The First Place Winners in the National Right to Life Pro-Life Essay Contest.

Editor's note. The following essays were written for the National Right to Life Pro-Life Essay Contest. Elizabeth Faiella won first place at the senior levelgrades 10-12and Clare Kossler won first place at the junior levelgrades 7-9.

The Horrors of Abortion by Elizabeth Faiella

The afternoon was hot, and legislators fanned themselves with their copies of constituent testimony. From my seat at the back of the hall I watched a girl, not much older than I was, take the microphone. She spoke clearly and articulately, saying she was mature enough to make her own decisions, that this bill requiring parental notification before performing an abortion was completely unnecessary, and that her parents had no business knowing whether or not she decides discreetly to end the life of her child. She was seventeen.

There is no doubt that many of the abortions performed in America are the result of insufficient education about the horrors of that procedure. The process is physically excruciating and emotionally scarring, leaving the mother with lifelong aches. The death of the unborn child is grisly and horrible; it is hard to imagine that anyone with a clear knowledge of the atrocious way in which the fetus is handled would still consider an abortion.

But what do teens learn about abortion? They learn that it is painless, easy, and convenient. They are told not to worry about a thing. They are told, "Well, don't get pregnant, but if you do, you could always have an abortion." No mention is made of the fact that 97% of women who had abortions experience intense pain during the procedure, or that abortion is especially painful for younger patients, or that hemorrhage, cervical laceration, and severe infection are common complications of abortions.

No mention is made of the psychological agony of Post-Abortion Syndrome, or of the multitudes of women who deeply regret their decision to have an abortion. No description is given of the gruesome treatment of the fetus during suction aspiration. No, these topics are labeled as distasteful and offensive--as a pro-life group found when they visited the University of New Hampshire. The public is often unwilling to face these facts, and many find photographs of aborted children to be repugnant. But why should people be so disgusted by the results of abortion if it is simply "a medical procedure?"

Young people must also be informed of abortion alternatives, such as adoption. They must know that there is hope for their children to have a bright future in a loving home. Across the United States, families are ready and eager to adopt newborns, and Crisis Pregnancy Centers are prepared to counsel and help mothers as they deal with their difficult decisions. Each woman should be ...