My Journal

A huge moral dilemma and controversy of today is abortion. An abortion is when a pregnancy is ended so that the child is not able to be born.  Sometimes it’s referred to as a termination of pregnancy.  The pregnancy is removed from the womb by either by taking pills or by surgery.

There are many arguments that are for abortion and against it.  A few issues that pose as a problem include the right of woman over her own body versus that rights of the unborn child.  This is a very important argument in the case of a woman who has been raped and finds out she is pregnant.  The million dollar question is: Does this woman have the right to terminate her pregnancy?  What if there was the possibility that the mother would not survive if her child was born? Then should the woman not be given the opportunity to save her own life rather than that of her unborn child? 

There is no general agreement among Christians. It has always been very controversial, even within churches. However, most would agree that abortion is not a step to be taken if adequate alternatives are available.

Personally, as a Christian, I believe that all abortions are murder. Surprisingly, abortion has never been mentioned in the Bible, despite the fact that it has been practiced since the ancient times for a variety of reasons. However, a number of Bible passages have been cited as being significant to the abortion issue. They state some general principles that are important, but none of them were originally intended as statements for and about abortion. These Biblical statements indicate that babies are people even if they are unborn. Therefore, abortion is wrong since it is killing a human being.  

If someone was raped and found out they became pregnant, they should keep the baby.  Although it may hurt to know that the baby was conceived this way, it would hurt the mother more if she had to live with the guilt of murdering her own baby.  The lady could also put the baby up for adoption if she was too young or could not raise a child.

 If there were any cases of pregnancy complications and a possible risk to the woman's life. Then should the woman not be given the opportunity to save her own life rather than that of an unborn human?  This is a very tricky question. There is possibility of either the mother dying, the child dying, or both of them dying.  If the mother has the only chance of survival I believe that she should, though it is not okay, have an abortion. But if there was a chance of survival for both of them, though slim, then I would personally take the risk. 

I have deep respect for the ladies who chose not to have an abortion. Though, I also do not hold any grudges towards those who have had an abortion.  We all make our own mistakes in life.