Abortion destroys human life, period

Thank you Thomas for standing up for the truth...As to the notion that this is all about a womans choice of what is happening with her own body I would like to clarify that our bodies are not our own to do with as we please...God created us therefore we, whether or not we want to believe, belong to God..Therefore we are not free to destroy life where God has seen fit to create life...

The LTE present good posits, but the human life is not a legal person so it doesn't have constitutional rights. Capricious but that is the way it is. I do agree that isn't a blob of cells because it is biologically and evolutionarily a human being. Embryonic stem cell research and cloning also argue that this isn't a blob of cells but cells that can grow to a full organism or any tissue or organ in the body. While abortion is killing a human being, it is not a legal person so it is not murder. But you could argue when does a person become a human being, because I see a number of persons who I would question "are they human?". Still I don't see making abortion illegal a solution-it should be a medically available procedure.

Biz while I respect our laws and seek to uphold them to be best of my ability the fact is that they are not infallible..This happens to be one that is and always will be wrong..It has nothing to do with Women's Rights Movement it does however have everything to do with God's commandments against such a grievous act of murder against the innocents...

I guess "when a person becomes a human being" is an opinion, but I believe they are a human at the time of conception. That being said, I think everyone would agree that all humans should be protected by law and have equal rights. The following is from our Declaration of Independence... "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Notice how it says all men are "created" equal, and not "born" equal and therefore have the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Yes, our Constitution guarantees "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This is completely consistent with the right of women
to choose abortion. The constitution guarantees a woman will not have her life taken by the state for her choice. It guarantees her the liberty to make that choice. It guarantees her the right to pursue her life in the direction to maximize her happiness. Those of us who support a woman's right to choose thank goodness every day for the U.S. Constitution.

eel: "The constitution guarantees a woman will not have her life taken by the state for her choice." Tell that to Terry Schiavo's family.

War destroys human life, period.

So it's ok and my right if I pursue the choice to shoot someone in their head? A woman's "right" to choose ends the life of another human being and all that person's rights. Why should a woman have ONE "right" that ends EVERY right that child should have? This is why rights MUST be limited...

mgroothand: The Terry Schiavo incident is totally irrelevant, of course.
There is a FUNDAMENTAL difference between the State taking a life
(criminal execution) and the State allowing under its laws an individual to make a life and death decision (Right-to-die, euthanasia, abortion.) Thankfully, our Constitution protects a woman choosing an abortion from state execution. Also, thankfully, our Constitution allows an individual to make very private decisions, often painful and difficult, about another life under strictly limited circumstances. Your inability, or unwillingness, to make this distinction is characteristic of religious conservatives.

Effete Elitist Liberal, these misogynist posters and the McDuffie County misogynist who wrote this LTE don't value life at all. If they did, then they would be, like us pro-choicers, trying to help all involved -- including the woman. Zero percent of all abortions from 24 weeks 1 day or later are done electively, like Joni pointed out in a Decmeber 2007 LTE.

These anti-choicers need to study our Constitution the way it was meant to be, not the way the theocrats want it to be.

If the anti-choicers truly believe in all people creatred equal, then like I mentioned on Wednesday, they would support a woman's right to abortion without any interference and they wouldn't have blocked the Equal Rights Amendment from being ratified over the last nearly 88 years.

Thomas Taylor, bless you for a well-thought out and well-presented letter. williston, I've said it before and I'll say it again, pro-lifers are the very people that ARE helping pregnant women and children that need help and/or adoption. And it is quite a reach to say that pro-lifers blocked the Equal Rights Amendment. That's a crock.

I find it ironic that someone that condones murdering unborn female and male babies could call anyone else a misogynist, willistontownsc. A man that respects life from conception to natural death certainly doesn't hate females. If there is any hate here, hate being the callous indifference to others, its coming from persons that support a violence act that transcends even callous indifference, the murdering of innocent life, female or male. I suppose that would make those who support abortion misanthropes, if you must insist on name-calling. I can't imagine what would drive someone to disregard innocent human life as something to be torn apart and tossed in a trash can or otherwise disposed of. I praise Mr. Taylor for shining a light on this dark subject.

bizarro, just because something is legal, doesn't make it right. What Hitler did was legal, too. Where would we be, if we allowed that to continue? The law needs to change to reflect what science already has proven. Human life begins at conception. Legal or not. Even the person of the test case in Roe vs. Wade knows this to be true. She regrets her abortion. She believes if she knew now what she didn't then, she would NOT have had an abortion and witnesses to that effect at public speaking opportunities. I do not say this to condemn or judge anyone that has had an abortion. I say it to educate others from making the same heart-breaking and traumatic mistake. Each of us does the best we can with the knowledge we have. Science has proven human life begins at conception. It is time to make sure this knowledge is reflected in law.

Great letter Mr. Taylor! Those who say a baby in the womb is "not a baby" may as well tell you that the "earth is flat". Pro-lifers have heard the out-of-date, unscientific assertion that "It's not a baby" for many years. People who say this ought to be asked when they are going to catch up with the times. We are in the days of fetoscopy and fetal surgery. Of course we know when life begins, and we know the earth is not flat. Those who promote abortion are saying something worse than "the earth is flat". They are essentially saying "the earth is flat if you think it's flat, and it's round if you think it's round". Whether a baby in the womb is a baby or not doesn't matter to them, as long as the baby's fate will depend on someone else's choice.

Well said Thomas Taylor.

Pro-choicers know the planet is NOT flat. But, unlike you antis, we also know that women -- those you heard and those you haven't -- have died from childbirth. Those lucky enough to survive had their lives destroyed by the antis and the government's meddling.

Contrary to your religiously-based assumption, baroness, science -- like our trusty calendar -- has proven again and again that life begins at birth. Why else do you celebrate your birthday on the day you are born and not on the day you were concieved? Why else women pay just a 7% sales tax instead of a 14% (or more, depending on the number of feti) sales tax on everything she buys?

Well now lest we forget the unborn child had no life. His/her life was destroyed...Somebody thought you were worth the trials and tribulations that come with the territory willistontownsc now didn't they..But that is different also huh.....

Scientifically, we know that from the earliest stages of development, the unborn are distinct, living, and whole human beings. Leading Embryology books confirm this (such as "Langman's Embryology" 5th Edition, Page 3 to name one of many). Prior to his abortion advocacy, former Planned Parenthood President Dr. Allan Guttmacher was perplexed that anyone much less a medical doctor would question this. "This all seems so simple and evident that it is difficult to picture a time when it wasn't common knowledge ("Life in the Making", by Allan Guttmacher"). In "Your Pregnancy and Birth", 4th Edition, by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it states (under Your Growing Baby) that " The first step in a new life begins with fertilization, the fusion of a woman's egg and a man's sperm". Abortion is not any safer for the pregnant woman than full term pregnancy. Some women die from botched abortions. It is an extremly rare case when abortion is required to save the mother's life. Abortion is always fatal for the innocent unborn child. A mere change in location from inside the womb to outside does not change the essential nature of the unborn- He or she is human-like us.

Did you know the original Hypocratic oath forbades abortion. Abortion should be a legal medical procedure, but not a license to kill capriciously by women. Where in the constitution does it say I have the right to kill someone because they are unwanted or an inconvenience. If so why stop at just killing before birth and why not kill a child any time it becomes a burden because the state is mandating you raise this child. That is idiotic logic by supposed pro-choicers. It shouldn't be termed pro-choice, but the legal option to have an abortion. It is a human being and can be a legal person now in some states with fetacide laws when you kill a pregnant woman. With the legal battle over frozen embryos one sees that the unborn are quickly becoming legal persons. Seems capricious to say it is blob of tisse in one instance and not a person, but then a legal person if a pregnant mom is killed or if a mom's frozen embryos become an issue. Further embryonic stem cells have the potential to become persons, organs, or tissues. So apparently the Constitution sees the unborn in different lights dependent on the circumstance. Willistownsc life begins at conception at least that is what they taught me when I attended a few years of medical school and decided to choose another career, and all biologist and evolutionary scientist will argue specifically. Technically it is not recognized as a legal person but it dang sure is a human being. You need to go to college dude. Try reading the books that bubbaqut22 provided maybe you'd learn something.

An interesting aside was an experiment where a mouse cancer cell line was cloned. The cancer cells formed normal mice much to my surprise considering polyploidy, mutations, etc. But all the mice developed cancer and died within the year. Even a cancer cell has potential. Abortion should be legally allowed, but not used like a form of birth control as many women do now. When a woman has numerous abortions then something is suspect and maybe she should have her tubes tied. Because someone that ignorant just doesn't need to reproduce anyways.

It is not a religious-based assumption williston, it is a scientific fact that once conception has occurred he or she is a unique human being. Would you prefer that someone had wrenched you from the womb and destroyed you before you were born? Would you have any objection to that? I suppose not, if you don't believe you were a unique human being while still in your mother's womb. Any other "blob of tissue" could take your place with your logic. We celebrate the day we are born because that has traditionally been the date most easily noted. Conception is a lot more difficult to detect and date even now. Common sense williston, common sense. And that comment about tax, makes absolutely no sense at all, (no cents either, for that matter).

To all of the above; I don;t get it, how is it a man can decide what we do with our bodies, a woman and a man make the baby, but when we have one to many, where is the man.? When something happen to the child after we have it , it is always the woman who is to blame[ the woman that killed her two kids, the woman who left the baby in the car,etc.] I had five abortions, back in the day, yes with the clothes hanger!! I had a husband and we could not afford that many kids. W hy have sex without protection? Back in the day[1950s] there was no proctetion, and try and tell a MAN that and see what he say. So I made the decision that I was not going to have more than I COULD AFFORD TO TAKE CARE OF !!!!! I was never in the system for welfare, we raised four children, sent them all to collage.And I am no worse off for getting the abortions., God have forgiven me and I don;t need man;s forgiveness!!!!!!!!!

Dear Saywhat!, May God's peace and love be with you. It sounds like some portions of your life have been very difficult. Let me assure you that none of us are without crosses to carry, and we surly are all sinners. Yes, God's forgiveness comes with our proper contrition and repentence. I would like to submit to you, however, that the evidance that human life begins at conception and is valuable is staggering. If you do not believe the other info, I would challange you to study some 3D Ultrasounds of children in the womb- tiny fingers, toes, head, thumb sucking, eye rubbing, and smiles. I know women who have had abortions. Most have found true healing and peace not by urging others to have abortions but by helping women with crisis pregnancies to work through problems and have their babies- use the adoption option if necessary. There are now thousands of couples who want to adopt and cannot find babies to adopt. All babies are wanted by someone. Organizations like Care Pregnancy , Birthright, and Option Line provide free confidential help to women with crisis situations and those suffering the effects of abortion. You can use your experience to save women, babies, and families.