By Anastasia G.
Speak the truth with love. This is often hard when discussing the controversial topic of abortion. But it can be done with prayer and practice. If I were speaking with an abortion advocate, I would listen attentively to his side of the argument, always remembering to be polite and avoid interrupting. I would try to see it from his point of view and understand where he is coming from. I would ask questions and respond to him in charity. When it was my turn to speak, I would remind him that a preborn baby is alive, with active organs, his own unique blood type, genetic makeup, heartbeat, and DNA. It is a scientific fact that life begins at the first moment of creation. The preborn baby is human because living beings do not become more or less human by growing older or changing locations. Once a baby is alive, a baby is human. Because the preborn are the most vulnerable, they need our protection the most.
Preborn babies with Down syndrome or a disease are often targeted for abortion because they are seen as without dignity or value, but God created each baby with a unique purpose to fulfill on earth. The value of human life does not depend on what we can do but on who we are. I would remind an abortion advocate that abortion ends the life of a precious human being.
I would also tell an abortion advocate that each preborn baby has dignity and value no matter the circumstances of their creation. Rape does not diminish the humanity of the baby or lessen the pain of the crime. Moreover, the preborn child should not suffer for the crime of the father. Children who are products of rape can go on to live amazing lives, like Ryan Bomberger, who lived to raise a family and start the Radiance Foundation. Each preborn baby deserves the right to be born, just like we have.
I would remind abortion advocates that abortion also harms the lives of other human beings. Abortion hurts the mother, who often suffers from regret and trauma after realizing that she has killed her child. Women suffer from the harrowing side effects of the abortion pill, like bearing the pain alone without medical help and feeling the unthinkable agony of having washed away a baby. Abortion hurts babies, mothers, fathers, families, and the society.
Whether we want to admit it or not, each preborn baby is a unique, living human being, regardless of capabilities or the circumstances of creation. God created each baby and loves him in the same way He loves each one of us. I would pray that all may see the truth and the value and dignity of each human being. I would recommend pregnancy centers and women’s health services that respect life. May God give me the strength to bravely and compassionately explain to everyone the value of every person and never lose hope that life will always be victorious when we speak the truth with love.
Anastasia G. won third place in the high school category of CLSP’s 2022 Pro-Life Essay Contest. She is in 12th grade.