Guest Column by Mavis Sayman Korsman

I remember how excited I was when I felt the kick of my first child, when I was 18 weeks pregnant. The ultrasound had shown movement of babies’ arms and legs already at 12 weeks, but it wasn’t for another six weeks that I could actually feel him inside.

Feeling that little baby move made it all so real to me. And indeed, it was real. From the moment of conception, human life was present inside me.

Science and medicine have shown that just four weeks after conception, there is a heartbeat. This life is a continuum of growth and development right into adulthood.

Pro-abortionists prefer to use the term “fetus,” and granted, that is the technical medical term for the first 40 weeks or so of human life. But think about it. There really is a baby inside. An expectant mother doesn’t tell her friends and family about the first kick she felt from her “fetus.” No, she talks excitedly about her “baby” kicking.

The pro-abortionists find it easier to say fetus, rather than baby, maybe because aborting a fetus sounds better than aborting a baby. In many states abortions are legal up to the first 20 weeks, and some even allow them up to 24 weeks. That is well beyond the point in which a mother can feel the life inside her moving.

Some make abortion a religious argument and say that pro-life groups are pushing their religion on others. However, one does not have to be religious to be pro-life.

One need only consider the history of our country: centuries ago, our Founding Fathers in their wisdom stated quite simply but profoundly that all men are created equal and that we all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Destroying a life in the womb, takes away all of those rights at the get-go from that helpless little individual.

Others try to make abortion a political argument, blaming Republicans for taking away women’s rights. However, this need not be a finger pointing game. There are many pro-life Democrats: U.P. Representative Bart Stupak was one of them.

This is simply about innocent babies’ right to live. As for women’s rights, yes, we need to protect women, too. Having an abortion puts women at risk of experiencing mental anguish. Twenty-one years after Roe v. Wade, none other than Ms. Roe (Norma McCorvey) herself, feeling the guilt of her role in the legalization, became pro-life. Today, she is one of the most ardent supporters of the pro-life movement: a testament that people can change.

In the case of unwanted pregnancies such as Ms. McCorvey’s, adoption is the perfect “choice.” The baby gets to choose to live, and the mother does not have to endure the resulting grief. The wonderful bonus outcome here is that a loving couple who has been waiting to nurture and share their love, gets that opportunity with a newly adopted baby.

I can understand why many say abortion should be allowed in cases of rape and incest, because these crimes are so terribly horrible. Still, I cannot believe that the innocent babies should be the ones punished, especially when adoption is available.

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 50 million (and counting) abortions have been performed since Roe vs. Wade. That is such an unfathomable number, and it seems an impossible effort to stem the tide.

I do not expect to change anyone’s mind regarding abortion, but I still have that small hope that maybe someday more mothers will choose adoption over abortion. As Dr. Seuss wrote, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Shouldn’t that small individual have the right to live?