It’s pretty fair to say that the right for a women to abort an unborn child is one of the more contested and dividing issues of our time. In 1973 during the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th amendment granted women the right to a legal and safe termination of a pregnancy.
Ever since that day activists and protesters across the country have been working to overturn the decision by occupying establishments that perform abortions, passing out literature, trying to enact legislation and even holding 24 hour vigils in front of places like Planned Parenthood. While the vast majority of these protesters are seemingly benign and usually just want to share God’s word or get a point across, sometimes things can take a turn and get ugly.
Car bombings, arson, kidnappings, beatings, attempted murder and murder all exist under the rap sheet of anti-abortion protesters. At least eight abortion providers/employees have been murdered in the past 25 years by anti-abortion protesters. That’s not counting all the attempted murders. And to be fair, according to the Alan Gutmacher Institute, more than 50 million abortions have been performed since 1973.
That’s typically considered the heart of the debate: What constitutes human life? Have 50million people been murdered? Genocide? I recently talked to a woman protester standing outside of an establishment that performs abortions. She was standing quietly out front with a sign and smiling at passersby. Below is our brief chat.

MJ: Why are you here today?
AP: I’m fighting for the unborn. I think the services that this place provides are against God’s word and I want them to know that what they are doing is murder.

MJ: At what point does human life begin? Is there any difference between an embryo, fetus or a child?
AP: I believe that human life starts at conception and no there is no essential difference between an embryo, fetus or a baby. They’re all forms of life and deserve to be protected.

MJ: But a child can walk, talk and has a functioning brain. An embryo is just a cluster of cells.
AP: That is true. But in a short amount of time that embryo will be a walking talking human if left alone. Jesus has a plan for every pregnancy and every life is a true blessing. Our society has become disconnected with God and fallen in love with sin and we need to reverse that.

MJ: Oftentimes it seems that people that oppose abortion are proponents of war and other forms of violence against  humans. Why is that?
AP: Oh I know. I’m personally against war, capitol punishment and violence against anyone. Everyone deserves to live their lives in accordance with God’s plan for them. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and happiness. It’s in the Declaration of Independence.

MJ: I’ve heard opponents of abortion refer to it as genocide. Do you believe that abortion is genocide?
AP: Well of course it is. How couldn’t it be? I’m not sure of the exact number of abortions every year but it’s probably in the millions. How is that genocide? How do these people live with themselves.

MJ: Do you feel that there’s a difference between 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions? Is there a difference between embryonic abortions and partial birth abortions?
AP: Absolutely not. A human life is a human life.