Abortion is one of the simplest debates in America; everything comes down to whether the unborn child is a life or not. 

It is my belief that life begins at conception, thus, making abortion murder. Conception or fertilization is the point where human life begins. At conception, the unborn child has its own unique DNA and begins developing organs. Other ways to measure life such as viability and the act of birth are flawed.

The viability definition of life argues that if the unborn child can survive outside the womb then it is a life. However, the technology available in an urban city like New York is a lot different than a small rural town in Wyoming, meaning the same unborn child may be born with a C-section in New York but not Wyoming. If the viability case were true, then an unborn child in New York could be a life but an unborn child in Wyoming might not be. Another popular way to define life is the act of birth. However, an unborn child is hardly different from a minute before birth and the minute after. The only difference you can find is the disconnection from the mother. 

At week four, the fetus obtains a heartbeat, at week 12, fingernails and most organs are made, and at week 16, skeletal and nervous systems are formed which means that after this point, the unborn child can feel pain. In addition, around week 16, the unborn child can hiccup and suck its thumb. These unborn children are not just groups of cells, they are developing humans.

Next, what most pro-choice advocates will say is that it is the woman’s body so it is their right to choose. First of all, pro-life is not about restricting women’s health decisions, it is about saving the life living inside the mother. There is almost always an alternative to murder. There is abstinence, contraceptives, and motherhood. A mother’s convenience is not a good excuse to kill another life, no matter the financial burden. You would not kill your two-year-old child just because money was tough, so you should not kill your unborn child because it is a human life.

When people say most abortions are all for the “health” of the women, that is a lie. The most common reason for abortion is not because of health issues, according to Florida’s 2015 abortion statistics. The most common reason for abortion was “No reason (elective).” 

What pro-choice advocates always bring up in abortion debates is the rape scenario. This is extremely rare, they make up approximately less than .5% of all abortions, so why should the other 99.5% of unborn children be denied the chance of living a full life?  

The word abortion itself is a euphemism. Abortion is not just merely turning off a switch. According to All.org, for third trimester abortions, “The abortionist then jams a pair of scissors into the back of the baby’s head and spreads the scissors apart to make a hole in the baby’s skull.” 

The only exception that should be allowed is to save the life of the mother. Besides that abortion should be made illegal because it is the murder of innocent lives.  Even with a law banning abortions there would still be some done illegally, but the overall amount of abortions would likely be reduced. Finally, the only people who should be charged with the crime of abortion is the doctor that performed the murder.