Abortion could easily be considered one of the most controversial topics to talk or argue about. Currently, fifty-eight percent of people think it should be legal and thirty-seven percent say it should be illegal. Many different people have their views coming from the religion they believe, the morals they have, or their different backgrounds. I grew up in a Christian family that involved going to church regularly and was taught specific Christian views on abortion. Those views are that abortion is wrong and should be illegal.
Before we can argue if abortion is right or wrong we need to have an understanding of what abortion is. Abortion is legal in the United States during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy; the first trimester refers to the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Third trimester pregnancy usually only happens when the baby or mother is in danger.
There are several different types of abortion options for women. A medical abortion is performed orally through two medications: mifepristone and misoprostol. These two pills work together to end a pregnancy. People use this method until the tenth week of their pregnancy. You cannot have a medical abortion if you are allergic to either of the pills, take blood thinner have liver, kidney, or lung disease or if your pregnancy has implanted outside of the uterus (ectopic pregnancy).
Another type of abortion is methotrexate and misoprostol (MTX) is an abortion method used in the first seven weeks of pregnancy. Methotrexate is cancer medicine. Just as this drug is used to stop cancer cells from multiplying, it stops cells in the embryo from multiplying. This method is uncommonly used for planned abortions.
A third type of abortion is a vacuum aspiration. This is also referred to as a suction aspiration. This is usually a preferred method of abortion but often times people use this method after a medical abortion does not end their pregnancy. This uses gentle suction to pull the fetus out of the uterus.
A fourth type of abortion is dilation and evacuation. This is a procedure that is used after the fourteenth week of pregnancy. This is a two day procedure. On the first day, the doctor dilates your cervix to make it easier to remove tissue. On the second day, the doctor uses forceps to remove the fetus and then suctions out of the uterus.
Most Christians believe abortion is wrong and they believe that because of what the Bible has to say about babies. The Bible does not come out and say abortion is wrong but rather talks about when a human’s life begins which contradicts abortion. Some passages in the Bible talk about God knowing you before you are born: “ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalms 139:13-14).
