I Trust The Science – It’s Not About Religion

This might end up being somewhat controversial to write about, but I’ve already expressed my viewpoint to several people publicly and in private. I’m simply writing this to showcase how I got to where I am in terms of why I believe what I believe. My hope and prayer is that by sharing my thoughts, it encourages others to do their own studying on why they believe what they believe.

I could go on for pages and pages about this topic, but I’ve narrowed it down to the most important parts of this issue for me.

So, here we go.

The debate about whether abortion should be legal or not is currently raging more violently than it has in anyone’s recent memory.

What if abortion is necessary? If pro-lifers are wrong about what they believe, then what they suggesting in terms of making abortion unthinkable is actually really barbaric.

But what if they’re right? What if every single abortion ended in the death of a unique and valuable human being?

It would mean that in just 2021 alone, abortion would have been the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide, coming in as the cause of 42% of all deaths worldwide. 

To compare, we had about 3,500,000 COVID related deaths in the same year, but about 16.77 times MORE deaths due to abortion worldwide. That’s 58,700,000 abortion-related deaths.

In the US, that amounted to 42,600,000 deaths, with the second leading cause of death being cancer at 8,200,000 deaths in 2021. 

If you happen to be wrong about the abortion issue, it means a massive genocide is occurring while many profit off of it.

In my opinion, the risks of being wrong on either side are too great, and requires a deep dive into the issue. Knowing WHY you believe what you believe is incredibly important.

I’ve done my research, and I’ve studied all the arguments for and against abortion. Ultimately, every single argument comes down to 2 things:

1 – When does life begin?

And

2 – When is someone considered a “person?”

We have to look at the factual evidence – my viewpoint on this particular issue isn’t rooted in religion, but science.

First, the ultimate question. When does life begin? It really does come down to that, doesn’t it? If the answer is, “at birth,” then abortion is technically okay. Why should it be wrong to terminate a non-living organism? But if it IS a unique life from conception, then that makes things different.

For the answer to this question, we will have to turn to biology. While many biologists seem to disagree on the exact list of qualifications for life, they often agree on at least a core few.

1. Cells. The fetus must have at least 1 cell. At the moment of conception, a fetus is made up of 1 cell and then grows to be made up of even more cells (you are made up of trillions of cells even now).
2. Metabolism. The fetus needs to have a metabolism. In other words, the ability to use energy and consume nutrients to sustain itself. By nature, a fetus is performing these functions as soon as fertilization takes place.
3. Homeostasis. The fetus must maintain a consistent state of being and growth (aka temperature) despite its external circumstances. At conception and beyond, the fetus is growing and maintaining homeostasis in its environment. 
4. Growth. The fetus must consistently be growing in size and development. As soon as a fetus is conceived, it begins to grow and doesn’t stop until adulthood.
5. Reproduction. The fetus must have the ability to reproduce. Although a fetus, from the moment of conception, cannot reproduce instantly, that doesn’t disqualify it from this qualification. 5 year old girls cannot reproduce either, but that doesn’t mean they’re not alive. This point is simply stating that at some point, this being must have the ability to reproduce or the ability to develop that trait, which a fetus does have from conception.
6. Response. The fetus should respond to stimuli. It’s been shown that a fetus responds to stimuli within 12 weeks. And just because they don’t respond to stimuli earlier than that (though some may), doesn’t mean they’re not alive. A person in a coma doesn’t respond to stimuli, yet we would consider them alive. If I told you that your friend, who was in a coma, cannot respond to stimuli but for sure would be able to in 12 weeks, does that give you the right to declare them “not living” and pull the plug? I think not.

It is scientifically evident that at the moment of conception, a unique, living being comes into existence. Any argument that denies this fact is simply scientifically incorrect.

As stated in a common high school textbook:

“The time of fertilization represents the starting point in the life history, or ontogeny, of the individual”  (McGraw-Hill, “Patten’s Foundations of Embryology, 6th ed”).

Now for the second question – personhood. Just because something is ALIVE doesn’t mean we can’t kill it. For example, we kill trees and animals all the time, and whenever we wash our hands and kill skin cells, we’re not throwing funerals for them.

The argument is this: a fetus not a person because it cannot live on its own, breathe air on its own, etc.

Okay. Let’s say you are in a coma. We know, for 100% certainty, that you will come out of this coma in 9 months. 

Have you ceased to be a person? You can’t breathe on your own, and you cannot live on your own. It is, frankly, an inconvenience to keep you alive.

Can I just pull the plug?

Absolutely not. What’s the difference between you in a coma, and you nine months later, fully healthy? Does that difference justify killing you? No.

What’s the difference between you now, and you when you were an embryo that justifies killing you? Because there are differences, but those differences do not make it okay to end your life.

Human life is human life. And if life begins at conception, so does personhood. The fetus has its own DNA, own blood type (that may be completely different from the mother), etc. And its hair, eye, and skin color have already been predetermined.

This is a unique, valuable, living, human being. The state (or law of the land) does NOT determine when personhood begins (the state, at one point in time, also said that slavery was okay – that doesn’t make it right).

Humans have the ability to think, reason, and use logic. That alone sets them apart from animals and trees. A fetus has the ability to develop those skills, and just because they can’t reason and use logic from conception doesn’t mean it’s okay to kill them. Infants don’t have those abilities either, but we aren’t calling for their deaths as “non persons.”

Now the question is, is it ever okay to kill an innocent human being?

No.

The argument that a fetus isn’t a person yet just because it cannot survive on its own is, respectfully, not valid. 

There are a million other arguments you could make in favor of abortion. But honestly, they all come down to the two discussed above, and this is why I’m pro-life.

Not because I’m “religious” or because I have a certain political view. But simply because of the following logic:

1 – I’ve looked into the science and noticed that the vast majority of biologists (religious and non-religious alike) state that life begins at conception.

2 – If a fetus is alive from the moment of conception, and it is of the human species, it is a living person from the moment of conception

3 – Killing an innocent human being is wrong.

4 – Therefore, abortion is wrong.

I don’t hold this view because I hate women (I literally AM a woman). And, contrary to the “pro-birth” arguments being thrown out on social media right now, I also care about babies after they’re born.

I also care very much about protecting human life – especially the most vulnerable among us. And I don’t have to be “religious” to know that rape, stealing, or killing someone is wrong.

It’s not about religion.

It’s not about politics.

It’s about babies, their mothers, their fathers, and their families.

It’s about the siblings that grew up without a sister or a brother. The grandparents that never knew they had grandchildren. The mothers and fathers who mourn for their children in secret, because mourning your unborn child is sometimes, sadly, frowned upon.

It’s about all of us – coming together to support each other. Because women deserve better options than abortion.

I’m not asking you to read this and change your viewpoint immediately… I’m just asking you to dig into the science and know why you believe what you believe. Because the “why” behind the “what” really does matter.

It’s the difference between life and death.

 

Blessings,
Hope Anderson

 

Photo by Ryan Graybill on Unsplash