"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights, that among these are LIFE, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." I believe that the preamble of the Constitution is pretty clear on the issue of abortion. When looking at whether abortion should be legal or illegal, it should be looked as a right to life issue, and the Constitution is VERY CLEAR on the right to life. As a citizen, this is the only information I need to justify my opinion that abortion is illegal under the Constitution and Roe vs. Wade is an unconstitutional amendment and should be abolished.
Now that we have established that abortion is illegal, the next question is is it morally wrong? From a religious standpoint, "Thou shall not kill" pretty much sums that up. Some people will argue that you can't kill something that isn't living. I believe someone already quoted the book of Jeremiah. For Christians, this is the only information they need to determine that abortion is morally wrong. For those that don't take the Bible to be the final word on moral issues consider this...
The justification for abortion for most people is that the soul doesn't enter the baby until birth. Before birth the fetus is nothing more than an extension of the mother without a separate soul. My question is how we as mere humans will ever know for sure? When does the soul enter the body, at birth, at conception, 18 days after conception when the heart starts beating? I believe that mostly everyone agrees that murder is morally wrong. If we don't KNOW when the soul enters the body, then how can we as a society allow murder to continue because there is a chance that the victim doesn't have a soul yet? Let's go ahead and say that the soul doesn't enter the body until birth. Let's look at the fetus as nothing more than a vessel for a possible soul at birth. Then, abortion is killing the vessel and not allowing a soul to be 'born'. EITHER WAY IT IS PREVENTING LIFE!
I am frequently asked how I as a woman can advocate taking away a woman's right to choose. I always repeat this story my mother used to tell me when discussing abortion. A lady goes to her OBGYN with her 10 month old baby and finds out that she is once again pregnant. The woman tells the doctor that there is no way she can have another baby with her son still so young and dependent on her. She then tells the doctor that she must have an abortion. The doctor takes the 10 month old baby from her arms and tells her not to worry.He tells her that he understands her concerns about having to raise two babies and acknowledges her right to choose as a woman.
He then offered to give her another choice, an abortion or to kill the 10 month old so that she can focus all of her attention to the new baby. He goes on to tell her that an abortion is risky for the mother where as killing the 10 month old posed no health risk to her and would be easier for everyone involved. The woman gasp in shock saying you're a doctor. You took an oath to do no harm and now you want to kill my baby. The doctor calmly replied no mam, you want to kill your baby. I simply asked you which one you wanted me to kill!
I do believe that a woman has a right to choose whether or not she has a child, but I believe that decision should be made BEFORE conception. After conception the ONLY choice is to raise the baby or give it away.
Heather