Few issues in American history are more divisive than abortion. Whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are coping with a surprise pregnancy right now, or you are eighty years old, the ramifications of the abortion debate impact everyone.

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion has been a mainstay on the news. In just the past few months:

It feels like more and more, abortion is part of the everyday news cycle. One topic that is discussed is the term “anti-abortion.”

This article will define what anti-abortion means, provide a brief history of the anti-abortion movement, and outline the arguments for and against legalized elective abortions.

Defining Anti-Abortion

At the heart of the question is whether a pregnancy is a life or a clump of cells, like a tumor. Merriam Webster—America’s most trusted dictionary for almost two hundred years, and a non-partisan subsidiary of Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. since 1964—defines abortion as “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.”

Let’s break this down a little more.

An embryo is defined as, “the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception.”

A fetus is defined as, “a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth.”

The only difference between an embryo and a fetus is that an embryo is younger, but both are defined as a developing human. The National Library of Medicine is one of the most trusted authorities in medicine and is a science-based organization of the US government whose mission is to uncover new knowledge. Their timeline of a developing human begins at the fetal stage:

  • Fetal stage
  • Postnatal stage
  • Infancy
  • Toddler
  • Childhood
  • Adolescence or teenage
  • Adulthood

Wikipedia, defines human development as “Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. This continues throughout life: through childhood and adolescence into adulthood.”

Wikipedia also outlines the stages of human development from “gamete” to “dying.”

Gamete > Zygote > Embryo > Fetus > Infant > Toddler > Child > Preadolescent > Adolescent > Emerging and early adulthood > Young adult > Middle adult > Old adult > Dying

Merriam Webster, Encyclopedia Britannica, the US government’s professional medical database, and Wikipedia all agree that the early state of human development is a process that begins when the sperm meets the egg and includes the entire pregnancy.

We see that the definition abortion clearly defines what abortion does to the human development.

“resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.”

Death is defined as, “a permanent cessation of all vital functions: the end of life.”

According to the scientific and non-partisan resources available, abortion is defined as “the end of the life of a developing human.” Therefore, anti-abortion is the position of disagreeing with “the end of the life of a developing human.”

A few other terms are also pertinent and clarity is a must in understanding how they relate to the anti-abortion debate.

All definitions are from Merriam Webster:

  • Pro-life: “opposed to abortion.” People who identify as pro-life are opposed to the act of ending the life of a developing human.
  • Pro-choice: “favoring the legalization of abortion.” People who identify as pro-choice are in favor of legalizing the act of ending the life of a developing human.

Now that we’ve defined our topic, let’s take a brief look at the history of the anti-abortion movement so you will be better able to understand the current arguments.

History of the Anti-Abortion Movement

Women, doctors, politicians, the church and others have debated abortion for thousands of years. The earliest remnants of the Hippocratic Oath dating back to 275 AD, include a vow by doctors to, “Not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art.” However, women knew which herbs would terminate a pregnancy, so abortion was a private and common occurrence considered acceptable until a woman could feel the baby moving.

In the mid-nineteenth century, doctors and churches opposed abortion, resulting in state laws forbidding the practice by 1900. The debate heated again in the 1960s in response to American Law Institute, demanding that abortion be allowed. They were opposed by physicians and the churches, and the debate continued until Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in all fifty states in 1973.

Arguments and Perspectives of Anti-Abortion Advocates

The anti-abortion debate is a life-and-death issue fought on behalf of our vulnerable children who cannot speak for themselves, while abortion advocates focus on the perceived wishes and supposed desires of just one person—the mother, as though the child does not exist.

Abortion is my right

Pro-choice advocates believe it is a woman’s right to end the life of a developing human. By contrast, anti-abortion advocates stand behind the moral, legal, ethical, and spiritual implications of the scientific and biological definition of human development. We believe that people of all stages of development have the same rights, regardless of their capacities.

Just like a fetus, people in a coma can’t survive without being hooked up to nutrients supplied by someone else, make noise, walk, or move their own muscles. Should we poison them or vacuum-suck them limb from limb for the inconvenience of their circumstance?

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act signed in 2004 says that anyone who causes death or bodily injury to “a child, who is in utero at the time . . . shall be punished for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being,” even if the perpetrator didn’t know the mother was pregnant.

Mayri wrestled with fear when she found out she was pregnant again, but she’s glad she took a moment to consider beyond herself and her fears.

“Mayri was very scared about the possibility that she might be pregnant again. She had a six-month-old baby and was struggling with some problems that made her situation very difficult.

She was convinced that abortion was her only way out.

However, after she came to a PreBorn! Network Clinic, she chose life for her baby Analeah! Today we celebrate Mayri’s bravery and are grateful that Analeah is very loved by her mom.”

Abortion is my choice

Abortion advocates refer to themselves as “pro-choice” to emphasize the woman’s right to choose if her developing human lives or dies. There are a couple flawed points with this argument.

First, it ignores the developing human’s choice. The child, who happens to be in utero at the time, is not yet able to speak, however, it’s universally assumed that humans at all stages of development wish to live.

Second, the sad reality is that most women who get an abortion are victims themselves. Even among legal abortions, more than half of the mothers felt pressure, were uninformed, and were not advised about other options. In both legal and underground abortions, it is common for an expectant mother to be coerced, forced, tricked, or otherwise manipulated, by a pimp, her parents, or the father.

One example is Kiomy who chose her son over a car.

“Kiomy was a senior in high school and her boyfriend Eugenio was a junior. When Kiomy told her mom she was pregnant, her mom tried to bribe her into having an abortion. She told her she would buy her a car if she did.”

Abortion is health care

Pro-choice advocates say that abortion is healthcare, but this too is flawed logic. To understand this further, let’s break down the definition of health care.

Health care is defined as “efforts made to maintain or restore physical, mental, or emotional well-being especially by trained and licensed professionals.”

There are two parts to that definition—health and care. It’s not health or care. Health care and the health care system are designed to maintain or restore health. An abortion isn’t healthy for anyone, especially the child.

Additionally, many abortions are not performed by a physician, someone “trained in the art of healing.” The very purpose of abortion is to terminate a developing human.

Pro-life advocates coordinate efforts to maintain and promote the health and well being of both people by providing the mother information about a variety of options and assistance available for the best life for herself and her child. She is shown what her child looks like and is given her baby’s first ultrasound pictures to help her bond with her little one. When given tools and information to understand the full picture, to see a future beyond the fear, many women choose life for their preborn baby.

One example is Michelle, who chose life when she learned about her options and saw the developing life within her.

“During her time at the Clinic, Michelle sat down with an advocate and received some life-affirming education about her pregnancy and her available options — one of which was adoption. It wasn’t until she witnessed the life within her womb that she made up her mind. Seeing the little fingers and toes of her baby on an ultrasound, along with listening to the baby’s beating heart, were defining moments in Michelle’s decision process — moments used by the Lord to show Michelle the truth about the development of life.

In recounting the experience, Michelle said, “When I came to get my ultrasound, that’s when I made my final decision — that’s when I decided I was going [to go with] adoption instead of abortion.”

Religious perspectives

Pro-abortion advocates either do not believe in a holy God who created them, or they choose to ignore relevant Scripture. At PreBorn!, we believe in the sanctity of all human life as described by God, regardless of developmental stage.

Biology tells us that pregnancy occurs when sperm meets egg. So, what causes sperm to meet egg, thereby starting the process of a developing human? The Bible tells us life comes from God.

Many Scriptures describe God’s angels delivering the news of an upcoming pregnancy, even decades in advance.

Other Scriptures that explicitly state God initiated or prevented pregnancy:

  • Adam and Eve, first humans, Genesis 1:26, 2:22
  • Abraham and Sarah, parents of Isaac, Genesis 21:1-8
  • Rebekah, mother of Jacob and Esau, Genesis 25:21
  • Jacob and Bilhah, parents of Dan, Genesis 30:2, 6
  • Hannah, mother of Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:9-28
  • Manoah, mother of Samson, Judges 13:2-3
  • Michal, wife of King David, 2 Samuel 6:23
  • Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist: Luke 1:11-25
  • Mary, mother of Jesus, Luke 1:35
  • Joseph, earthly father of Jesus, Matthew 1:20

Clearly, life comes from God. In fact, John 4:16 tells us God is life. So, to destroy life is more than destroying what God has made.

Amber discovered God’s will for her baby to live when He repeatedly postponed her abortion appointments.

“The couple’s second abortion attempt was canceled because of hurricane Ian, and the third due to a scheduling conflict. Amber found a Clinic within PreBorn!’s Network on Google. Excited about being able to schedule an appointment for that same day, Amber believed she was finally going to get the abortion she had waiting for.

What Amber didn’t expect, however, was to be asked about her faith by the nurse. As the appointment progressed, Amber began to see God’s hand both in her and her child’s life. During the ultrasound, Amber saw her baby for the first time, noticing its hands folded as if he or she was praying.”

It’s a clump of cells

Many people argue that the child in utero is “just a clump of cells.” According to Merriam Webster, a cell, is “capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently.”

A cell is the smallest unit of structure we know of that “performs all the fundamental functions of life” either on its own or in partnership with other cells. A baby in utero is a clump of cells, just as is each of us.

Gianna learned how real her baby wasis during her first ultrasound.

“When I found out I was pregnant and couldn’t do anything about it, it really hurt me at first,” Gianna said. “I talked with the counselor and I told her I didn’t want to keep the baby. But when I first saw that ultrasound, everything came into play. When you actually see the baby’s fingers and her nose, it’s a person. Not just a thing you give a name to that baby.”

Final Thoughts

No one questions a bereaved mother who has a funeral for a child lost through miscarriage. Anyone who has had such an experience will tell you they go through all the same stages of grief as any other grieving parent, because an embryo is a person. Elective abortion is and always has been murder for hire.

PreBorn! exists to save babies and souls. We are in the trenches of the anti-abortion debate, where nearly everyone we serve has been unwittingly drafted into a life-and death battle and daily casualties are in the thousands.

Our goal is to help save the little ones who can’t yet tell you how much they have to look forward to. If you need support, please contact us and allow us to pray for you. If you’d like to help, please consider standing in the gap for a preborn baby and a desperate young mom.