Kilduff 1

Mackenzie Kilduff

Dr. Storer

Faith, Religion, and Society

7 Dec. 2015

Abortion: Right or Wrong?

According to the National Abortion Federation, “One in three American women will

have an abortion by age 45”.1 In America, the controversy of abortion is very predominate. It

surrounds around political decisions, rallies, and religious opinions. Many Americans believe

that abortion is okay and highly recommended for certain cases. However, many Americans and

Catholics, like myself, are completely against abortion. The Catholic Church has written in many

documents regarding the right to life and abortion. Some famous actors and signers have stood

up to support justice, and they can influence me to stand up against abortion. Abortion has been

made legal in the United States, but it is considered wrong and evil to kill an unborn child.

The use of abortion, to terminate an unborn baby, in our society, is very widespread.

According to the Merrium-Webster Dictionary, abortion is “a medical procedure used to end a

pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus.”2 The court decision in Roe vs. Wade, gave women

the right to an abortion. Due to Griswold vs. Connecticut and the Fourteenth Amendment,

women are entitled to an abortion, because they have the right to privacy. This decision gave

women complete control over what they do with their baby in their first trimester and defines

how different states see women’s rights in the second and third trimesters.3 In today’s culture,

1
Education and Advocacy, published 2015, accessed December 1, 2015,
http://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/
2
Definition of Abortion, published 2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://beta.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/abortion
3
Roe v. Wade, accessed December 2 2015, https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18
 Kilduff 2

there are two different types of abortions. There is medical abortion, “brought about by taking

medications that will end a pregnancy” and there is surgical abortion, “which ends a pregnancy

by emptying the uterus with special instructions.” 4 Although abortion was made legal by the

decision of Roe v. Wade, many questions remain about whether or not it is morally correct to do

this to a baby, whether or not the embryo is even a baby, and whether or not this is considered

killing.

But, what exactly is the problem with abortion? It is a problem that some people look at

abortion as a positive topic. The National Abortion Federation states that, “surgical abortion is

one of the safest types of medical procedures.”5 The NAF believes abortion is a safe and easy

way out of having a child, however, it is not right. One of the main problems with abortion is that

many people do not consider a baby in the first trimester to actually be a baby, because they

think of the unborn child as a “blob of tissue.” However, science and technology have proved

that an unborn child is indeed not a blob. Ultrasound photos prove that their babies are not blobs,

because they can be seen turning somersaults, sucking their thumb, and even making a fist.6

Another major problem with abortion is whether or not it is considered killing a human.

According to law, a baby is a baby after the first trimester of a pregnancy, or the first twelve

weeks of a pregnancy. However, this is the problem with abortion. I believe that a baby is a baby

as soon as it is conceived inside of the mother. The BBC discusses this argument saying that

many people believe that “the moment of fertilization is an entirely logical point to choose as the

4
Abortion Facts, published 2015, accessed December 1, 2015, http://prochoice.org/education-
and-advocacy/about-abortion/abortion-facts/
5
Abortion Facts, published 2015, accessed December 1, 2015, http://prochoice.org/education-
and-advocacy/about-abortion/abortion-facts/
6
Hot Topics on Abortion, published 2015, accessed December 3, 2015,
http://wrtl.org/abortion/hot-topics-on-abortions/#blob
 Kilduff 3

beginning of human life.” Many people also believe that during conception, “the fertilized egg

had begun to develop into a separate and unique human being.”7 As soon as an egg is fertilized,

it is considered a baby. Due to the issue of debating when a baby is considered a baby, many

people believe that abortions are not killing. However, “it is false to claim that no one knows

when life begins and dishonest to argue that abortion does not kill a human being.”8 All of these

problems exist in our world today, and I believe that the solution to these problems is to make

abortion illegal.

I have the aspirations of being an elementary school teacher in the inner city of Baltimore

because of my experiences with Camp Saint Vincent. Every summer, I volunteer at Camp Saint

Vincent, a camp for homeless children, in the city. I see how their lives are not as good as the

lives of other children their very own age. They come from extreme poverty, may not even have

had dinner that night, and have many siblings. According to the Guttmacher Insistitute, “Forty-

two percent of women having abortions have income levels below the federal poverty level.”

Having a minimal income, many women find it necessary to get abortions because they can not

afford to take care of their children. Poor women are five times more likely to have an

unintended pregnancy and abortions, than higher income women.9 The American Prospect has

found that sixty-nine percent of women that have an abortion are economically disadvantaged.
10
Although my career goals do not directly affect the problem, I will see the effects in my

7
When is the foetus alive?, published 2014, accessed December 1, 2015,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/child/alive_1.shtml
8
Fact #1: Every aborition kills an innocent human being, published 2015, accessed December 1,
2015 http://www.abortionfacts.com/facts/1
9
Infographics, published 2015, accessed December 2, 2015,
https://www.guttmacher.org/media/infographics/abortion-concentrated-among-poor2.html
10
Who Has Abortions and Why it Matters, James Bouie, accessed December 2, 2015,
http://prospect.org/article/who-has-abortions-and-why-it-matters
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classroom every day. I may have children whose siblings have been aborted, or I may work with

parents who have aborted their children. As a teacher, I can educate my students and the families

that I work with on how it is wrong to kill an unborn baby. Even if I do not effect all of the

families, saving the life of one baby will be worth it.

As a teacher, my main focus is on the care and health of the child in my classroom.

Everything that I form my life around is to ensure that my students are safe. Abortion harms the

safety of children, and it could harm the safety of a student that I could have potentially had in

my very own classroom. Evil is going to enter into a child’s life and you will be unable to shield

them from all of this evil. Despite all of the evil, it is important to continue to educate your

students about why the evils, such as abortion, are occurring. It is important to remind children

that not everything adults do is right or good and that some people think it is okay to do

something bad, even if it hurts people, but it is not okay. It is also important to share with

children that everybody does things they shouldn’t. One of the biggest things that I think that I

could share with my students is that “the sins that are the hardest to stop are the ones that people

say are ‘no big deal’”.11 In order to attempt to end abortions, as a teacher, it is important that I

continue to educate my students about what is wrong with abortion.

The Catholic Church is completely against the idea of abortion. The United States

Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) speaks on the topic of abortion. The USCCB noted,

“It is the teaching of the Catholic Church from the very beginning, founded on her understanding

of her Lord’s own witness to the sacredness of human life, that the killing of an unborn child is

11
On Discussing Abortion and Other Horrors With Young Children, Jennifer Fitz, published
August 4, 2015, accessed December 1, 2015,
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jenniferfitz/2015/08/on-discussing-abortion-and-other-horrors-
with-young-children/
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always intrinsically evil and can never be justified”. According to the Conference of Catholic

Bishops, when someone has an abortion, they are deliberately sinning against God and they

separate themselves from the grace of God.12 The Catholic Church believes that every human

person is entitled to dignity, and abortion violates this human right of dignity. Although abortion

was made legal, the Catholic Church still views it as very wrong and unjustifiable. The USCCB

believes that the action of abortion is an evil action.13 BBC explains, “the Catholic Church states

that the embryo must be treated as a person from conception.”14 There is no exception.

According to Pope John XXIII, in the Pacem of Terris, states, “we see that every man has the

right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development

of life.” 15 The Catholic Church believes that as soon as an egg is fertilized, it is a baby. The

Pacem of Terris also says, “these rights and obligations are universal and inviolable so they

cannot in any way be surrendered.” No matter what, the right to life can not be taken away. In

the Gaudium et Spes, Pope Paul VI also discusses the injustices with violating the right to life.

He explains, “Everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self,

taking into account first of all His life and the means necessary to living it with dignity.”16 Just as

12
Catholics in Political Life, Msgr. William P. Fray, published 2015, accessed December 2,
2015, http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/church-teaching/catholics-in-
political-life.cfm
13 Catholics in Political Life, Msgr. William P. Fray, published 2015, accessed December 2,

2015, http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/church-teaching/catholics-in-
political-life.cfm
14
When is the foetus alive?, published 2014, accessed December 1, 2015,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/child/alive_1.shtml
15
Pacem in Terris, 11, Pope John XXIII, published April 11, 1963, accessed December 1, 2015,
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/John23/j23pacem.htm
16
Gaudium et Spes, 27, Pope Paul VI, published December 7, 1965, accessed December 2, 2015,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-
ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html 27
 Kilduff 6

Pope John XXIII stated, every human is entitled to the right to life and everyone should do

whatever they can to acknowledge this right to life.

There are many important things that I can do to “take sides” for the sake of justice. In

high school, I had a teacher, named Mrs. Randisi, that I felt so comfortable talking about

everything to, including topics such as abortion. As a teacher, one of the steps that I can take for

the sake of justice is being a confidant for my students, so they can feel comfortable talking to

me about anything and everything. One of the many actions people can take to take the side for

justice in the case of abortion, is to educate people on the positives of keeping the baby. Kenny

Chesney, a famous country singer, uses his song, “There Goes my Life,” to educate people about

abortion. Kenny forms his song around the life of young teen boy whose girlfriend unexpectedly

becomes pregnant. The teen believes that skipping town and getting ride of the baby would be

the right decision, because if they do not do this, their whole lives will be destroyed. Through the

course of the song, the new parents realize that their new baby is their life. By the end of the

song, the teen, who is now a grown parent, realizes that keeping his daughter, who is now

moving away, was the best decision of his life and he is losing his “life”. 17 Through the song,

Kenny Chesney educates people that the unplanned babies that you create will have a life and

become one of the best parts of yours. Just like Kenny, I will do my best of educating people,

including my future students, that keeping the baby is the best decision you can make. Another

thing that people, including myself, can do to stand up for the right to life of unborn babies, is by

utilizing your social media accounts to show people the injustice. Patricia Heaton, a Hollywood

star, used her twitter to point out the injustices of abortion. She tweeted the link to an article

17
There Goes My Life by Kenny Chesney Songfacts, published 2015, accessed December 3,
2015, http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6795
 Kilduff 7

titled, “More Black Babies Aborted than Born in New York City.” She used her simple twitter

account to point out the injustices of killing unborn babies. 18 Although Heaton will probably

lose popularity by her opinion, that is the price she had to pay to stand up for what is right.

Everyone must state up for what is right no matter the cost. One last step that I can take to stand

up for justice is to support the National Right to Life Committee. The mission statement of the

NRLC reads, “The mission of National Right to Life is to protect and defend the most

fundamental right of humankind, the right to life of every innocent human being from the

beginning of life to natural death.”19 It is important to be a part of things that stand up against

against, and the NRLC is a perfect way to stand up to abortion. One must take a stand against

abortion and stand up for right is right for the sake of justice.

The issue of abortion is very controversial in our society today. Many people think that

abortion is okay, because according to law, a baby is not a person until after the first trimester.

However, this is the problem. A baby is a baby after the egg is fertilized inside the mother. Many

Catholics, such as the USCCB and many popes, have written about how abortion is unable to be

justified in any circumstance. Being a Catholic, I do not believe in abortion, and I must do what

is right in order to help end abortion. The problem with abortion is that it harms an unborn baby

that had no choice. Abortion must be made illegal and, once it is illegal, the problem will be

resolved.

18
Actress Patricia Heaton Dares to Tweet Sad Truth About Abortion, Caleb Howe, published
February 22, 2014, accessed December 3, 2015, http://therightscoop.com/actress-patricia-heaton-
dares-to-tweet-the-sad-truth/
19
National Right to Life Mission Statement, accessed December 3, 2015,
http://www.nrlc.org/about/mission/