Photo by: The New York Times.
The abortion controversy has been the spectacle of political news for many decades, the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 bringing the issue back to the forefront. Through the chaos of protest signs and medical diagrams, many do not understand the crisis against unborn children happening not only in America, but the world.
When women get abortions, they are often unknowingly harming their own body and emotional well-being. Many women experience depression, anxiety, and overall emotional distress post-abortion.
According to PubMed Central, “Depression, worrying about not being able to conceive again and abnormal eating behaviors were reported as dominant psychological consequences of abortion among the respondents.”
Unfortunately, this information is often withheld from clinic websites, preventing women from making fully informed decisions regarding their health decisions.
As Christian women, there is pressure to be pro-choice for the sake of autonomy. The issue of abortion denies God’s intentionality in creation, which causes heavy internal conviction.
Genesis 1:27 states: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (NIV). God has a reason for all things he creates, including all children.
Later in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 1:5 confirms this: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart,” God then says to Jeremiah, “I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (NIV). Jeremiah’s life served as the biblical example of God’s detailed assignment.
All children and their purposes are enumerated in the womb. Abortion, in its essence, denies the fruit of God’s creation to grow.
“I am completely against abortion; it is just another word for murdering babies. Whether you’re rich, poor, your religion or your background, it doesn’t matter murdering a baby is murdering a baby,” said DSC student Arjon Abdurahman.
Claims that an unborn child is only a “clump of cells” or “not a human yet,” are common in abortion debates, and directly violate God’s word. Even in non-biblical contexts, unborn children’s lives should be protected. “By six weeks’ gestation, the human embryo has developed an organ that contracts rhythmically to pump blood through its body, aiding in the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood—in other words, a heart,” said Dr. Christina Francis, CEO-Elect for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists (AAPLOG), during an interview with Fox News.
In response to pro-life efforts, sexual assault is often mentioned as a reason for abortion in the United States. However, this reason as well as health issues only accounts for 0.4% of abortions, according to the Lozier Institute.
It is imperative to both recognize that sexual assault is devastatingly common, and to applaud the enduring resilience of survivors. Unfortunately, abortion is not the solution for healing trauma post attack.
Lianna Rebolledo, pro-life activist and teenage rape survivor, holds this testimony. In an interview with the Texas Alliance for Life, she said, “I thought to myself, why should I have an abortion if it’s not going to help me forget the rape?” She then continued, “I thought I would be giving my baby the death penalty when it wasn’t my baby’s fault.” she said.
Though Rebolledo chose to parent her daughter, that is not the only alternative to abortion. “I don’t support abortion; there are alternative ways to resolve this issue, like adoption, for example,” said Abdurahman.
As someone who’s adopted, I (Mia) agree with this statement completely. My biological mother could’ve had an abortion, and I would’ve never even been here, but she didn’t, and I am grateful for that every day. It only takes a moment for your life to be completely different, so I am forever grateful to my parents for adopting me.
Photo By: Mia Alexander
The authors are obviously thoughtful, I would encourage them to take a few things into consideration:
1) You use the Bible to make your argument, but it is important to remember that there has a been wide study and interpretation of these scriptures and people do come to different conclusions. For just a couple examples, Protestants feel that abortion is valid in cases of health, rape, incest, fetal abnormality. Judaism finds abortion permissible if necessary to preserve the life or physical and emotional health of the mother. Many religions, including ones that follow the Bible are understanding that there are circumstances when abortion may be the best choice.
Further, it is important to remember that in a country founded on freedom of religion, one religious perspective should not drive policy.
2) The authors may be young, but they seem to simplify reasons for abortion down to people who faced sexual assault and people that didn’t. First, I think it is important to say that sexual assault is largely under reported as a whole, so it would be good to rely on more than just one statistic.
Also, the choice can be much more complex. My sister was thrilled about her fourth pregnancy, but at 14 weeks she was diagnosed with late stage cancer. Her choices were, carry the child to term and face to very likely scenario (over 80% according to her doctor) that she would die, meaning she would leave 4 children, including a newborn, without a mother. Or, she could terminate the pregnancy so she could have chemo and make sure she was there for her family, including her 4, 7, and 12 year old.
In conclusion, I think of the women who have to make difficult choices everyday. We live in a country where it is very probable that a woman can be fired for taking too much time off for prenatal visits. She may not have sick time or medical insurance. A person working full time at minimum wage takes home only about $1800 per month after taxes. Until our government supports social safety nets to support pregnant women and girls, the choice of abortion should remain between a person, their doctor, and their faith.