All of us, whether we realize it or not, have been granted many gifts throughout our lives. We have a roof over our heads, an education, and food, as well as talents and abilities that allow us to reach our greatest goals and aspirations. However, we often take these gifts for granted, and many of us hardly ever think about them. But these gratuities are just the tip of the iceberg; it is much more important to realize that life itself is a gift, and it is one that should be respected and valued in all shapes and forms. Life is the most precious gift of all, and it is a natural right that should be bestowed to every being. Unfortunately, it is not.War, terrorism, massacre, euthanasia, capital punishment. These are just some of the causes of the bloodshed that exists in our world today. However, there is one word that is not on that list that is the cause for 126,000 deaths every day around the globe– abortion. Abortion is a gruesome process during which a fetus or embryo is forcefully removed from its mother’s womb in order to end an unexpected pregnancy. Abortion is fatal to the baby, and it is potentially dangerous to the mother’s health. Yet it is legal, and many people believe that it is right. These people, who are part of the Pro-Choice Movement, believe that women should maintain their right to have an abortion, a process which was legalized in the United States by the Supreme Court in 1973 through Roe vs. Wade.
But by allowing abortions to exist in the United States, the Supreme Court is allowing women to have the right to take away innocent human lives. Since when have people been given the right to choose who lives and who dies? God alone holds this fundamental right. Abortion is unethical, it is immoral, and it is unjustified in all respects.However, as serious as this situation may seem, many people are unaware that such a homicide is happening in our society. This was indeed my own case, and I had not realized for quite some time that abortion was endangering the lives of so many innocent people.
My eyes, and the eyes of about 20 McQuaid students, were finally opened during a service trip to Washington D.C. in late January. There we participated in the March for Life, an annual protest against abortion held on January 22nd, the same day on which the Supreme Court legalized abortion 35 years ago. Over 100,000 people participated in the march, as we walked around the National Mall and the Supreme Court.
In addition to the March for Life, we also participated in the Conference on Life held on the beautiful Georgetown campus. Several keynote speakers addressed the crowd. While on the march I realized the true enormity of the whole situation, it was at this conference that I learned the facts about abortion that drove the entire protest. And when reflecting on this information, I personally determined that abortion was immoral and unethical.
By allowing abortion to exist in the United States, the Supreme Court is making murder legal. This is undermining the principles of ethics and morality that our nation is built upon, that all life is granted the most fundamental and indispensable natural rights. Now that science has proven that life truly does start at conception, we must allow every living being, no matter in what form, to relish the most basic right to life that we all share.
However, this right is being stripped away from unborn children all around the world. This blatant violation is especially prominent in our very own country. Every day in America, 3,700 babies become victims of abortion; that means that an infant is murdered every 23 seconds! A rampant genocide is happening right before our eyes, and we must do something to stop it. We must acknowledge that abortion is in fact another holocaust, and we must take action to preserve the future generation of the world.
