Should Abortion be Legal?

Recommend (8) Comments (9)

At the time of fertilization, when a sperm penetrates the "ovum" or egg cell, a new human organism comes into existence, with a complete and unique genetic code. This is a scientific fact, not a religious claim. Those who claim not to know "when human life begins" are making a political statement, not a scientific one. Human beings develop at an astonishingly rapid pace. The cardio-vascular system is the first major system to function. The blood is circulating and the heart begins to beat at 21 or 22 days (3 weeks), and can be detected on ultrasound. By the end of the eighth week, the unborn child has developed all its organs and biological systems. 20 weeks after fertilization (5 months), unborn children feel pain. Some try to distinguish among human beings, arguing that some are worthy of respect (because they possess certain characteristics), while others are not. This assertion contradicts the basic premise of Western law and of our Constitution – the equality of all human beings. As the Declaration of Independence says, all human beings are created equal. It would be perilous to abandon this point of view and to adopt a philosophy that puts into the hands of some human beings (the powerful), the right to decide whether other human beings (the weak, the unpopular, the defenseless) are to be counted as members of the human family.