Essay Contest Winner 2003

2003 Winning Essay Contest Entry...

Submitted by April Munsell of Suburban Baptist School (Grades 9th and 10th division)

Abortion (The Unborn's Right to Life)

Our society perceives abortion as a mere convenience rather that a detriment to our culture. The right to live is not something we had to earn, but rather a God-given right that can only be "God-taken." Some people, however, believe that they are doing right by committing or supporting abortions in the name of "choice." They believe that the mother carrying the baby in her womb should have the choice of taking the life of this innocent, unborn child, or conceiving him or her even if they are not able to provide the best living conditions or environment. I believe our society must be more compassionate and caring in its treatment of the unborn in the midst of a culture of death that measures the worth of an individual strictly by utilitarian standards.


We should not base our decisions of whether a person should live or die on their usefulness to society. Many people question the significance of a child in the womb. They say they are not really human beings since they are not yet born, but each individual has a mind, body, and a soul of their own. No one person is born without a soul. Therefore, they are all human beings and deserve the right to live. They are indeed useful and very important to our society. By killing these unborn babies we are killing our future scientists, war heroes, and even our future presidents. This, in reality, is going against the utilitarian views in that they are destroying infants with the potential of benefiting our society greatly.


One way our society can become more compassionate and caring in the area of the unborn is to allow adoption as an alternative to death. Each year thousands of infants are killed for another person's convenience. These people are not only hurting the unborn child by doing this, but also society. Many couples suffer because of the lack of fertility and would do almost anything for a child of their own, even if the baby is less than perfect. By allowing these babies to be put up for adoption, it enables couples to fulfill their longing for a child. Adoption is one way to ease the pain, lessen one's guilt, and add to another's joy.


Secondly, people in our society can take actin by making their voices heard in the political world. Being aware and knowledgeable of what is going on in the world of abortion is vital when taking a stand. We should have a desire to correct the corruption and not look away or ignore it. Lies were the basis for abortion and why it became legal, but by confronting these lies with the truth, the truth is sure to overcome with God's help. We must strive to make our voices heard and to inform our culture of the severe damage done to the unborn due to the appalling actions of pro-abortion believers.


By being an active participant in allowing adoption as an alternative for death, and taking a stand in the political world, we can help our society become more compassionate and caring in the treatment of the unborn. It was never God's plan for death to reign so prevalently as it does in our society today. We have a chance to change these utilitarian standards, so let us jump at the chance. We live in an amoral society who has almost abandoned its ethics completely, but just as one stream of light illuminates the darkness, each individual is a step towards unveiling the corruption occurring in today's culture.