Abortion versus Adoption

Murder, gruesome death. Blameless, young infant. These terms do not belong togethe
r, but sadly, every twenty-two seconds, a baby dies from abortion (Just). The Roe
v. Wade decision in 1973 legalized that a woman, along with her doctor, could choo
se abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without restriction, and with limitat
ions in later months. Unexpected pregnancies commonly end in a termination of life
. Scared and confused, new mothers assume that an abortion is the only option. Wom
en, who are considering abortion for personal reasons, should instead choose adopt
ion. Adoption is the second choice, as well as the better choice.Above all, aborti
on is morally wrong. Throughout weeks one to four of the pregnancy alone, the foun
dation of the nervous system forms as well as the heart and circulatory system. Af
ter only a month of pregnancy, a baby has the basis for thought, senses, and feeli
ng. Though still in the beginning stages of life, this very life support system is
what will carry the baby throughout his life (Fetal). Because life begins at conc
eption, aborting a child is equal to murder. Aborted children have done no wrong
, so there is no reasonable explanation to punish these children with death. In Ex
odus 20:13, God commands all people not to murder (Holy Bible, Exodus 20.13). Just
as the Israelites of the Old Testament followed this command, the Gentiles of thi
s generation must also abide by this law. This commandment, along with others, has
not changed throughout time. Christians must live by the same law today. Suppor
ters of abortion validate their beliefs by claiming that because the child is stil
l in the womb and is not fully developed, the fetus is not harmed. As previously n
oted, an embryo begins to grow and develop the moment after conception. Aborting i
mmediately stops this process and consequently kills a young and helpless life. Il
legitimate or unplanned children should not receive punishment for their parent’s la
ck of responsibility. Anyone with a good moral upbringing knows that he must take
full responsibility of his own actions. Rape victims, on the other hand, have done
nothing wrong. These women do not wish to suffer through a long pregnancy, either
. Do these women have a right to terminate their baby’s life? No. Jeremiah 29:11 sta
tes, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Holy Bible, Jeremiah 29.
11). Neither rape nor a child formed from rape is a mistake. Both the mother’s and t
he child’s life are in God’s control. God had intricately planned everyone’s life, and a
person’s mistakes will not interfere with that. A human life is at risk! Mothers an
d doctors cannot take this situation lightly by quickly resorting to an abortion.
Furthermore, abortion is unnecessary when other options are available. Adoption is
a practical alternative to abortion. All across the world there are adoption ag
encies who precisely match children with suitable families. Adoption agencies are
reliable and provide for the needs of the children brought to them. American Adopt
ions is a private adoption agency established on the principle that lives of child
ren can change for the better through adoption. Their website is full of touching
testimonials shared by birth mothers who chose adoption. One of the mothers, Carol
Ann, was pregnant while involved in an abusive marriage. Clearly, Carol’s life wo
uld continue to spin downhill unless she took immediate action. Carol Ann desperat
ely wanted to turn her life around. With her unborn baby, Carol decided to leave h
er life behind her forever and to give her child to another family. Carol is self-
assured in the decision she made because she knows she saved a life. This website
holds over fifty stories such as these, all filled with birth mothers claiming the
confidence they have in their decision. “When the decision is right and true,” writes
Carol Ann, “no regret will ever shadow the days in which the child is with another.”
Many families are on waiting lists, hoping everyday to receive a call explaining t
hat there is a child waiting for them. A pole conducted by the Dayton Right to Lif
e Society states that the 2,000,000 couples ready and waiting to adopt in the Un
ited Sates severely overwhelm the 50,000 babies placed for adoption each year (Jus
t). If all abortions ceased, the number of families wanting to adopt would drop dr
astically and these numbers would even out. Women commonly want to adopt because t
hey are unable to have children of their own. As a woman, one of the most highly r
espected and rewarding experiences of her life is giving birth. When women are bar
ren, they are likely to be depressed because they feel God has not blessed them. B
y putting a child up for adoption, it not only saves a child’s life, but also gives
a woman or a family a child to call their own. The gift of life is the most precio
us gift of all. Additionally, aborting for personal reasons is selfish. Personal
motives are the driving force in ninety percent of abortions (Robinson). Why? A f
requent find among teenage pregnancies is the fact that after a wild Saturday nigh
t, teens’ embarrassment prevents the confession of their mistakes. A recent pole con
firms that every year, among the one million American teenagers who become pregnan
t, 78% of these pregnancies are unintentional. Of this 78%, about 35% choose to
have an abortion (Dudley). These teenagers should learn that in life, people must
learn to live with the decisions they make. These girls obviously were not embarra
ssed to sleep with a man who is not their husband. Teens supporting abortion claim
that they are simply not ready for the responsibility of raising a child. If girl
s believe they are mature enough to have sex, then the girls had better believe th
ey are mature enough to handle the responsibilities of raising a child. What many
girls call a “mature” step in a relationship requires an equally mature and selfless r
esponse to the sudden shock of pregnancy. In non-adulterous relationships, women c
laim to be too busy, or they say that it is not the right time in their life, or t
hey argue that their life would be altered too much if they were to mother a chi
ld (Robinson). The petty complaints from women are endless. Get over it! How alter
ed would a child’s life be if he were dead? After the fall of man, God said to Eve, “I
will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth t
o children” (Holy Bible, Genesis 3.16). Women suffer in childbirth because of man’s si
nful nature. Women should endure through the pain of childbirth as punishment, and
then let another loving, responsible family raise the child. Carol Ann, the mothe
r quoted in the preceding paragraph writes, “It is the most selfless and beautiful g
ift to give to another and to such an innocent child.” There is no justification tha
t the choice of an abortion is right. Abortion must no longer be an accepted alt
ernative. Women would rather avoid these touchy subjects and proceed with their
abortion. However, the facts bluntly state that there is no denial of the brutal
ity of abortion. Women must accept responsibility,honor their child’s life, and pr
oceed with the pregnancy. If being a mother is no option,adoption.