Recently, I came across this photo shared on twitter. It is the image of a 13-week old baby. That’s 13 weeks from conception.
Jessica O’Donnell, the poster, wrote:
I debated posting this picture of our 13 week-old daughter, Winter. It’s difficult to see her in this stage because her life ended before it began. But I think it’s incredibly important that people understand that ~little bump~ in your belly is a precious little human.
She continued:
You cannot see this and argue she isn’t a human. A layer of skin determines how you see her, but even at 13 weeks, she has defined fingers, toes… a little arch in her foot…
There were many replies to Jessica’s post, including from those with similar experiences. Couples who would dearly love to have a child but have lost theirs due to a miscarriage. Some who keep trying in the hope that the pregnancy will go to full term and result in that much longed-for baby.
And yet, this issue, under the misnomer of Pro-Choice, is tossed around as a woman’s right to choose. Her body. Her choice. To keep that clump of cells and let it grow, or to get it yanked out of her body, in parts, and tossed out. This coming election, in the US, this is going to be one of those highly debated topics.
It may be that there is widespread ignorance of what is taking place in the womb of a pregnant woman, from conception to the moment before birth. And a cluelessness about what the process of abortion involves. There will be many people who classify themselves as Pro-Abortion with the full knowledge of what happens at Planned Parenthood centres or Abortion clinics. It is also more likely that many are not aware of the facts. They think of it in terms of rights, but if they got a close-up view of the process, they may change their minds, opinions and decisions.
I planned to write a post on this topic after being motivated by Jessica’s story. But in the research process ended up with a great deal of material, so decided to put it together as a series, in four parts, instead of a single article. The next three parts will include videos. This is advance warning that they contain graphic content related to abortion.
The images that follow are not intended as a biology lesson but rather to consider what is taking place in the womb from the moment of fertilisation to just before birth: from the embryo in the early stages, to the developing fetus, and finally the baby that is born. Can this living being in the womb be simply dismissed as just a clump of cells?
a. Fetal Development: First Trimester
Image source: Online Sciences
b. Fetal Development: First Trimester (Weeks 4-8)
Image source: CK-12 Curriculum Materials License
c. Fetal Development: 40 Weeks
Image source: Nucleus Medical Art
d. Fetal Development: 9 Months
Image source: Nagwa
Saving the Unborn continues in Part 2.