Affirming the Dignity of the Human Person.

What is abortion? The direct and intentional killing of an innocent human being.

Is this definition accurate?

abortion |əˈbôr sh ən| noun

The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of an embryo or fetus.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin abortio(n-), fromaboriri ‘miscarry’ (see abort ).

termination |ˌtərməˈnā sh ən|noun

The action of bringing something, or coming to, an end.

What, exactly, is brought ”to an end” in an abortion? 

The embryo, or fetus.

Then what is an embryo; fetus?

An unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular an unborn human baby, deemed an embryo in the first eight weeks after conception, and a fetus after eight weeks from conception.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin, ‘pregnancy, childbirth, offspring.’ > in other words, Latin for “little one.”

So what is the unborn?

If the unborn is not a human being, then abortion is not the deliberate killing of a defenseless child, and no justification for elective abortion is necessary. But if the unborn is a human being, no justification for elective abortion is adequate.

If we agree that intentionally killing an innocent human being is a serious moral wrong, and that the unborn are human beings, then elective abortion is a serious moral wrong, with no adequate justification whatsoever.

But the question remains, are the unborn human beings? And even if they are, do they qualify as human persons, with the same dignity, value, and rights as you or I?

The science of embryology tells us when human life begins biologically, and establishes that the unborn are human beings.

Philosophy can help us answer questions about human personhood and value. Do we value each other by virtue of our existence as humans or by virtue of our features and abilities?

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When does human life begin? A scientific perspective: http://www.westchesterinstitute.net/resources/white-papers/351-white-paper

Medical Testimony on Prenatal Development:  http://www.abort73.com/abortion/

Human personhood begins at conception. A philosophical perspective: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/printarticle.html?id=4

How do we value human beings? http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/training/classroom/humans

When do human beings acquire the right to life? http://www.caseforlife.com/sled.asp