Skwim
Veteran Member
Some of what I've posted below I posted in another thread; however, because I don't believe it will get the readership I think it deserves I'm re-posting it here.
So often we hear strident denunciations of abortion. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaking to the fifth commandment, "You shall not kill," says,
And even outside religion we hear denunciations that abortion is "the unnecessary taking of a human life" and so forth. And this is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion; however, lets put abortion, legal abortion, in perspective.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "in 2003 it reported that 26% of reported legal induced abortions in the United States were known to have been obtained at less than 6 weeks' gestation, 18% at 7 weeks, 15% at 8 weeks, 18% at 9 through 10 weeks, 9.7% at 11 through 12 weeks, 6.2% at 13 through 15 weeks,. Put into a more easily read format we see that:
So, the vast majority, 93%, of all legal abortions are performed within the first 15 weeks. Sound pretty bad? Well take a look at what nature does.
So if one is looking at conception, as the Catholic Church does, as the division between human life and not human life
nature is "aborting" 40% (10% + 30%) to 70% (20% + 50%) of all human lives. Whereas, legal abortions only account for 19%.
That's a huge difference. Nature is "aborting" 40%-70% of all possible human births, whereas legal abortions only account for 19%. And if one only looks at miscarriages (not those instances where the fertilized egg fails to implant) which is 10-20%, legal abortions (19% of pregnancies) and miscarriages are both in the same ball park. So, the "killing of humans" is pretty much the same whether it's done by elective abortions or nature, OR vastly greater in nature's case if one use the Catholic definition of the beginning of life.
Then there's the matter of the human psychological factor. Whereas miscarriages often instill significant grief in parent(s), elected abortions are welcomed events, or at least greeted with relief. The regret that accompanies a miscarriage is seldom seen with abortions.
So this is my case for putting elected abortions into perspective. If one feels that any abortion, whether it's natural or elected is bad, then I would expect the same kind of condemnation of nature (god) for allowing it to happen as one would for elected abortions.
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So often we hear strident denunciations of abortion. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaking to the fifth commandment, "You shall not kill," says,
"2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion."
source
2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion."
source
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "in 2003 it reported that 26% of reported legal induced abortions in the United States were known to have been obtained at less than 6 weeks' gestation, 18% at 7 weeks, 15% at 8 weeks, 18% at 9 through 10 weeks, 9.7% at 11 through 12 weeks, 6.2% at 13 through 15 weeks,. Put into a more easily read format we see that:
......period........% in that period....cumulative %
within 6 weeks..........26%...............26% (26% of all legal abortions are performed within the first 6 weeks)
..."......7....."................18%...............44% (44% of all legal abortions are performed within the first 7 weeks)
..."......8....."................15%...............59% (and so on)
..."....10....."................18%...............77%
..."....12....."................9.7%...........86.7%
..."....15....."................6.2%...........92.9%
source
within 6 weeks..........26%...............26% (26% of all legal abortions are performed within the first 6 weeks)
..."......7....."................18%...............44% (44% of all legal abortions are performed within the first 7 weeks)
..."......8....."................15%...............59% (and so on)
..."....10....."................18%...............77%
..."....12....."................9.7%...........86.7%
..."....15....."................6.2%...........92.9%
source
So, the vast majority, 93%, of all legal abortions are performed within the first 15 weeks. Sound pretty bad? Well take a look at what nature does.
"Miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. (In medical articles, you may see the term "spontaneous abortion" used in place of miscarriage.) About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and more than 80 percent of these losses happen before 12 weeks. [note that 87% of legal abortions are performed in the first 12 weeks]
This doesn't include situations in which you lose a fertilized egg before a pregnancy becomes established. Studies have found that 30 to 50 percent of fertilized eggs are lost before or during the process of implantation – often so early that a woman goes on to get her period at about the expected time.
source
This doesn't include situations in which you lose a fertilized egg before a pregnancy becomes established. Studies have found that 30 to 50 percent of fertilized eggs are lost before or during the process of implantation – often so early that a woman goes on to get her period at about the expected time.
source
So if one is looking at conception, as the Catholic Church does, as the division between human life and not human life
‘‘Human development begins at fertilization when a male gamete or sperm (spermatozoon) unites with a female gamete or oocyte (ovum) to produce a single cell, a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual’’;
source
source
nature is "aborting" 40% (10% + 30%) to 70% (20% + 50%) of all human lives. Whereas, legal abortions only account for 19%.
That's a huge difference. Nature is "aborting" 40%-70% of all possible human births, whereas legal abortions only account for 19%. And if one only looks at miscarriages (not those instances where the fertilized egg fails to implant) which is 10-20%, legal abortions (19% of pregnancies) and miscarriages are both in the same ball park. So, the "killing of humans" is pretty much the same whether it's done by elective abortions or nature, OR vastly greater in nature's case if one use the Catholic definition of the beginning of life.
Then there's the matter of the human psychological factor. Whereas miscarriages often instill significant grief in parent(s), elected abortions are welcomed events, or at least greeted with relief. The regret that accompanies a miscarriage is seldom seen with abortions.
So this is my case for putting elected abortions into perspective. If one feels that any abortion, whether it's natural or elected is bad, then I would expect the same kind of condemnation of nature (god) for allowing it to happen as one would for elected abortions.
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