Equating Abortion to Infanticide is Twisted

I have several friends whom have had abortions. Some of them have deep regret and sadness daily due to their decision. Some of them choose not to think about it. And some realize it was the best choice to make at that time and have moved on. But none of them consider it a casual occurrence. None of them think it was an easy choice. And certainly none of them could or should be looked upon as murderers.

Last week, Patch blogger J.B. Schmidt Schmidt equated abortion to infanticide and attempted to make comparisons saying that having an abortion is in many ways no different than killing a one-year-old child. I found his words not only disturbing and offensive, but also complete and utter nonsense. The extremism seems nothing more than either a need for attention or desperation for readers.

I am sure regular readers will have no big surprise reaction to my being pro-choice. But perhaps it is important to realize my reasons, my logic and my limits.

The author of said blog stated that there is a practice already in place in Europe where infants/newborns are being killed as post-birth abortions and contends that we should fear (fear, what a foreign concept for argumentative conservatives, eh?) that this practice is headed overseas right to our shores. Honestly? Are we really supposed to accept this as fact and just all form into a mob of mass hysteria? Please.

Some people say that abortion should only be legal in cases of incest or rape. But I ask you – if you truly believe that abortion is murder, then why is it ok to “kill” some “babies” and not others? Are the souls of the babies conceived out of rape somehow less valid?

Scientists for many years have been trying to determine when a fetus can feel pain and when the development of consciousness occurs. To this day, there is no consensus. Many professionals agree that pain is not realized until 29 weeks of gestation. Others believe it is much sooner at 20 weeks. And when a consciousness becomes present is something that just cannot be tested or proven at this time.

As humans we have our body vessels, our ego and our consciousness. At least, this is how I see it. Our bodies eventually develop in ways which can respond to stimuli, feel pain, feel pleasure, communicate and such. Our egos have emotion, react to others, and propel us into action. And our consciousness is what makes us who we are. I believe it is in existence before we are born and after we die. It is our energy. At what point does the consciousness enter the body? I do not know.

There are world renowned psychics who believe that miscarriages and abortions are chosen by the consciousness as part of a karmic plan. The soul chooses that path with the purpose to further their own growth in the spirit world as well as assist in delivering lessons to the parents. They believe it is all part of a life contract we write before we come to this life.

What it boils down to is the question of when does a fetus become a person. And this is, at this time, a matter of opinion and nothing more. However, what can't be disputed is that a human woman of child bearing age is indeed a person. That is why the rights of the woman must take precedence. And it is her opinion, and her opinion only, about the personhood of the fetus that truly matters. Not the government, the church or any activist group.

It is my belief that when a fetus is viable outside of the womb, when a fetus can indeed feel pain – this is when I feel it is much too late to have an abortion. It is at this stage when I would not defend the action. And honestly, I have a hard time with any abortion after the first month or two. But this is only my own personal belief. And I cannot push my opinion onto others by way of law or condemnation.

I feel it is also inconsistent that right-to-lifers are also usually against euthanasia. If humans have a right to life, would they not also have a right to death? We know that born humans can indeed feel pain and make choices (in most cases). Would they not have the right to make a choice to stop the pain?

And then there is the matter of the death penalty. By supporting corporal punishment, we are imposing our beliefs about which souls have more right to life than others. We are choosing who should live or die by ego-made beliefs.

It is estimated that 55 to 65 percent of all conceptions are spontaneously expelled. Typically the woman didn’t even know she was pregnant. An additional 10 to 15 percent are miscarried later in the pregnancy. There are no death certificates assigned to these fetuses. Would this be considered unintentional homicide? Of course not.

“I am pro-choice. Very, very pro-choice. But I don’t think I could ever make that decision for myself again, unless it was an extreme situation. But do I still regret it now? Not at all,” shares Angela who made the difficult decision to have an abortion at age 19, “I had regret right after, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. I cried uncontrollably for two straight days. I think it was necessary for me to really process the scope of it all. I had a hard decision to make and when it was done I processed the sadness I felt. I accept that pain as a part of life, as a part of my experiences growing wiser.”

Another woman shared with me about her decision to have an abortion decades ago, “It still haunts me today and I will never forgive myself.”

Women do not have abortions as though they are shopping for shoes. It is a gut wrenching choice they live with in some capacity for the rest of their lives. It is never forgotten – by many of the fathers either. It is a horrible choice to have to make. Minimizing that decision is insulting and heartless. And equating it to murdering a born child is simply sick and twisted.