The Unsaid Words of the Unborn

I am a seventeen-year-old girl from a small town in Utah. I have no need to be addressing the issue of abortion nor have I had first hand experience with it. What I have had first hand experience with is watching a sweet and innocent baby grow into a brilliant preteen. Or listening to the stories of my great grandmother who is 96 years old and a nurse in WWII. I have had these opportunities because these people have been given a chance at life. Abortion rips that from a child’s grasp before his first breath, before he even has a chance to show the world what he is and who he can be. Not only is the life of the child at risk but the very nature of humanity. If we are willing to murder a child what else are we willing to do? Where would this lead us? It opens the door for many other horrors we human beings are capable of. We should reconsider the legalization of abortion because the fetus feels pain during the procedure, there are more humane options, and there are numerous repercussions that the mother faces.

Imagine you are sleeping peacefully in your bed. Then all of a sudden you have the worst stomach ache of your entire life. It literally feels like your body is being pulled apart into dozens of little pieces. That is what a fetus feels during an abortion. The main types of abortion differentiate depending on what trimester you have the abortion in. The first trimester procedures are usually the most humane because the fetus hasn’t gotten large enough to need a surgical procedure. However, after the first trimester your options become more limited. The main procedure at the moment is Vacuum Aspiration. This is where the mother must go under anesthesia, and they use a vacuum to take the fetus out of the uterus. They rip the child apart in a vacuum. Many studies have been done to see if the fetus does in fact feel pain. Dr. David Prentice who is the Vice President and Research Director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute said, “The science pretty conclusively demonstrates: Young babies still in the womb at 20 weeks after conception, and probably even earlier, do indeed feel pain, and in fact, may feel more intense pain than a newborn or an adult.” As Dr. Prentice said people in favor of abortion will tell you that that is a myth. Fetuses don’t feel pain. However, the research says differently and the experts say differently. If you know that a child is feeling that much pain, how can you put them through that and come out with a clear conscience?

Many women are put into difficult positions which is why they consider abortion, whether they get pregnant out of wedlock, they don’t want children, or they aren’t financially stable. However, there are more humane alternatives than killing a child who has done no wrong. One of those options, and a wonderful one, that will bring joy to a family is adoption. There are 36 couples waiting to adopt a baby for every 1 child that is born. Randie Bencanann who was a social worker and a director for an adoption agency for 40 years and is also pro-choice counter argues this alternative of abortion by saying,”It was very difficult to watch these women go through the adoption process: undergoing nine months of pregnancy, allowing near-strangers or people they had only come to know in the last few months to love and nurture their child, and then trusting those people to follow through on post-placement contact agreements.” However, many of her arguments have simple and easy solutions. Many families who are looking to adopt are willing to pay for the mother's prenatal care as well as living expenses while she is carrying the baby. There is almost no reason for them to worry for those 9 months. There are many ways that agencies avoid placing the child with a family that won’t take care of them. There are so many different background checks, meetings, and therapy sessions needed to simply be eligible. Plus the mother can chose the family that her child would go to. They are usually given an informational binder full of different prospects. They can decide on a family that shares your same values and interests. If they are worried about the upkeep of post-placement contact agreements, it ties back into picking the right family. If the birth mother meets with the adoptive parents and they seem to be the kind of people who won’t stay true to their promise go with someone else. Many mothers who have given their children up for adoption have felt so happy after doing this service to a couple, especially after seeing how happy and loved that child is.

There are consequences and repercussions for everything we human beings do. Abortion is no different. There are many physical side effects from the procedure. It is possible for a woman to experience heavy bleeding, damage to the cervix, effect in future fertility, abdominal pain, perforation of the uterus and infection. It is more likely for them to experience these if they don’t get your abortion done by a professional. Most mothers who don’t have the money to sustain a child won’t have the money for a proper procedure. Many people have countered this point by saying that those are the extreme consequences and don’t happen to everyone. While that is true these side effects do happen. It is possible that it will happen to anyone. The mental repercussions are guilt and postpartum depression. Mothers grow fond of their child at the very beginning of pregnancy. Meaning a relationship develops between the mother and the fetus right after it is conceived. Now if a mother kills her baby it is hard for her natural instincts to go back to not having a child. Many experience depression because they don’t have a baby to hold anymore. Also, abortion is a leading cause to suicide. While a potential mother may not have a child to worry about, they will have to worry and deal with physical and emotional consequences.

Our country has so many issues. Abortion is one that needs to be resolved quickly and efficiently. It should not be legal because of all the repercussions and better alternatives that are available. With this issue staying unresolved, it is causing more problems within our country. Our future president must resolve the matter as soon as they are elected into office. Make a decision, make a law, and don’t change it anymore. The women of this country deserve that. 

Sculpture by Martin Hudáček  Image from https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/heart-rending-young-slovakian-sculptor-captures-post-abortion-pain-mercy-an