Opinion Essay on Abortion (Free Example)

Did I hear that right?  Definitely not.  I couldn’t have.  As the lone freshman on a team full of upperclassmen, I found myself exposed to a variety of new topics and ideas during basketball practice.  The senior girls would talk about sex, drinking, smoking, partying, and more in a casual fashion that astonished my innocent, naive self.  The stories told were both disgusting and concerning, but none had ever hit me this hard.

Abortion.  Thrown out into casual conversation.  “I don’t need protection, if I get pregnant I’ll just abort it,” one girl said.  “Facts.  There’s no way I’m going through all that, not for some kid,” another commented.  “If you get pregnant, you’ll kill it?” I thought in disbelief.  Up until that moment, I thought people had an abortion only in cases of rape or to save the mother’s life, not in situations of carelessness.  I felt a knot growing in my stomach as they casually discussed everything about abortion, access to abortions, and what they would do if they didn’t have access to an abortion—which turned out to be even more inhumane.  The way they discussed abortion with no regard for the life at stake led me on a journey of questioning my beliefs, reasoning with both fact and feeling, and ultimately developing a new set of beliefs I could truly call my own.

Before that moment, my views on abortion were solely rooted in my Christianity.  My sister and I were taught that God loves everyone, every life is precious, and to end that life is to commit murder, whether inside or outside the womb.  Growing up in the church, abortion was always a taboo topic.  Every now and then at youth group someone would question it, but otherwise it remained undiscussed, tucked away in a drawer with all the other silent topics: suicide, abuse, pornogaphy, mastubration, sexuality, depression, and anxiety.  Even when someone pulled it out of that dusty drawer, the answer was always, “Abortion is to end a life, and God values all lives both born and unborn, so abortion is wrong. Period.”

I always trusted that answer, nothing ever gave me a reason to doubt until that basketball practice.  If abortion and murder are equal in God’s eyes, why would they be so comfortable thinking about the termination of a pregnancy?  Was I missing something?  After all, it wouldn’t be the first time I wrestled with something taught by the church.  Maybe I should try looking at the secular perspective?  Are Christians the only people who oppose abortion?  Are religious people the only individuals who question the ethicality of abortion?  Suddenly, I found myself asking so many questions but not knowing how to address these inquiries.

As a devout Christian, I felt that I should start in the church.  Conveniently, my youth group held our annual “questions night” later that month, a time when anonymous questions are submitted for discussion.  Often this is the time when we explore difficult topics, but I wanted to ensure we didn’t just skim the surface this time.  One Sunday evening before youth group, I submitted my questions: Is abortion wrong, and if so, why is it legal?  Are there exceptions?

For the first time in my life, I felt as though I developed an understanding of why most Christians oppose abortion, why some individuals are pro-abortion, and how to defend against the typical pro-abortion arguments.  I developed a belief that completely opposed abortion, but could sympathize with someone pregnant as a result of rape, or in a circumstance that presented a severe health risk.  I knew that Christianity presents one side of the story, and frequently holds a bias towards the pro-life argument, so I discussed the issue with my close friends as well.

Some of my pro-choice friends brought up the financial burden a child can pose to a young mother, and the opinion that there are circumstances that the child might be better off not living than living a life of struggle.  Living.  That stuck with me more than anything over the next few weeks.  Even on my worst days on this Earth, I was always grateful to be alive.  This concept over a difficult life versus no life at all came back to me a little over a year ago, when there was a lot of controversy surrounding the death penalty.

People question the humaneness of the death penalty, which is almost exclusively used for individuals who have committed egregious, horrific murders.  I have always held the opinion that the death penalty is immoral, and that life in prison is a sufficient punishment, but I never saw the parallel between the death penalty and abortion.  I was listening to a pro-life podcast one day when the speaker made the comparison.  They pointed out the fact that in our society more and more people are opposing the death penalty, saving the lives of infamous criminals, while simultaneously more and more people are supporting the pro-choice movement and the slaughter of children who from the moment of their conception embody nothing but innocence.  If anything, that argument was the one thing that solidified my pro-life beliefs.  If the most guilty among us deserve to live—and I believe that they do—then the innocent most definitely deserve a chance at life.

Now in my second semester of my senior year in high school, I have developed my own beliefs through thorough consideration and research.  I believe that abortion is always immoral, and quite frankly I do believe it should be addressed as murder.  I also believe that as a country we aren’t doing enough to support women going through an unplanned pregnancy, which is an area I hope to get involved with later in my life.  I believe that God creates every life for a reason, I believe that life begins at conception, and I believe that everyone deserves a chance to experience this thrilling, beautiful roller coaster we call life.