In my last post, we looked at the statistics on abortion and some of the main arguments in the pro-choice movement. We looked at what the reality of rape and incest cases are in terms of abortion (only 0.4% of abortions). We looked at life of the mother and fetal abnormalities (1.4-2.2% of abortions).

We came to terms with the fact that 95.5% of abortions are elective, when there is no medical necessity and the life of the mother is not at risk. Now, let’s take a closer look at abortion. To do that, let’s look first at what abortion is not.

Abortion Is Not A Miscarriage.

An argument that has been rearing its head in the Pro-Choice movement is this; since miscarriages are medically termed “spontaneous abortion”, the body is then technically “murdering” it’s own baby. They say, you can’t call abortion murder without calling miscarriage murder.

A few things about miscarriages. They aren’t planned, medically induced, or controllable. Generally, most miscarriages happen before 20 weeks, according to the Medical Encyclopedia, and affect about 10-20% of women who conceive. Sometimes for reasons unknown the baby simply dies and is passed from the woman’s body. Other times it can be due to physical or emotional trauma experienced by the mother.

Abortion is not the same as a miscarriage, in that, miscarriage is a tragic but unfortunately normal part of what a woman can experience in her reproductive years. Most often, miscarriages are due to fetal abnormalities, hormonal imbalances or other physical issues in the mother that are not sufficient to support the pregnancy, infections, or trauma. In other words, something must be wrong for a miscarriage to take place. Miscarriages do not happen simply because the body decides it doesn’t want to be pregnant.

Abortion Is Not Safe.

Secondly, abortion is not easy and safe for the mother. In an article from Good Help Psychiatric Service, a study found that women who had abortions were 81% more likely to have mental health issues as a direct result of their abortions, and 37% more likely to experience post abortive depression, specifically. Consider the following excerpt from The National Library of Medicine on the psychological after affects of abortion.

“The results revealed that at least one third of the respondents have experienced psychological side effects. Depression, worrying about not being able to conceive again and abnormal eating behaviors were reported as dominant psychological consequences of abortion among the respondents. Decreased self-esteem, nightmares, guilt, and regret with 43.7%, 39.5% 37.5% and 33.3% prevalence rates have been placed in the lower status, respectively. Psychological consequences of abortion have considerably been neglected. Several barriers made findings limited. Different types of psychological side effects, however, experienced by the study population require more extensive attention because of chronic characteristic of psychological disorders, and women’s health impact on family and population health.“

That is just the psychological aspect. What about the physical health of the mother? After all, abortion is something that happens in and to the body. To talk about the complications, we now need to look at what abortion is and how it works.

Buckle in.

Abortion is the termination of a pre-born human life (fetus), either by poison, starvation, or dismemberment while the baby is still alive. Below I go into detail on abortion procedures, and exactly what they do. You might be tempted to skip this, especially if you’re a woman. I recommend you read anyway. As ugly as it is, this is the reality of abortion, and we need to acknowledge it.

The abortion pill: This type of abortion accounts for 53.0% of abortions to date, according to a study done by the Guttmacher Institute. Up until 10 weeks gestation, the abortion pill Misoprostol acts by first cutting off the food supply to the baby. This pill is taken usually in the abortion office, while the patient is sent home with the second set of pills. The second pill Mifipristone is taken, inducing a violently strong “period” that causes the mother to essentially give birth to her dead baby. Depending on her gestational age, she may see only blood clots, or she may see the fully formed baby lying dead on a pad or in the toilet bowl. The dosage of the pill Mifipristone given for an abortion is generally more than 4x the amount given to a full term pregnant woman to induce labor. This can often lead to hemorrhaging of the pregnant mother, retained fetal tissue, sepsis, and death. Because abortion pills can now be purchased online with no medical visit or proof of identity, this is a huge gateway for sexual traffickers, sexual abuse victims, and more. A man running a sex trafficking brothel out of his basement could order pills for the ones that got pregnant, and no one would ever be the wiser. Additionally, a woman could either be mistaken about or lie about the day of her last period, leading her to take pills that are not approved for a later gestational age of the baby. Add to that, there is no medical oversight on these abortion pill websites–have I mentioned there are over 70 of them? Now, if you google “complication rates after abortion pill” you’ll find a few studies saying that the rate is super low and the pills are super safe. These studies ignore one key factor.

If a woman goes to an ER because she is hemorrhaging, they won’t ask her (and she can lie) about if she took abortion pills. Thus her case won’t be recorded as an abortion related issue.

Another issue with this type of abortion is, because of the lack of medical oversight and thus no follow up care after the abortion, women can unknowingly retain fetal tissue (parts of the baby that don’t leave her body), leading to sepsis, and potential death for the mother.

Dismemberment Abortions (D&C): This is the next most common abortion, accounting for somewhere in the vicinity of 37.6% of abortions. During this abortion, the abortionist dilates the cervix (an incredibly painful process), before reaching into the womb with forceps. First, they find a limb and pull it off forcibly. They do this to all four limbs, before pulling out the torso and head. It is common on this procedure for the abortionist to have to crush the skull while the baby is in the death throws. The baby can also be seen on ultrasound shying away from the forceps and writhing in pain as it bleeds out and dies. The abortionist does nothing to attempt to numb the baby before hand. The child is completely alive and can feel everything.

Saline Abortions: This type of abortion (as well as D&C abortions) account for 37.6% of abortions. During a Saline abortion, the abortionist punctures and drains the amniotic sack of all it’s fluid. This fluid is then replaced with a potent mixture of saline, which burns the baby alive. This can lead to critical complications for the mother, requiring an emergency C-Section and can result in live births of the unwanted child. There are numerous adults around the world who are survivors of this type of abortion, because it can be done so late in the pregnancy. On her Youtube channel, Lila Rose interviews two adult female survivors of this type of abortion, which I highly recommend you go watch.

During this type of abortion, the baby inhales, choking on the salt solution. This burns and poisons the lungs, esophagus, vocal cords, and other organs. It can often take an hour for the baby to die. The mother will then go into labor, usually within a day, and deliver a dead baby who is shriveled and looks visibly burnt. In a bombshell report in 2020, bodies of 5 late term abortion victims were found in the apartment of a Pro-Abortion activist. In images shared by LiveAction.Org (Read Here) one can clearly see that these babies were past the age of viability and fully formed. A few of these babies seem to be victims of saline or lethal injection abortions.

But the babies don’t always die right away, or at all during these abortions. Consider this excerpt from the Charlotte Lozier Institute on the subject of Saline and late term abortions:

The CDC estimates that between 2003 and 2014, at least 143 babies died after being born alive during abortions, and the CDC acknowledges it is very possible that this undercounts the actual number. Additionally, the CDC report counts only babies who were born alive during abortions and then later passed away – it does not include babies who survived attempted abortions and are still alive.

Lethal Injection Abortions: During this abortion, the poison compound used to euthanize inmates on death (potassium chloride) row is injected directly into the baby’s heart, guided by ultrasound imaging. It is common with these abortions for the baby to be seen writhing and squirming in pain on an ultrasound while it dies. After their death, they are then either dismembered and pulled from the womb, or the mother gives birth to the dead baby.

These abortions are more common in the latter term, since they are more guaranteed to result in a deceased baby, and not an accidental live birth.

Partial Birth Abortions: This abortion method is used as early as 20 weeks, and sometimes right up until full term. During this procedure the abortionist, guided by ultrasound, reaches into the womb and pulls the baby most of the way out through the vagina. The abortionist will leave the head inside the womb, since, if the head leaves the womb, the child is considered officially “born”. At this point, the abortionist will then puncture the back of the child’s skull with scissors or scaple, before inserting forceps or some other tool to widen the hole. Keep in mind the child is still alive at this point, and has likely started to aspirate amniotic fluid due to pain and shock of the procedure. Once the hole is wide enough, the abortionist inserts a suction tool and sucks out the child’s brain. The child is now considered “brain dead”, and the collapsed head is then pulled from the body of the mother. The abortion is complete.

If you feeling like throwing up, crying, or punching a hole in the wall after reading the reality of what abortion is…good. We should feel grieved and angry that innocent life is being taken at all, let alone in such a hostile, violent, and evil way. We should be concerned for the moral state a woman must be in to contemplate killing her own child. We should be outraged on behalf of these murdered children that abortion is championed as a “fundamental right”, and as “healthcare”.

But the method of the baby’s death should not be by itself our reason for opposing abortion. If the method alone was our reason, then we would also have to oppose every method used to stop terrorists, serial killers on death row, or an attacker killed during a self defense situation. Death, in and of itself, is not the issue.

The issue is that all human life has inherent value from the moment of conception and the extermination of that life is an abomination to both the human soul that perpetrates that extermination, and to the life being snuffed out with prejudice. The issue is that pre-born babies are innocent image bearers of God, with the same rights to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness as you and I.

What about that child’s fundamental rights?

We should feel righteous anger at that life being snuffed out. We should be moved to act, to educate ourselves on this issue, and to stand boldly for the unborn. It is a reality that unborn children are being killed in the millions each year, while many stand by in silence.

I had the pleasure of listening to Samuel Sey speak on the issue of abortion a few weeks ago, and he said something on the topic that has stuck with me.

When speaking on how pervasive and widespread the issue of abortion is, Samuel said: “Silence and neutrality are no longer an option for Christians.”

This should upset us more than poverty. This should upset us more than childhood abuse. This should upset us more than who got into presidential office or whatever minor detail you didn’t like in the pastors sermon last Sunday.

Poverty, social justice issues, presidents and pastors are none of them final.

Abortion is.

Death is.

We, as people who are enjoying our right to life, need to fight for those whose rights are in jeopardy of being ripped away with violence and prejudice.

Will you stay silent? Will you bow and let the hordes of culture trample over their unborn for the sake of not rocking the boat too much in your circle of infulence?

Or will you stand in the middle of the road, feet firmly planted, and say no…even if that means standing alone?

I know one of those paths is a lot scarier and unknown. But I also know which path Jesus would take, and I’m choosing to follow His lead.

You?

Stay tuned, and stay informed.

He who is mighty has done a great thing!

-M