By Audrey Doscher
All people have the right to life. From the moment of conception to natural death, everyone deserves the chance to live. Abortion is the killing of a preborn baby in the womb. This is a horrible practice and should be stopped immediately. But how can we convince so many people who believe women have the “right” to abortion that all people are created by God and have a right to the amazing gift of life? Moral courage can help us in this difficult task.
Moral courage is standing up for what you believe despite what other people will think or say about you. Moral courage is not being afraid to share the truth with others who may oppose it. Moral courage is necessary to stand up for life. Moral courage is vital for living out our Catholic beliefs in everyday life.
What do we say when someone tells us they believe a woman has the “right” to abortion? There are many ways we can combat this statement. This is how I would respond in this scenario. All people have the right to live. We cannot take this away from preborn babies just because they have not been born. They are still very much human beings with dignity. Every scientist knows a person’s heart starts beating 6 to 7 weeks after conception. A beating heart is just one sign of life. This is one of many proofs that a preborn baby is a human person with life.
All people deserve a chance to live. Abortion is no different from murder. No matter how old the victim is, all murder is wrong. Abortion is killing someone before they can experience the gift of life. Life is an amazing gift given to each one of us. It is wrong to abort a baby because you prefer not to have them born. Preborn babies do not have voices to defend themselves, and you should not choose death for an innocent life. There is no argument justifying abortion. There are always other options.
God gives everyone the gift of life. It is not ours to rip away from innocent babies. Mother Teresa once said that life is the greatest gift of God. All people deserve the right to life, no matter how young or in what stage of life. Life is precious, and we should always protect and defend it, no matter what.
Audrey Doscher won third place in the middle school category of the Culture of Life Studies Program’s 2023 Pro-Life Essay Contest.