Pro-Life Truth

This is the speech I gave in my oral communications class as the final exam persuasive speech. It was accompanied by a slide show, but I hope it has the same effect on its own.

Today I will be addressing the topic of abortion in hopes to persuade you not only that abortion is wrong, but to also take a stand against it. I will be explaining abortion, giving statistics, countering pro-choice arguments, and telling you what you can do to stop this American Holocaust against the unborn.

To give you the idea of the devastation abortion may cause to the world, I am going to give four situations many pro-choice people believe warrant an abortion. You may decide whether you agree.

Picture an impoverished family. There are already 14 children and the mother is expecting a 15th. Given their circumstances, would you call for an abortion? If yes, you just killed John Wesley, one of the greatest evangelists of the 19th century.

Picture a family of five. The first child is blind, the second is dead, the third is deaf, and the fourth has tuberculosis. The mother also has tuberculosis. Given the poor health of the family, and the chances this child will not live very long, would you call for an abortion? If yes, you just killed Beethoven.

Picture a 13 year old girl, pregnant after being raped by a white man. Given her age and the nature of conception, would you call for an abortion? If yes, you just killed Ethel Waters, a famous gospel singer.

Finally, picture a teenage girl who is unmarried and pregnant. Her fiancé is not the father and he is angry. Given the problems this child may cause her relationship, would you call for an abortion? If yes, you have just declared the murder of Jesus Christ.

As you can see, seemingly justifiable abortions could have stripped us of very important and influential historical figures.

Now, before you can be persuaded against abortion, you must first be familiar with it. As defined by the pro-life and pro-choice alike, abortion is the induced termination of a pregnancy, or a fatally premature expulsion of a fetus from the womb. There are many different methods abortionist use to eradicate the womb of the child. Today I will be covering the methods suction aspiration, dilation and curettage, dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction (or partial-birth abortion), salt poisoning, prostoglandin, hyserotomy, and the many types of chemical abortion.

In the suction aspiration method the abortionist dilates the mother and inserts a suction tube (similar to a vacuum hose) with a razor sharp end into the mother’s womb. The cutting edge is then used to dismember the child and the suction removes the baby from the womb. This method is used in the first three months of the pregnancy.

In performing a dilation and curettage abortion, the abortionist dilates the mother and uses a loop shaped knife to cut the baby into pieces and scrape the uterine wall. The baby’s body parts are then removed from the womb. Then the child’s body is pieced back together to be sure nothing was left in the womb. This method is used in the first three months of pregnancy.

During a dilation and evacuation abortion, the abortionist dilates the mother and uses forceps to grab parts of the baby’s body and then tears the baby apart. The child’s head is then crushed and all body parts are removed. The parts are then reassembled, ensuring the womb in empty. This method is used from month four to six.

Dilation and extraction is also known as partial-birth abortion and is used when th child can survive outside of the mother’s womb. After the mother is dilated, the abortionist reaches into the mother’s womb, grabs the baby by its feet and extracts the child as far as its shoulders. A pair of scissors is then inserted at the base of the skull and used to make a hole. The child’s brain is then sucked out through that hole, its head is crushed, and extracted the rest of the way. This method is used from month seven to nine.

Salt poisoning is yet another method of abortion. The abortionist sticks a needle into the mother’s womb and extracts an ounce of amniotic fluid. Then another needle is inserted and three ounces of a saline solution is injected into the fluid. When the baby breathes this in it dies from salt poisoning, dehydration, brain hemorrhage, and convulsions. The child’s skin is burned completely. The death usually takes an hour, but in some cases the baby is born alive. It is then either left to the side to die or killed by an attending nurse. This method is used from month four to nine.

An abortion using prostoglandins is another method using an injection. The abortionist injects a hormone into the amniotic fluid that would normally cause a natural labor. In this case, the labor being premature, it is a violent labor. Due to the severe convulsions, the baby’s body is often crushed. This method is used from month four to nine.

In a hysterotomy abortion, the abortionist makes an incision in the mother’s abdomen and removes the baby, similar to the process of a C-section. The baby is then either placed to the side and left to die or is killed by the abortionist or nurse. This method is used from month seven to nine, but sometimes earlier.

Finally, there are many types of non-surgical, chemical abortions. RU-486 is a chemical that blocks the hormone that helps develop the lining of the uterus during pregnancy. This lining is the source of nutrition for the baby. A second chemical is then used to cause contractions, and the baby, who has already starved to death, is expelled from the womb.

Methotrexate is a highly toxic chemical that attacks and breaks down the baby’s fast-growing cells. It also attack the life-support systems the baby needs to survive. When those systems fail another chemical is used to cause contractions, expelling the dead baby from the womb.

Finally, there are abortifacient birth controls, such as the Pill, Depo-Provera, Norplant, the IUD, and Emergency Contraceptives (the morning-after pill). These chemicals cause and abortion in the earliest days of the child’s life. While most of these drugs are supposed to inhibit ovulation and prevent conception, they also alter the lining of the uterus, making implantation impossible for a newly conceived child. Break through ovulations, or ovulations that occur while taking one of these drugs, may lead to conception. The child is then unable to receive nourishment from the uterine lining, so it starves to death and is excreted during the mother’s next menstrual flow.

As you can see, there are many different abortion methods, but more shocking, are the abortion statistics. In America alone, 1.4 million babies are surgically aborted and another 14 million babies are chemically aborted. That means that one little American is aborted every two seconds.

Now that you are familiar with the abortion process and statistics, you may be convinced that abortion is wrong. However, there are those who still agree with this practice. The following are several pro-choice arguments that aren’t as solid as most abortion supporters may think.

“When most abortions happen the baby isn’t really alive, so it can’t feel anything. That means abortions aren’t hurting anyone.” In a 1997 court case, abortionist Leroy Carhart was asked to explain his method of abortion (dilation and evacuation) and then asked if the child was alive during the process. He said, “I know that the fetus is alive because I can see its heartbeat on the ultrasound.” He was later quoted as saying, “My intent in every abortion I have ever done is to kill the fetus and terminate the pregnancy.” Straight from the abortionist’s mouth: the child is alive when the abortion is performed. Also, when the child is 20 days old in the womb, its nervous system is formed to the point where it can feel all types of pain all over its tiny body. An abortion is also very painful for the mother. It may cause severe bleeding, infertility, severe hormone changes that have been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer, and death, not to mention the one hundred plus psychiatric problems resulting from abortion. Obviously, everyone involved in an abortion is hurt.

“A child is not alive or human until it becomes viable, so any abortion that happens before that is fine.” First, let me define the term viable. A child is viable when it can survive outside of the mother’s womb, which is now thought to be at six months. However, there are many signs that show the baby is in fact alive and human in the months before it is viable. At day 20 the baby’s heart, spine, nervous system, and brain are formed. At 22 days the heart begins to beat. At six weeks the baby’s brainwaves can be recorded. At two to three months the baby becomes sensitive to touch, can make all facial expressions, and suck its thumb. Its fingernails and toenails are also fully developed and its taste buds begin to work. At four months it begins to move around in the womb. As you can see, this “mass of tissues”, as pro-abortionists refer to it, is truly a living human being.

“A woman who becomes pregnant because she was raped should be allowed to have an abortion.” First of all, this argument is very weak because rape only results in pregnancy less than 1% of the time. Also, abortion doesn’t erase the fact that the woman was raped. According to a 1990 study done by David Reardon of the Elliot Institute, the psychological complications of abortion are vast, including guilt, nervous disorders, nightmares, and memory loss. When abortion is preceded by rape, these symptoms are greatly increased. Women who carry the baby to term experience an increased rate of healing, both physically and mentally. This proves that abortion is not the best option for a rape victim.

“If a woman’s life is threatened due to her pregnancy she should be entitled to an abortion.” The American Medial Association says that, medically speaking, there is never a time in which pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. However, if the baby is lost in effort to save the mother’s life it is not an abortion. These “indirect abortions” are justified under a concept called the “principle of double effect”. Under this principle, the death of the child is an unintended effect of the operation.

“Abortions will decrease as we get better birth control, so keeping it legal won’t hurt.” However, birth control (abortifacients) causes more abortions than surgical abortions. Unfortunately, abortions is beginning to be seen as birth control. Better birth control purely means better abortion methods.

“If a family can’t afford another baby they should be able to abort it.” There are many organizations, such as WIC, that will help pay for, if not fully cover, medical bills during and after the pregnancy. Once the child is born, if the family feels they cannot handle it, there are many families more than willing to adopt a child. Many such couples are unable to have children of their own.

“Pro-choice people and abortionists are heroic for protecting a woman’s right to control and make choices regarding her own body.” First of all, a woman is controlling her body by not getting pregnant in the first place. Once the sperm and egg meet, and DNA different from her own is formed, she is no longer dealing with her own body, rather that of her child. Abortion is control and murder of a life in the womb. Secondly, I cannot begin to fathom how they justify the glorification of a child’s death as “a choice” and “heroic”.

Now that you can see just how faulty the pro-choice arguments are, I hope you will join me in a stand against this travesty. There are many different ways you can do just that. You can participate in a Life Chain, which takes place on Respect Life Sunday (the first Sunday of October). This is a silent and peaceful protest in which participants hold signs that say “Abortion Kills Children”, “Jesus Forgives and Heals”, and “Adoption: The Loving Option”. You may also set up a Cemetery of the Innocents. Grave markers are set up to represent the number of people killed by abortion. First, you need to get educated on the topic. Read articles that are written from both sides of this debate. Next, use your voice, whether by voting or writing pro-life articles and speeches. There is also lots of pro-life apparel you can wear. You may also write a letter to a politician, whether they be pro-life or pro-choice. Getting involved in a local Rock for Life chapter is an excellent way to take a stand. This will connect you with many pro-life activities and people. You may also volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, where options other than abortion are given to pregnant women.

I know that not all of you can do all of these things, but I ask that you do what you can. There are about 16 million little voices out there that can’t wait to thank you.

Thank you for reading this. I applaud you for making it all the way through. Please rate and review this. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them as best I can. (Oh, and I received 100% on the speech.) :)
Copyright note: The four examples of seemingly legit abortions I gave at the top were passed on to me via e-mail. All statistics and information was found at www.rockforlife.org, www.aclife.org, www.all.org, and www.prolife.com.