Persuasive Essay On Abortion

Before Roe versus Wade in 1973, if a young woman became pregnant but did not want or could not support the child, the common decision in the United States was to give the child up for adoption. The mother would hardly have thought to do otherwise, and killing the innocent child would likely be last in her mind. Sadly, that destruction of innocent life is what is happening in our world today. If a mother does not want her child, the choice to have an abortion is made on various occasions.

The primary argument against abortion is the fact that it is taking the life of an innocent child. People often justify abortion by arguing that the fetus is not alive, thus it cannot be “killed.” Yet in most states, if a pregnant woman is murdered, the killer is charged with a double homicide. Scott Gilbert, in his book Bioethics and the New Embryology: Springboards for Debate, states that “The entity created by fertilization is indeed a human embryo, and it has the potential to be human adult. Whether these facts are enough to accord it personhood is a question influenced by opinion, philosophy, and theology, rather than by science” (43). This is the opinion of many scientists, and the fact that life originates at fertilization is a commonly accepted statement. Ultrasounds show us that the fetus’s heart beats, appendages move, and mind reacts. Clearly, the question of when life begins is up to one’s personal beliefs and biases, not scientific fact. The opinion that life begins at birth,