Seventy- three million abortions take place worldwide each year. Seventy- three million babies murdered in one year alone. If granted the life outside the womb that they deserved, what could they have become? Seventy- three million doctors who could have cured cancer. Seventy- three million engineers who could have found a way to live on Mars. We have lost so many people to abortion whose lives would have made a difference. Each human life is worthy of the opportunity to impact the world, no matter if the contribution is great or small. 

I believe that abortion is the biggest human rights violation of our time. It is the termination of a pregnancy by separating a baby from its mother before having a chance to live outside the womb. It is deliberately taking a life.

I do not, however, believe that women who have abortions are evil people. I cannot imagine the confusion, fear and doubt they might feel when alone with an unexpected pregnancy. I do not see it as my place in writing this article to shame anyone for their past choices. Instead, I wish to solve an immense problem I see in our world that hurts a population who do not yet have voices to defend themselves: the unborn.

The Texas Heartbeat Act, which commenced Sept. 1, 2021 is finally a step to ending abortion in the state of Texas. This law bans abortion when cardiac activity in the baby can first be detected. It is my opinion that abortion should be banned altogether, and the passage of this bill is a major step in reaching that point. Unborn children are the most vulnerable members of our society, because they cannot stand up for themselves. Every unborn baby growing inside the womb is a miracle deserving of respect and safety. 

Cardiac activity in an unborn baby can be detected as early as 21 days after conception. Nevertheless, in many developed countries abortion is accepted. The United Kingdom allows abortion in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, according to BBC News.  South Korea allows abortion for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to CNN writer Yoonjung Seo. It is legal in the United States, though states make individual decisions on how restrictive to be. Knowing that abortions take place in many parts of the world, often after an early heartbeat is detected, I believe the Texas Heartbeat Act sets an important precedent for banning abortion at such an early stage.

Critics of the Heartbeat Act disagree with the fact that this law will be enforced by fellow American citizens.  Anyone providing aid to a woman seeking abortion can be sued under this law. Individuals witnessing others facilitating an abortion are now responsible for reporting it. As this act is now law, it is criminal to aid a woman in getting an abortion in the state of Texas. It is unfortunate that people think this law is turning citizens against each other. In reality, citizens holding each other accountable will save the lives of unborn children. It is my hope that instead of seeing abortion clinics as the only option, this law will inspire women to choose life by seeking crisis pregnancy centers. These centers take anyone in need, and provide services to women that allow them to safely deliver their baby. In addition they may offer counseling, financial assistance, and adoption references. 

It must be an incredibly heart-wrenching decision for any woman to choose abortion. This procedure is a painful experience for babies in the womb, as they can feel pain at 12 weeks. They are developed enough even at this early time to suck their thumbs. Abortion is not only traumatic for the baby, it is damaging to the mother as well. Scientific studies have shown that women who undergo abortion suffer mental illness as a result.  A study in the SAGE Open Medicine Publication concludes that abortion is “consistently associated with elevated rates of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and even post traumatic stress disorder, compared to women without a history of abortion.”   In addition, at least 22, 000 women die from abortion related complications world wide each year, according to the World Health Organization. It is not only unborn life that is harmed by abortion, women are negatively impacted as well.

Pro-choice advocates make innocent babies pay the price for keeping abortions available. These advocates commonly argue that women have a right to an abortion when pregnancy is caused by rape. There is no doubt that rape is indeed a terrible evil of our world, but rather than making abortions more accessible, we should be focused on ending incidents of rape. To end abortion completely, it must first be reduced. We can do this by stopping the cause that justifies it to so many people. If the main reason people want to keep abortions legal is due to rape- induced pregnancies, we should make and enforce laws that end rape, rather than trying to justify a practice that ultimately hurts the most innocent person involved: the baby.

We need to better equip women for dealing with dangerous situations that may lead to sexual assault so that they can protect themselves. I believe self- defense courses should be offered if not required in schools. Additionally, we as a society need to accentuate the importance of respecting women and do a better job of teaching men to honor women’s boundaries and not objectify them. It is my opinion that both sexes should respect and value each other for the equally unique and beautiful gifts they bring to the world. 

In opposition to Roe v. Wade, I do not believe that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. There is no right given in the Constitution that gives an American the freedom to kill another. The Constitution does, however, give every American the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion violates the rights of a baby in the womb by ending their life and therefore their chance to pursue happiness. 

As many as 3,000 abortions happen every day in the United States according to the Worldometer. That is nearly the equivalent of the Westlake High School student body.

I am sure we have all heard the phrase, “my body, my choice.” Though many think this phrase is empowering, I believe that it is incredibly selfish and misguided. When a woman is pregnant, she is facilitating the needs of another human inside of her. Her body and the growth of the baby within her is a beautiful testament to the wonders of life. Since two beings are sharing one body, the body no longer belongs fully to the mother. The body is shared between mother and child. 

As for the “my choice” aspect of the pro-choice argument, I argue that a woman’s right to choose comes long before she finds herself pregnant.  A woman’s right to choose, regarding a pregnancy, is truly who she decides to have sex with and when. One of the biggest consequences of sex is the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy. Unfortunately, the culture we are immersed in today normalizes sex as a casual encounter that happens whenever people feel like it, instead of the intimate commitment it is between two people. 

In the case that a mother is unable to raise her own child, there are many families in want of a child that would joyfully adopt and provide for that baby. It is estimated that about one to two million couples in America wish to adopt a child according to the United States Adoption Network. About 135,000 children are adopted every year nationally, ensuring that babies will be raised by parents that are able to love and care for them. 

I would encourage readers to research the work of the Gabriel Project, the John Paul II Center in Austin, Sisters for Life and Project Rachel. All of these crisis pregnancy organizations are doing great work to support struggling women choose life or heal after the pain of an abortion. If so moved, write letters to your legislative representatives, telling them that the travesty of abortion must end. 

Abortion violates the dignity of human life and should not be normalized. As a society, how can we allow the killing of a human being to be tolerated and even promoted as it is today? Abortion is not a beneficial practice, it is a genocide of unborn babies. Human life is precious and every unborn life is as beautiful as the lives we ourselves have been given. Life is worth fighting for and should always be protected. 

Works Cited 

1 “Abortion.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion.

2 “What Are the UK’s Laws on Abortion?” BBC News, BBC, 22 Oct. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-19856314.

3 Seo, Yoonjung. “South Korea to Legalize Abortion after 66-Year Ban.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Apr. 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/health/south-korea-abortion-ban-ruling-intl/index.html.

4 “The Basics: Talking about Abortion – pro-Life Future.” Pro, 22 May 2020, https://www.prolifefuture.org/abortion-facts/talking-about-abortion/.

5 Reardon, David C. “The Abortion and Mental Health Controversy: A Comprehensive Literature Review of Common Ground Agreements, Disagreements, Actionable Recommendations, and Research Opportunities.” SAGE Open Medicine, SAGE Publications, 29 Oct. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6207970/.

6 “Abortions Worldwide This Year:” Worldometer, https://www.worldometers.info/abortions/.

7 “Class Size/Enrollment.” Eanes ISD, https://www.eanesisd.net/district/class-size.

8 “US Adoption Statistics: Adoption Network.” Adoption Network |, 4 Nov. 2021, https://adoptionnetwork.com/adoption-myths-facts/domestic-us-statistics/.

9 Chertoff, Jane. “When Can You Hear a Baby’s Heartbeat?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 26 Sept. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/

pregnancy/when-can-you-hear-babys-heartbeat.

10 “ITOP Statistics.” Texas Health and Human Services, https://www.hhs.texas.gov/about/records-statistics/data-statistics/itop-statistics.

https://bedbible.com/abortion-statistics/

11 Palacio, Herminia, et al. “United States.” Guttmacher Institute, 1 Nov. 2021,     

https://www.guttmacher.org/geography/united-states.

12 Chasmar, Jessica. “Mississippi Gov. Reeves: ‘No Guaranteed Right to an Abortion’ in Constitution.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 5 Dec. 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mississippi-reeves-guaranteed-right-abortion-constitution.