Cameron Knudson
Miss. Bernal
English 1
3 March 2014
The Modern Day Holocaust According to Congressman, Henry Hyde, and former U.S. Surgeon, General C. Everett Koop; abortion is a 'modern day holocaust' (Opposing Viewpoints Series). Considering it has killed 50 million babies since 1973, I think this is a valid statement (Snyder, Michael). The actual definition of abortion from Dictionary.com is the removal of an embryo or fetus from a uterus in order to end a pregnancy. In other words, it is the killing of your own baby. This is a big problem that does not just apply to teens that accidentally get pregnant. Abortion kills thousands of babies around the world each day and many people would agree with me that it is wrong for a variety of reasons. I believe one of the biggest reasons abortion is wrong is because it is selfish. Michael Snyder says that it has been proved that 86% of all abortions are done for the sake of convenience. On top of that, it was proven in 1987 that 92% of all teen abortions were done because they were concerned about how having a baby could change their life (Berlfein, Judy). Another reason it is wrong is because of the moral reason: the killing of human beings is prohibited and a fetus is a human being, so the killing of fetuses is prohibited. Some say that fetuses are not human beings, but if they are not, then what are they? And when do they become humans, because it is legal for a woman to get an abortion at any time within her nine months of pregnancy. One could compare an unborn baby to a brain; just because you can not see physically see and touch it, does not mean it is not there and alive. If a woman's baby is going to be born with a birth defect, abortion should not be justified. Natalie Murdoch was interviewed by Kate Maloy and Maggie Jones Patterson, and she told them about her abortion (Murdoch, Natalie). She found out her baby was going to be born with Down Syndrome, so she aborted it. I do not think this was the right thing to do. People with severe mental handicaps are still a part of our species and are, in fact, 'people' (Gordon, John). A well-known German philosopher, Norbert Hoerster, claims that human beings born with severe handicaps have to be protected and respected like all other human beings. The last big reason abortion is wrong in my eyes has to do with rape. It is said that it would be cruel to force a woman to give birth to her child if she was raped, and this is somewhat true. Rape is one of the only things that should justify an abortion, and even some Catholics agree to this (Opposing Viewpoints Series). Although, Randy Alcorn says that if a woman is raped, proper medical care can ensure she will not get pregnant, but that does not always work. Another issue that has to do with abortion is women's rights. Women who are pro-choice say that being forced to give birth to a child is wrong, especially if it could kill the mother. They fight that “potential life should not be more valued than actual life.” However, taking the life of your own child is more wrong (Alcorn, Randy). Most mothers would give up their own life for their child anyway, so that is another reason abortion could be considered selfish. It should not be the mother's choice to decide whether another human being lives or not. Just because it is her body, does not mean she should have the right to make the choice for someone else. Women say that they should be able to have control over their own body, but most of them who get abortions are teens and can not even considered women yet. I also think that they are too young to be making the big decision of whether to keep their own baby or not. Many women do not realize that they have the choice of adoption over abortion. Centers for adoption are trying to get the word out about themselves. It gets the same job done as abortion, just in a better, and more helpful way.