QUESTIONS

In 1999 there were many websites and organizations covering abortion and related issues, but in those early days online there were no Jewish organizations or websites online that examined abortion from the standpoint of traditional biblical Judaism.   A majority of Jewish Americans are secular and supported abortion then as they do today.   Organizations like the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, The National Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah were supporting abortion for any reason up to birth, including the cruel and barbaric partial birth abortion method.  We saw a need for a website that would promote a consistent pro-life message based upon Torah principles.   Jews For Life went live in 1999, and in 2017 was renamed the Jewish Life League.   We continue to find the most important news and current issues surrounding abortion and publish the information as it becomes available.

 

The knowledge and exchange of ideas on the internet has changed the hearts and minds of a majority of people who once considered themselves "pro-choice."   Today, people know more about what really is going on in the abortion industry than in decades past and are becoming increasingly pro-life.   Videos such as David Daleidon's groundbreaking expose of Planned Parenthood and their illegal trafficking of baby body parts exploded on the internet, causing a media firestorm and public outcry.    People knew nothing about this barbaric practice, although these facts were known to pro-lifers as far back as the year 2000 when Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics did extensive research into the  baby harvesting industry.   Pro-life Videos published on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter bring the truth about abortion into focus.    Advances in neonatal technology has lowered the age of viability, and unborn babies are able to survive outside the womb at 24 weeks.    These facts - and many others - will be covered by The Jewish Life League as we report on the news. 

The latest Guttmacher Report just released in June 2022 shows that the number of abortions has increased in 2020 from previous years.  

Here are some key figures directly from the report:

• In 2020, there were 930,160 abortions in the United States, an 8% increase from 862,320 abortions in 2017
• Similarly, the abortion rate increased from 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2017 to 14.4 per 1,000 women, a 7% increase. 
• In 2020, about one in five pregnancies ended in abortion. More specifically, the abortion ratio (the number of abortions per 100 pregnancies) increased from 18.4% in 2017 to 20.6% in 2020, a 12% increase.
• The increase in abortion was accompanied by a 6% decline in births between 2017 and 2020. Because there were many more births (3.6 million) than abortions (930,000) in 2020, these patterns mean that fewer people were getting pregnant and, among those who did, a larger proportion chose to have an abortion.
• The number of abortions increased in all four regions of the country between 2017 and 2020. The rise was largest in the West (12% increase) and Midwest (10% increase); abortions increased 8% in the South and 2% in the Northeast.

The Guttmacher Institute interprets these findings as an increased need for "abortion care." But there are important factors Guttmacher omits.

In 2020, businesses, churches and synagogues were required to shut down due to the COVID restrictions and lockdowns. But abortion businesses were allowed to remain open. Judges stepped in on behalf of Planned Parenthood and overturned laws in states that required abortion businesses closures. Texas was sued by abortion advocates to force the state to keep the businesses open.

With people out of work during the COVID pandemic and businesses closed, pregnant women may have been in difficult financial circumstances and felt pressured to have an abortion. In 2020, pregnant women were able to obtain chemical abortion drugs through the mail. Meanwhile, blue states aggressively pushed for laws to shutter pro-life pregnancy centers and most were shut down  During the COVID pandemic, more pro-life activists were arrested for violating stay-at-home orders.  This made it difficult if not impossible for pro-life activists to distribute life-affirming information to pregnant women, because so many were cited with violations.

In late 2021, the Biden Administration and FDA permanently legalized the mailing of chemical abortion drugs to pregnant women and minors without a visit to the doctor. Chemical abortions now make up over 50% of all abortions. That is a national tragedy and may very well contribute to the increase in abortions.

Over the years, citizen journalists have infiltrated abortion facilities and recorded their findings with investigative footage, providing videotaped evidence about dismemberment abortions late into pregnancy and the sale of baby body parts for profit.

Pro-lifers present the facts about the dangers pregnant women face due to the increasing number of clinics that fail to meet minimal health and safety standards. Clinics are closing. As Life Dynamics Founder Mark Crutcher points out in his pamphlet, The Pact, in 1992 there were over 2,100 abortion clinics in America. Today, there are fewer than 600 abortion clinics. And while over 800,000 abortions annually is still an atrocious number of dead children, we must remember that every single baby saved matters.  In Judaism, if you save one life, you've saved an entire world.   Every life is precious and makes a difference.

The fact is that the number of abortions peaked at 1.6 million in 1990. Today, that number is cut by half. 

Pro-life pregnancy resource centers have proliferated throughout the United States offering abortion alternatives for women seeking their services. In December of 2017, LiveAction.org reported that there were 2,700 pro-life clinics nationwide, compared to 739 abortion clinics. The number of pro-life pregnancy resource centers continue to grow giving pregnant women life-affirming alternatives to abortion.

In their current international pro-life prayer campaign, 40 Days For Life president and CEO Shawn Carney has reported saving 371 babies so far, and as of this writing, the vigil is currently in day 36 and still underway. 40 Days For Life is doing amazing work to save unborn children and change people’s hearts and minds to become pro-life.

Finally, the commercial success of pro-life films like Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer and Unplanned have proven that when people have access to pro-life materials, information and education, they are willing to learn more about the Facts of Pro-life.

For current worldwide statistics, the Worldwide Abortion Counter updates continuously.

The latest CDC Abortion Surveillance Report was released in November 2021.   There were a total of 629,898 abortions for 2019 that were reported to the CDC from 49 reporting areas.   While the number of abortions has decreased from 2010 - 2019, there was a small increased in the number of abortions from 2018 - 2019.    California, District of Columbia, Maryland, and New Hampshire do not report their abortion numbers to the CDC.  

In November, 2020 the CDC released their latest Abortion Surveillance Report. In 2018, 619,591 abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas. Since 1990, abortions have dropped 57%, more than half. The trend is down although the abortion rate increased 1% in 2018. Although the numbers of abortions among black women have declined, the report states that 208,183 black babies were killed by abortion. That amounts to 570 black babies killed by abortion every day.  That is terrible. In addition, 123,918 Hispanic babies were killed by abortion in 2018, or 340 Hispanic babies killed every day. The abortion industry continues to target minorities.

The latest 2019 - 2020 Planned Parenthood Annual Report indicates an increase in the number of abortions from the previous year.  As reported by Carole Novielli for LiveAction.org, there are several important key takeaways from Planned Parenthood's 2019 - 2020 annual report:  

• Abortions increased nearly 3%, according to the 2019-2020 report, from the previous year (7% increase from 2009), for a record high total of 354,871 abortions, up from 345,672. That’s over 972 preborn children daily — one killed every 89 seconds.
• Taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood increased from $616.8 million to $618.1 million in 2019-2020. That’s $1.7 million taxpayer dollars daily.
• Planned Parenthood now holds over 41% of the abortion market share in the US, up from 40% the year prior.
• Nearly one out of every six female clients visiting Planned Parenthood had an abortion.
• Prenatal care and adoption referrals both dropped double digits from the previous year. Planned Parenthood commits 41 abortions for every one prenatal care service and 133 abortions for every adoption referral.

(Source:  Live Action News:  "One every 89 seconds: Newest Planned Parenthood report shows record number of abortions.")

Over a ten year period from 2008 through 2018 taxpayer funding has increased 70 per cent.   Planned Parenthood has increased their abortion market share, performing almost 40% of all abortions in the United States.  Live Action News has documented the fact that abortion what dominates services and profits at Planned Parenthood:

"The corporation has long (and falsely) claimed that abortions make up just three percent of its services, a claim that has been debunked multiple times. Planned Parenthood’s abortion market share currently stands at 40% when compared to the most recent data from the Guttmacher Institute for 2017. That means Planned Parenthood alone commits 40% of all the abortions in the United States. This number may increase after the Guttmacher Institute releases new national abortion statistics."

Over a 10 year period, real medical services that save women's lives, such as cancer screenings, have plummeted, reported in Live Action News:

• Cancer screenings dropped nearly 65 percent (64.54%), from 1,596,741 in 2010 to 566,186 in 2018.
• Breast exams declined nearly 65 percent (64.55%), from 747,607 in 2010 to 265,028 in 2018.
• Pap tests dropped nearly 67 percent (66.78%), from 769,769 in 2010 to 255,682 in 2018.
• Prenatal services declined 68 percent (68.49%), from a high of 31,098 in 2010 to 9,798 in 2018.
• Abortions INCREASED 5 percent (4.93%), from 329,445 in 2010 to 345,672 in 2018, and taxpayer dollars increased nearly 15 percent (14.54%), from $538.5 million in 2010 to $616.8 million in 2018.

(Source:   Life Action News:  "Planned Parenthood’s past decade: Three million abortions and billions of excess dollars")

One of the updates in the current Planned Parenthood Annual Report is their commitment to using technology by expanding horrific "telemedicine" abortions. This involves consultations with a "clinician " (which may or may not be a doctor) via internet teleconferencing and this eliminates a physical examination. The abortion drugs are then administered and sent to the pregnant woman or teen by mail. Chemical abortions pose high risks for women, as serious side effects such as hemorrhaging are not uncommon. If a pregnant woman has an underlying physical condition it may exacerbate the risk of bleeding or side effects. At JLL, we believe these drugs should be banned.

Planned Parenthood has also introduced a "sexual health and information chatbot" app, which is designed to answer questions that promote Planned Parenthood's pro-abortion and profit-motivated agenda. This app makes it easier for for minors to access abortion information on Planned Parenthood's terms, while circumventing their parents.

The brutality of late-term abortions has been revealed in David Daleidon's undercover investigative footage exposing Planned Parenthood workers admitting they participate in the gruesome and illegal sale of aborted baby body parts.  

House Republicans held a hearing: End Infanticide: Examining the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.”  Medical professionals have given testimony that babies born alive after failed abortions are often left to die or killed after birth.  Despite these revelations, Democrats refuse to allow this bill to come to the floor for a vote.

Post-abortion syndrome and trauma are a tragedy for many women who have undergone abortions and suffer in silence, sometimes for decades. Visit my video page, "I Regret My Abortion"  for a selection of videos of post-abortive women telling their stories, many of whom have remained silent for years.

Botched abortions are common and abortionists are not apprehended.   Operation Rescue maintains an archive of documented abortion patient death reports and they publish a searchable database, which as they state on the website "places documents such as health code violations, abortion injuries, malpractice claims, disciplinary action, and criminal conduct at the fingertips of the public."  

Abortion complications, both physical and psychological, can impair a woman's fertility and leave her with serious physical injuries.   The most dangerous complications are placenta previa and uterine perforation, which can lead to massive hemorrhaging and death.   Moreover, chemical abortions use a combination of two powerful drugs, mifeprex and misoprostol, that are dangerous and cause many women to experience excruciating cramping, massive bleeding and infection.   Holly Patterson was one of the first young women to die from chemical abortions.  (See our separate question below on chemical abortions and RU-486).

One of the most disturbing problems is that the abortion industry is 100% profit-motivated, with no concern for the welfare of minor children.   Many minor girls are targeted by adult males who impregnate them and bring them to abortion facilities, and the parents of these young girls know nothing about the crimes.  Many of these men are repeat offenders because these crimes go un-reported by the abortion industry workers.   In states without parental knowledge or consent laws, young girls are at risk of becoming victims.    Mark Crutcher of Life Dynamics takes a inside look at this important issue in his expose  Child Predators project.   LiveAction.org has an ongoing investigation of he sex abuse cover-up at Planned Parenthood.

No.   Carole Novielli, writer and researcher at LiveAction.org, compiled a report documenting the lies and inflated statistics abortion advocates used to deceive Americans that hundreds of thousands of women were dying from illegal abortion.   This important report, "How many women really died from illegal abortion prior to Roe v. Wade? is essential reading.   Read the report.

Bernard Nathanson, who was one of the principal Founders of the National Association to Repeal Abortion Laws (NARAL) presided over 60,000 abortions and performed over 5,000 abortions himself, said they basically made up the statistics about women dying so abortion would be legalized. Dr. Nathanson had a conversion to the pro-life side and wrote extensively on the deception involved by leaders in the pro-abortion movement. Here is what he wrote in his book, "Aborting America:"

'How many deaths were we talking about when abortion was illegal? In
NARAL (National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws) we generally
emphasized the drama of the individual case, not the mass statistics, but
when we spoke of the latter it was always 5,000 to 10,000 a year. I
confess that I knew the figures were totally false, But in the "morality"
of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out
of our way to correct it with honest statistics?' The official figures of
maternal death due to illegal abortion before abortion was legalised was
160. Dr Nathanson estimates the actual figure to be around 500 maternal
deaths per year.' (Bernard Nathanson, Richard Ostling. Aborting America.
Pinnacle Books. New York 1979.)

Dr. Nathanson's obituary in the BMJ revealed the extent of the lies:  

"We fed the public a line of deceit, dishonesty, a fabrication of
statistics and figures. We succeeded [in breaking down the laws limiting
abortions] because the time was right and the news media cooperated. We
sensationalized the effects of illegal abortions, and fabricated polls
which indicated that 85% of the public favoured unrestricted abortion,
when we knew it was only 5%. We unashamedly lied, and yet our statements
were quoted [by the media] as though they had been written in law."

Once Bernard Nathanson became pro-life, he later produced two films, "The Silent Scream" and "Eclipse of Reason" which show what abortion really does to the unborn child.

Starting in the 1940s deaths by abortion began to decline precipitously due to the advent of sulfa drugs and penicillin. Maternal mortality continued to dramatically decline so that by 1960, In Mary S. Calderone, former Director of Planned Parenthood wrote the following:

"Abortion is no longer a dangerous procedure. This applies not just to therapeutic abortions as performed in hospitals but also to so-called illegal abortions as done by physician. In 1957 there were only 260 deaths in the whole country attributed to abortions of any kind…Second, and even more important, the conference [on abortion sponsored by Planned Parenthood] estimated that 90 percent of all illegal abortions are presently being done by physicians…Whatever trouble arises usually arises from self-induced abortions, which comprise approximately 8 percent, or with the very small percentage that go to some kind of non-medical abortionist…So remember…abortion, whether therapeutic or illegal, is in the main no longer dangerous, because it is being done well by physicians."

There were only 260 deaths in 1957, eleven years before Colorado became the first state to liberalize its abortion laws!   According to the National Center for Health Statistics, by 1966 there were a total of 120 maternal deaths in the U.S., and at this time abortion was still illegal.   Texas Right to Life reports on their Abortion Myths page that after legalization, maternal deaths actually increased.

Since abortion has been legal there has been underreporting of deaths, and the safety standards of clinics are abysmal. When abortion was a crime, those responsible for killing women and babies were apprehended and put in prison. Today, the death certificates are often falsified and causes of death covered up, so that the most dangerous abortionists remain in business.

For more facts about the dangers of legal abortion visit the pro-life portal:  The Abortion Files.   The chapters from Dr. Jack Wilke's  book, "Abortion Questions and Answers" can be found at this site, along with pro-life information taken from around the web.    Visit our Pro-Life Resources page for additional organizations as well as the following:

Abort73.com
AbortionNo.org
Life Dynamics
Life News
LiveAction.org
Operation Rescue

No.   A new report published in July 2021 by the Family Research Council, "The Next Abortion Battleground:  Chemical Abortion" explains why self-managed at-home chemical abortions are so dangerous for women,    Tragically, from 2008 to 2017, chemical abortions have increased 73% nationwide.  

We also published an important five-part docuseries on our Pro-Life Resources page.

Chemical abortions are extremely dangerous and are rapidly escalating and taking the place of surgical abortions.   An article by March for Life President Jeanne Mancini describes the complications associated with chemical abortions and includes specific recommendations by the Mayo Clinic:

"Because complications can arise as a result of chemical abortion, the Mayo Clinic providers advise that anyone who has an at-home chemical abortion has access to a doctor and emergency services. Between the years 2000 and 2018, the Food and Drug Administration’s reports that at least 24 women have died from chemical abortion and there have been thousands of other serious adverse events, including hemorrhaging and the need for hospitalization."

Planned Parenthood's objective is to increase women's access to these dangerous chemical abortions without regard for women's safety by using technology to promote the increase of "telemedicine" abortions. The pregnant woman would not be required to get a physical examination to get the abortion drugs through the mail. This may have devastating consequences for women living in rural areas who may suffer with bleeding or other complications that require immediate medical attention. This is contraindicated, based upon the recommendations of the Mayo Clinic.

Another serious consequence of chemical abortions is that pregnant women may be too far along in their pregnancies to be considered for chemical abortions, making self-managed abortions dangerous without a medical examination to determine gestational age:

Obtaining these drugs on the black market and with no medical oversight is dangerous not only because of the possible complications that come with any type of abortion, but even more so because medical professionals are needed to determine the gestational age and location of the baby with chemical abortion. The age is important because, for safety reasons, the FDA has approved the abortion pill regimen only up until 10 weeks into pregnancy. And an ultrasound is generally needed to accurately date a pregnancy because many pregnant women aren’t sure of the date of their last menstrual period.

Because of the potential deadly complications of chemical abortions, a bill has been introduced in Congress by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) to protect both mothers and babies by controlling distribution of these drugs.  

The FDA is aware of the perils of the abortion pill Mifeprex, and released a report covering 17 years of adverse events from this drug.   Because an additional two women died from the drug, bringing the total number of deaths to 24, the FDA revised and updated their report from 2018.   From LifeNews.com:

Just between the years 2012 to 2017, the FDA released a report detailing 1,445 more adverse events from Mifeprex. In total, the number of adverse events from 2000 to 2018 is now 24 deaths, 97 ectopic pregnancies, 1,042 hospitalizations, 599 blood transfusions, and 412 infections (including 69 severe infections), with a total of 4,195 adverse events reported.

Despite these facts, the FDA has done nothing to regulate chemical abortions.

In 2019, there have been repeated efforts to distribute the deadly drug combination mifepristone and misoprostol by mail order, in pharmacies and on college campuses by the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and their affiliates.

Recently, PBS did a "touchy-feely" new-age documentary promoting RU-486 for a mother who used the drugs to kill her twins.   It is outrageous that a publicly-funded station would present these drugs as if they are candy, to try to convince viewers that there is nothing harmful about these drugs.

The fact is that RU-486 abortions can even be more dangerous than clinic abortions. That is because when abortions are self-managed, the two drugs are taken at home by the pregnant woman or teen and she is not being monitored by a doctor. The pro-abortion forces are trying hard to make these dangerous drugs readily available on college campuses, in drugstores and on the internet. Keep in mind, too, that these drugs are being promoted by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro Choice America for use by minor girls without their parents knowledge or permission.

As previously reported, we are making many positive strides by  promoting the pro-life message and by not giving up - by continuing our pro-life activities and involvement. Abortion rates are at their lowest in decades, and continue to decline.   Most Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions.   Operation Rescue reports in an Abortion Clinic Survey that 81% of surgical abortion clinics have closed since 1991, and that 81 abortion clinics closed or reduced services in 2015.   A more recent Operation Rescue survey published in December 2017 reports that 45% of states had at least one abortion facility closing its doors.   In total, 49 abortion facilities - 35 surgical and 14 medication only clinics - closed or halted abortion services.   Polls results vary depending upon how the questions are asked and the bias of the pollster.

Most clinic closings are due to serious health violations and unsanitary conditions.   Americans have seen David Daleidon’s videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s involvement in the illegal sale of baby body parts.

However, in 2019 we have seen some of the most ghastly and gruesome infanticide laws that allow unrestricted abortion up to birth  passed in several states, including my state of New York.   In November, 2019, the results of a poll conducted by Americans United for Life and YouGov were published.   Over a three day period, 1,326 American adults were surveyed about their views on abortion.  The survey was taken shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an important Louisiana abortion case, June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee.   The survey found that over 70% of Americans believe there should be limitations on abortion.   Details of the key findings can be found at LifeNews.  

Some of the biggest challenges faced by pro-life activists include: Lower-court judges that block both important pro-life state laws placing restrictions on abortion, while also preventing pro-life laws such as the Heartbeat Bills from going into effect. Planned Parenthood has sued and challenged states like Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Missouri that have tried to enact abortion bans and restrictions. Then there are corporations such as cosmetic giants M.A.C. and Benefit that announced "their full-throated support for Planned Parenthood through a grant and donation of customer sales." (See page 21 of Planned Parenthood's Annual Report 2018 - 2019.).

We also need to step up our efforts to put an end to chemical abortions and the technological means to market these pills through teleconferencing, eliminating any requirement for pregnant women to receive a physical exam.

Finally, there is the militant and Marxist Democratic Party leadership which now has embraced a shameless and barbaric 100% pro-infanticide platform, with abortion up to the last trimester and in some states (such as Massachusetts) there are even bills being advanced that would murder babies that survive abortion. The most militant members of their party have taken over cultural issues and are intolerant of any pro-life discourse or dissent, even eliminating the word "rare" from the now obsolete "Safe, Legal and Rare" phrase used by Bill Clinton back in 1992. Representative Tulsi Gabbard was upbraided for invoking that word "rare" at the Democratic debate last October.

Nevertheless, polls throughout the years has shown a steady increase in pro-life sentiment and support among Americans. A 2015 poll published on Breitbart.com shows that 60% of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, and 84% of respondents that they would restrict abortion to the first trimester. In a 2014 Pew Research Study poll, 53% of Americans stated that abortion should be legal in all or most cases and a Gallup poll showed similar results. Disparities in polls and surveys need to be examined and explored in more detail. Much of survey results can be skewed due to the way questions are asked. Still, it is not encouraging that so many Americans would still keep abortion legal in the first trimester even though they believe it is morally wrong. Pro-lifers have to keep up a strong message for banning all abortion, from the moment of fertilization onward.

Our hope is with the young people.   The millennials today are becoming more and more pro-life.   This is evidenced by the huge turnout of young supporters every year at the March for Life on Washington.   Their numbers are growing and the support among millennials and Gen Z for pro-life issues is encouraging.   Thousands of unborn children have now been saved since Roe v. Wade was overturned.   While most millennials are liberal on other issues, polls show they want to see significant restrictions, which are now happebning in the states.   This is a growing positive trend that is not covered by the mainstream media.   

We need to educate voters on why it is vitally important to choose strong, pro-life candidates with proven pro-life records.   It is easy to find out how candidates vote on abortion.   The National Right to Life Political Action Committee publishes the pro-life voting records of candidates in all 50 states.  The states with important elections for November 2018 are updated.

Pro-life groups need to unite and stand behind the enactment of a Human Life Amendment that would guarantee equal rights and protection of the law to preborn children from conception to birth, and call for a reversal of the terrible Roe v. Wade decision that has cost so many babies their lives.   By the way, it is not only babies whose lives are being lost.   Women are being killed and injured by abortionists who are repeat offenders.   Most Americans are not even aware of the abortion deaths that go undocumented, and the laws passed to make abortion more risky for women.

In 2017, there were eight incidents where ambulances had to transport injured women from the  Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger abortion mill in New York City.   Operation Rescue reported 57 medical emergencies requiring ambulance transports in 2017, and 35 of those were at Planned Parenthood clinics.   Operation Rescue President Troy Newman states:

“This incident only adds to the bloody legacy of Margaret Sanger, the racist founder of Planned Parenthood, which is measured in dead babies, and maimed or dead women from predominately poor minority neighborhoods,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “We have no idea how many of these eight women even survived their abortion injuries – and Planned Parenthood doesn’t want anyone to know, either. The shroud of secrecy they enjoy, with the help of state authorities, just serves to enable further abuses.”

Some pro-life groups and politicians support abortion restrictions, but will not stand behind a reversal of Roe v. Wade.   As an example, Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) signed into law a ban on all abortions after 20 weeks.   However, Gov. Kasich vetoed a measure known as the "Heartbeat Bill" which would have banned abortion at six weeks, the time after which the fetal heartbeat is detected.    

America is in moral decline and the mainstream media is allied with the abortion industry, not reporting the truth about how Americans feel about abortion.    When polls show a majority of participants stating they are increasingly pro-life and would like to see abortion restrictions enacted, the mainstream media suppresses the results.   If we want real positive change, then pro-lifers need express clearly what being pro-life really means.   The humanity of preborn children is not up for debate.   Life is precious in all its ages and stages, from the moment of conception until natural death.   

The theme at the March for Life 2019 was "Pro-life is Pro-Science.   Throughout the event, scientific facts about the development of life in the womb were provided.   Here are some important key facts about fetal development:

• A unique set of DNA is present at fertilization.
• Fetal heartbeat begins during week 3.
• Brain activity begins during week 6.
• The tongue and vocal cords begin to form during week 6.
• By week 7, every essential organ has begun to form.
• Distinct fingers and toes are visible during week 8.
• Reflexes and nerve cells develop during week 12.
• During week 13, arms and legs have bendable joints.
• Female babies have more than two million eggs in their ovaries by week 13.
• At week 15, the baby can inhale and exhale amniotic fluid.

The fact that from the moment of conception a unique set of DNA is present that is distinct from both parents means that is when life begins.   And science goes much further.   High resolutions ultrasounds with 3D and 4D technology provide a complete picture of the baby's growth and development, and this technology is improving and providing more information about the unborn child as pregnancy progresses.   There is new research into fetal movements and what they mean, and they are not just random motions.   As reported in Live Science, a recent research study indicates that when pre-born babies begin to kick, these movements may enable them to construct a mental map of their bodies, preparing them for life once they are born.