The problem with modern debates about abortion is that everyone always assumes without research to back up their claims that abortion is not detrimental to health unless there are complications (ex. infection, reduced fertility). I haven't actually researched this myself (although, i may make this the topic of a nursing paper eventually), but i know that the procedure of abortion has serious psycological effects on the mother. A woman who undergoes an abortion needs extensive counseling to overcome feelings of guilt and doubts. I read a book that focussed on the negative psycological effects abortion has on women, often lasting far into their later adult years....The book was a fictional novel, but the author is known for her thorough research. Can i point to a specific study? No. But i can firmly state that i believe if you have an honnest conversation with a woman who has gone through this, she will tell you (if she's being honnest with herself) that she has serious doubts and guilt about what she has done. What's my point in all this? Abortion is not in favour of a woman's rights because she is often tricked into thinking it will have no negative consequences in her later life. It also brings up an interesting question: Why does abortion cause such negative effects?

I believe that women are damaged psychologically because we as humans are born with an inate sense of right and wrong (comes with being made in the image of God). Whether or not killing is murder, killing a child is wrong. I don't know how i would define killing and murder to be honnest, but it doesn't really matter if you look at it from this perspective: There is a child begging on the streets that nobody wants. I am walking down the sidewalk one day and the child gets in my way and i have to step around him. Everyone in their right mind knows that it would be wrong to kill that child simply because he got in my way. I know i'm making the issue seem smaller than it is, but i'm just trying to say that killing a child is wrong, no matter what the reason. God didn't allow war because killing was acceptable. He allowed it because it was necessary at the time. I think that killing an innocent child is rarely necessary in God's eyes. What i see in the Bible is that killing was only necessary when God specifically commanded it, and i don't think He has commanded us to kill babies if they are unwanted.

So what makes a fetus a child? I've always believed that the fetus becomes a human being at the moment of conception. I know that a single cell with a bunch of chromosomes is not much in our eyes. But what makes a human human is not our body mass. When God created man, he created him in HIS image. Therefore, we, as humans, have souls and not just body mass. There is a CONCRETE part of us that is temporarily bound by, but does not exist as matter. I believe that God puts His image into us at conception simply because it doesn't make sense to think of it at birth (what happens if the baby arrives a day before the due date, does that mean it doesn't have a soul for a day?) I'm not good at scriptural interpretation by any means, but there are some verses that talk about God "forming us in our mother's womb". I suppose things get sketchy if you have reason to believe that God puts his image on us at a different point, but for me, i cannnot find any evidence of that.

So i believe that abortion is MORALLY wrong, yes. What should make it legally wrong then? I don't believe that the law we live under as Canadians needs to replicate the law we live under as Christians...we are not of this world....and laws like "turn the other cheek" would simply not work in a court of law where suing is a reality. Human nature, without God's spirit--as most of the world is living presently--cannot make itself unselfish. So, unfortunately, for the time being, we are stuck with "what achieves the highest amount of good for the population" or something like that. Law is really based on human selfishmess. We outlaw stealing because we do not want to have our things stolen. I doubt very much that we care whether the next guy's things are stolen or not, but we have to punish someone for stealing his stuff because then if it ever happens to us, we have the right to carry out the same course of action. I'm not saying that we shouldn't steal simply because we don't want others to steal our things. We as Christians know that stealing and killing are wrong because they are contrary to God's character. And since all hamuns do have some sense of "right and wrong"....a lot of laws are influenced by our moral sense. I'm sure that the law against murder was made partly becuase it's morally wrong and partly because it achieves the higher good for society. Why should abortion be illegal then? It is not going to help women achieve their "greatest good" (not to mention completely eliminating any chance of "greatest good" for the child) It's very damaging to their emotional and often physical health (might decrease fertility). And it doesn't solve any problems. Women who have abortions do so because they feel like they have no other choice. THey have been empregnated because they are not educated to know better. (i'm excluding rape victims of course, and in that case, i think it would require a moral decison on the part of the woman and perhaps not legal interference, i'm not sure about that point yet.) And soon after they have an abortion they will go and get pregnant again. The abortion may in their minds get rid of the problem temporarily. But the real problem was never the child. The problem is the fact that they are uneducated and living in conditions that put them at risk for all sorts of things, and not just unwanted pregnancies. i'm really just getting at the view that to solve a problem, you have to fix the source of the problem and not the consequences. Abortion doesn't fix anything because it gives the illusion that big problems have simple solutions.

THat's why i agree with voting NDP....i don't think that abortion should be legal of course, but the liberal view is that we have to focus on providing basic human rights to everyone and improving the lives of the less-fortunate. (yes, i developed this view mainly as a result of talking with dan). If you work on the things that cause unwanted pregnances (poverty, lack of education), then you will eliminate the need for abortion. At least, that's the theory....communism works in theory as well. meh.....

I have written entirely too much, and i'm now ashamed of myself. I could go on longer too, but i don't have time. I should really talk with you about this some time though...it would be interesting. I'm still sorting through some of my arguments on the subject.