Abortion is one of the most hotly debated issues in our modern world. It touches the legal code of every country, as some parts of the globe protect life beginning at fertilization while others do not enact any protections for the unborn at all. However, as the progression of prenatal science continues to further verify the humanity of the unborn child, the assertion that abortion is a human right becomes increasingly detached from reason.
Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic overturn of Roe v. Wade, the United States had some of the weakest protections for unborn children in the world; its abortion policies were on par with Canada, China, Vietnam, and North and South Korea. However, now that U.S. states once again have the ability to make their own abortion policies, several have legislated to protect the unborn beginning at fertilization. Meanwhile, 20 U.S. states remain among the most dangerous places in the world for an unborn child.
Around the world, the vast majority of nations protect unborn life, at least to some degree. The question is—why? Why do the majority of European countries protect unborn children after 12 weeks? Why do many African and South American countries protect unborn children in all cases while still allowing medical procedures to save the life of the mother? Why do 26 nations in the world protect unborn life without exception? And why are the majority of the countries that fail to protect unborn life through 40 weeks notorious human rights violators?
The answer lies in the definition of what an unborn child is. It is either a human person or not. If an unborn child is a person, as scientific research indicates, then every nation should protect that person’s right to life.