Why I Oppose Abortion

You’ll be hard pressed to find someone more pro-life than I am.

The wholesale slaughter of unborn children in our country is morally reprehensible and needs to stop. As a reader of my columns, you deserve an explanation for why I strongly advocate for abortion in America to end.

First, the unborn life is human from the moment of conception. In an age when we’re demanded to follow the science, the science says the DNA of unborn children is human. That’s why fetal tissue is so sought after for research – it’s human DNA.

Secondly, the Bible makes it clear that God is the Author of Life and it is He who enables conception. From punishments for those to end a pregnancy thru violence to descriptions of God forming us in the womb, scripture makes it clear God looks at the unborn as humans in the process of being created in His image.

Thirdly, I have seen video tape from an abortion clinic showing in graphic detail the killing of an unborn baby in the third trimester. I was sickened and enraged by what I saw as the child was removed in nearly fully developed pieces.

Finally, abortion is personal for me. Years ago, my parents shared a story with me about a woman who was employed at a Minneapolis hospital they were acquainted with and a childless couple. The woman had become pregnant out of wedlock and made a decision to carry the child to term. Faced with the option of abortion, she chose life and, in doing so, changed the lives of the childless man and wife.

The man had served in the U.S. Army, stationed in several tropical environments during his deployment. There in the jungles he contracted malaria, which sent his temperature soaring to levels as to make him unable to father children. He eventually left the Army and married.

Desperately wanting a family, they registered to adopt in their county of residence.

Their number came up at the same time the hospital worker was delivering a baby boy. The paperwork and fees were paid, but the process took time. A year after the boy named Michael was born, he was introduced to the couple as their son.

The couple worked hard to diligently raise that boy, and also the baby girl they adopted two years later. Though far from rich, the man had a decent job with 3M and, when the boy and girl were both in school, the woman returned to her occupation as a substitute elementary school teacher. Both children were loved and well cared for.

The boy grew to manhood and excelled at all he set to do. He rose to prominence in the Twin Cities and, through his occupation and involvement in various ministries, became very well known in that area.

He eventually married and, with his wife, gave the couple two wonderful grandchildren. Their joy couldn’t be overstated. Joy made possible by a woman’s decision not to kill her unborn child.

“That’s a nice story, Dan, but what’s that got to do with your stance on abortion?” you ask. Well, the couple that adopted the boy had a name picked out before the child came to live with them, so they renamed Michael and the boy became Daniel – Daniel Carlson – the author of this column.

So any value you assign to my existence, any role or influence I’ve had on your life, is due to the courage of an unwed mother who chose life over abortion.