Abortion is the destruction of life. Life is a very indistinct word because it has so many meanings and connotations, but the most basic definition is also the most relevant. Living is defined as "having life, to be alive, exist, feed or subsist" (Avis 671). An unborn infant exists in its mother's womb and feeds on the nourishment provided to it by the umbilical cord. On the basis of this definition, an unborn embryo would be considered to have life.

Embryos breathe, move, and grow as well. When a fetus is ten weeks old, its human characteristics become evident. "The embryo is now about 1 inch in length. Facial features, limbs, hands, feet, fingers and toes become apparent. The nervous system is responsive and many of the

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In view of this, a fetus is a human like you and me. The fetus is alive and has the capacity to feel the painful abortion procedure. Therefore, abortion can be defined as the intentional killing of a human being.

Pro-choice supporters generally believe that life begins at birth and that a fetus is only a small mass of tissue. Abortion is not as simple as removing tissue from a woman's womb. According to Terwilliger, the author of "Fetal Development", "it is scientific and medical fact based on experimental evidence, that a fetus is a living, growing, thriving human being, directing his or her own development". Pro-life supporters believe that the fetus is more than a piece of tissue. It has its own way of thinking and feeling.

"Teen Sex & Pregnancy: Facts and Figures." 2000. Westside Pregnancy Resource Center. 29 April 2000. http://www.w-cpc.org/sexuality/teens.html

"Current, valid science indicates that a fetus is not a senseless mass of tissue, as some people have believed in the past. 100% of a person's genetic makeup is determined at the moment of conception. Science and medicine define being a human by genetic means. According to science and medicine, a fetus is a distinct organism" (Steinmetz).

The rivalry between pro-life and pro-choice supporters is illustrated well in the Supreme Court case of Roe versus Wade in 1973. The Court declared that "the right to privacy includes abortion" (Roe v. Wade). The apparent attitude shown was that a woman's body is hers alone and nobody has the right to make her do something that she does not want to. This is a just statement. A woman is able to decide for herself whether

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