The Potential of a Life
The following article was written by Miriam Madsen and won 1st place in the BFLW 2020 Essay Contest.
According to the American Life League, over 61.8 million babies have been aborted from 1973 to 2018 (ALL). Although the Bible clearly states that life begins at conception, many people today diminish the value of life by denying that there is life in the womb. Jeremiah 1:5 states that God created every human with value and potential. If a human life is disregarded, he or she has no potential of life. People who are pro-choice must see that the potential of life greatly impacts the baby’s life before birth, the baby’s mother, and society.
First, a life will have no potential if he or she is powerless to live beyond pregnancy. When a baby is formed in the womb, he or she has the potential for anything this world offers. However, when a mother decides to have an abortion, she ends that potential of life, taking away the child’s possible future. She never asks the baby if he or she would like to live, have opportunities, a job, or a family. She simply and quickly takes care of what she has deemed, a problem. Grow by WEBMD states that when sperm and egg meet, a zygote is formed. As the weeks pass, he or she begins to develop blood vessels, internal organs, fingerprints and toe prints, he or she begins to blink, yawn, and stretch (WebMD). Inside the womb, a real, living, breathing baby has been formed, not just a mass of cells. Psalm 139:13-14 states, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” God perfectly allows every baby to be created. A human forms with a will, with a mind of its own, and with potential. If a mother decides to end a precious life, she disregards the baby’s existence and takes away his or her future potential in life.
Second, the missing potential of life greatly impacts the mother. Millions of women since the Roe v. Wade case of 1973 have aborted their children for various reasons. According to Aley Torres and JD Forrest, some women believe that having a child would interfere with their school, work, or jobs. Others believe that they do not have enough financial support to take care of a child, they do not want to be a single parent, or they are done having children (PubMed). Regardless of the reason, many women do not realize the impact abortions have on their lives. Project Rachel Ministry writes that as a mother named Francine became pregnant for the fifth time in the span of seven years, her doctor encouraged her to have an abortion, since she had children already. After the abortion, Francine said, “I cried on my knees beside my bed. When finally I stopped crying on the outside, I kept crying on the inside. I felt so dirty and alone.” Years later Francine said, “I wasn’t told that after having an abortion an unbelievable self-hatred would consume me and lead to distrust, suspicion, and the utter inability to care about myself, or others-including my four children. I wasn’t told that hearing babies cry would trigger such anger that I wouldn’t be able to be around babies at all. I wasn’t told that it would become impossible to look at my own eyes in a mirror” (Hope After Abortion). Christian Medical Fellowship says millions of women like Francine have experienced psychological effects after abortions such as stress, anxiety, distrust, and depression (CMF). Isaiah 49:15a says, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” A mother cannot easily forget her missing child, the possible life of a child greatly impacts the mother.
Finally, the lost life has an enormous impact on society. When women abort their children, they choose to deprive society with doctors, teachers, scientists, business managers, inventors, government officials, mothers, and fathers. Society will never understand the impact these lives could have made. Keitha Nelson, author of “He Was the Biggest Miracle”, tells the story of Pam Tebow who faced life or death health issues by carrying her baby full term as the doctors told her. However, Pam never give up on her child. The doctors who delivered Tim Tebow said, “It was the biggest miracle be had ever been a part of” (FirstCoast News). Tim Tebow grew up to be a pro athlete in football and baseball and eventually won a Heisman Trophy. Thus, God provided an alternative to Pam’s abortion. If more women followed God’s original plan for life, millions of lives may have been saved. Celine Dion, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Andrea Bocelli, and Tim Tebow are just a few examples of children whose mothers considered having an abortion. Society could have lost out on the first Apple iPhone, a star football player, and famous singers if their mothers made the wrong choice. Society has been impacted by millions of lives but even more were unable to impact the world because they were not given the potential of life.
In conclusion, every human life has value, potential, and meaning, but when a mother kills her child in the womb, the baby loses any future potential in life. A mother may never know the impact a missing baby has on her life, an impact that affects her entire life. Society will never understand the enormous impact a missing life may have had on culture. To many people, a baby is nothing more than a mass of cells, a growth of tissue, and an accident. But God makes every life, He knows each and every being that existed before they are ever born, God gives every human the potential of life. People who are pro-choice must realize that every baby should be born with human rights, value and a life filled with potential.
Works Cited
“Abortion Statisitcs.” American Life League, 14 July 2020,
www.all.org/learn/abortion/abortion-statistics/. Accessed 4 Jan. 2021.
“Physcological Effects After Abortion.” Christian Medical Fellowship, 2006,
www.cmf.org.uk/resources/publications/content/?context=article&id=1850. Accessed 7 Jan. 2021.
“‘He was the biggest miracle’: Tim Tebow’s mom opens up about her rough pregnancy with him; discusses his success.” First Coast News, 9 May 2019,
www.firstcoastnews.com/articIe/news/locaI/he-was-the-biggest-miracle-tim-tebows-mom-opens-up-about-her-rough-pregnancy-with-him-discusses-his-success/77-9d258dfe-32e941cl-a68b-93606ceebbb4. Accessed 8 Jan. 2021.
Francine’s Story: Hope After Abortion, hopeafterabortion.com/?page id=356
Accessed 6 Jan. 2021.
“Picture of Fetal Development Month-by-Month.” WebMD, 23 Feb 2019,
www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-fetal-development. Accessed 5 January 2021.