the arguments offered by the "pro-choice" faction is that the baby is not fully human (and therefore expendable) because of its inability to survive outside its mother's womb. And the word fetus is often emphasized in order to make it sound less human. This just may be the most intellectually dishonest position on this subject. Of course a fetus will not survive on its own before it has been given the chance to mature to the point of self-sufficiency outside of the womb. This is why the process takes several months. Would you take a cake out of the oven that was half baked and throw it away simply because it was not enough of a cake at that moment to serve to your guests? Of course not. You would leave it in until it was finished. This is common sense. Right? So why do we as a society do it to our babies before they have had the functional chance at life by labeling them as disposable simply because they have not reached a certain point of development? Furthermore, show me a full-term baby that could survive without its mother. Should we then justify exterminating a newborn for this same "inability to survive without its mother" argument? Again, of course not.
Perhaps the second most outrageous offering from some in the pro-abortion movement is the assertion that a fetus, (and even a newborn) is not a person yet with a conscience and an understanding of "self" and therefore can be terminated. Does anything further need to be said about this? For anyone with a child, one of the most magical aspects of a baby is seeing them discover themselves and the world around them. We all must go through this necessary process but according to those who want to convince you otherwise, all unborn babies are fair game given this appalling contention.
Falsehood and Truth #3: "It's the woman's body so she can do anything she wants with it even if it means aborting an unwanted pregnancy." This is the language from those pushing abortion rights. While this argument seems to be one of the strongest in favor of "choice" since we all have authority over our bodies, it simply cannot be used to end the life of an otherwise healthy developing human being. Notwithstanding the utmost respect for individual autonomy, this issue involves two separate lives. The difficulty with this aspect of pro-life positioning is that despite the fact that it takes two to make a baby, it is the woman who is privileged to carry the child and therefore is the one who has to bear the brunt of any untoward issue concerning the gestation. While this may be unpleasant given whatever circumstance surrounding the unwanted pregnancy, we are still dealing with a human life that for all intents and purposes is going to become a full term baby and go on to live once born. Every living human being MUST go through these very steps in order to exist.
At what point does a human life become valuable enough to protect it? Certainly all living people are "protected" to some degree from intentional harm, punishable through the laws of the land. Human life is even important enough to send someone to jail even when the loss of life is accidental. And when a child is involved with such a tragedy, we as a people are moved even further over the devasting deficit it represents to not only the families but society as a whole. But somehow, a little baby still inside it's mother is expendable simply because of location? This is the double standard that has existed within this debate from the beginning. But those pushing abortion want to make you think that somehow the fetus is just not real enough to put forth the same protections as that very same life were it to only get through the birth process. Are we to be that gullible to believe such insincerity?
Falsehood and Truth #4: There are all sorts of politicians out there who speak on the issue of abortion as if they have a master's degree on the subject, yet their unawareness is astounding. Take the partial birth abortion debate. The argument for this truly barbaric procedure is that in order to save the mother's life, the baby needs to be aborted. I have been involved with Obstetrical medicine for nearly twenty years and have never seen a circumstance whereby a baby had to be sacrificed beyond 25 weeks gestation in order to save the mom. Never. If the mother's life is in that much jeopardy, you simply deliver the baby and hope for the best outcome. So for politicians and even doctors to espouse such a deception makes one wonder what evil agenda is at hand or resident in their hearts. While a full term gestation is 40 weeks, medical advances have enabled babies as early as 26 weeks to realize a 75-80+% chance of morbidity free survivial. That is survival without any long term consequence of prematurity. Therefore, for a doctor to ever participate in such an event is purely immoral without any legitimate scientific or medical argument to the contrary.
Falsehood and Truth #5: When a woman has an abortion, she is often counseled by those at the clinic. Along with the "blob" of tissue rhetoric, they are often made to think that once the procedure is over, they can simply go on with their lives, happy to know that their little "problem" has been taken care of. What they do not tell these poor unsuspecting women is that the psychological toll it has on them can affect them for the rest of their lives. Numerous studies have looked at this very phenomenon. Woman have described the emotional torment they have felt once the reality of what they did sinks in. This is a very tragic element to this entire problem that unfortunately leaves most women fending for themselves in having to get over it. Sadly, many never do.
Further, abortion, while considered a quick and "easy" procedure, is anything but. The dilation of the uterine cervix and what amounts to suctioning out of the entire pregnancy unit is not only sickening, it is one of the most potentially hazardous in all of gynecology. During pregnancy, the uterus becomes softer and more fragile such that if the procedure is not done with extreme care, serious injury can result in the mother. Other commonly known complications include hemorrhage, infection that can affect future fertility and even death. And the further the pregnancy has developed, the more the danger to the mother in destroying it.
Recent research has also implicated abortion with a significant increased risk of breast cancer. The thought is that at the time of a termination, there are tremendous hormonal changes in the mother that are in response to being pregnant. These hormones, of course, are going to also have a stimulatory effect on breast tissue as well. When an abortion is carried out, there is a sudden cessation of pregnancy hormone production with the evacuation of the placental tissue. This in turn is thought to have a detrimental affect on the breast given the abrupt interruption of increased cellular activity. While this point can be debated all day long, such an event at the cellular level cannot be good. This varies from a woman who has had a miscarriage in that there exists a more natural diminution of hormones in the latter.
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Unwanted pregnancy is no doubt a situation that can lead to all kinds of turmoil in the minds of women who think it is the worst thing to happen to them. Often it involves teenagers who see their pregnancy as a one way ticket to family dis-ownership. However, were one to look at those who have decided against abortion when it might otherwise seem the "situationally-correct" thing to do, there can be no doubt as to the outright blessing these babies turn out to be for those involved. While there is no guarantee that the baby won't be born into an awful environment, this is definitely the case with many intended pregnancies. So social standing cannot and must not be an argument in favor of abortion. And with so many families willing to take in any unwanted newborn, there are plenty of resources to accommodate the survivors.
The bottom line here is the matter of life. We are all blessed to have been given it. Who are we to determine who gets that chance just because of bad timing or whatever other inconvenience or circumstance. Interesting how those pushing abortion were themselves fortunate enough to be given life by a mother who felt compelled to go to term. Life is life regardless of how it came about. This even goes for rape, incest or any other esoteric circumstance. Do you think that any unborn baby would agree with the assertion that since he/she was the product of rape that now they must die? How absurd. Of course no one wants to see such things happen but again, we are talking about a human life that theoretically could have easily been any one of us.
The last point that must be made about this issue is that of a spiritual nature. When the true heart of the matter is examined, abortion is plainly wrong. There is no automatic condemnation for anyone who ever had one or performed one. The bible says all are capable of being forgiven.
This section is not intended to be the solution to the abortion debate. However, truth is what sets us all free. It did for "Jane Roe" of the famous Roe vs Wade court decision which led to the legalization of abortion in the United States. She (Norma McCorvey) is now a strong proponent of the pro-life movement who realized how devastating abortion truly is on the individual and society alike. Throughout the years at the Good Life Centre for Women, numerous unwanted pregnancies have come in the door. While not everyone had the same decision, those who chose life have proven that life is indeed precious with some of the most beautiful babies transforming the lives of those who made a good "choice".
-Dr. Caputo |
