X-Original-To:  christia@asuacad.bitnet, MB09
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Wed, 8 Apr 1992 13:57:00 CDT
From:         MB09@SWTEXAS.BITNET
Subject:      re:pro-choice

From:         dr798302 <whchen@CS.NTHU.EDU.TW>

>Hi,
>  Can any woman who has the experience of pregancies telling me how
>do you feel about the unborn in the body?  Do you think that it is a
>living being.  One would receive a moral punishment from God when having
>an intention to kill another.  Will you feel it suppose you have an intention
> to
>abort the unborn?
>
>Allen W. Chen

Since I am part of the pro-life movement and have been volunteering time at
the local crisis pregnancy center, I feel that I have learned a lot about
the unborn baby at all stages.  Also since I am 3 months pregnant I have
been keeping up with the development of my unborn baby.  It is so exciting
to know exactly what s/he looks like at a certain stage and to know that
his/her heart is beating, that s/he is breathing amniotic fluid, etc.

I had the privilege of having a sonogram at only 6 weeks.  I could clearly
see my baby's heart beating on the monitor.  During my last obstretic exam,
when my baby was only 8 weeks old, I got to hear his/her heartbeat.  Tears
came to my eyes.  If only every mother would be given the truth about the
baby forming inside of her, and would be shown the sonogram picture, and
would get to listen to the hearbeat, surely there wouldn't be the number
of abortions that there are.

Here are some facts about the developing unborn child:
(Taken from "The First Nine Months"-- It says "The growth pattern described
in this brochure is recognized medical information, documented by scientific
research.  Slight variations in developemental days may exist from
individual to individual."  There are many photos of the unborn which clearly
show that the baby is in fact a little human being!)

Day 1   Sperm joins with the ovum (egg) to form one cell--smaller than a
        grain of salt.  The new life has inherited 23 chromosomes from each
        parent, 46 in all.  This one cell contains the complex gentetic
        blueprint for every detail of human development--the child's sex,
        hair and eye color, height, skin tone.

Days    The fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus,
3-4     where the lining has been prepared for implantation.

Days    During this time, the fertilized egg implants itself in the rich
5-6     lining of the uterus and begins to draw nourishment.

Days    The developing embryo signals its presence through placental
10-14   chemicals and hormones, preventing the mother from menstruating.

Day 20  Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are
        already established.

Day 21  The heart begins to beat.

Day 28  The backbone and muscles are forming.  Arms, legs, eyes and ears
        have begun to show.

Day 30  At one month old, the embryo is 10,000 times larger than the
        original fertilized egg--and developing rapidly.  The heart is
        pumping increasing quantities of blood through the circulatory
        system.  The placenta forms a unique barrier that keeps the
        mother's blood separate while allowing food and oxygen to pass
        through to the embryo.

Day 35  Five fingers can be discerned in the hand.  The eyes darken as
        pigment is produced.

Day 40  Brain waves can be detected and recorded.

Week 6  The liver is now taking over the production of blood cells, and
        the brain begins to control movement of muscles and organs.  The
        mother is about to miss her second period and has probably confirmed
        that she is pregnanct.

Week 7  The embryo begins to move spontaneously.  The jaw forms, including
        teeth buds in the gums.  Soon the eyelids will seal to protect the
        embyo's developing light sensitive eyes, and will reopen at about
        the seventh month.

Week 8  At a little more than an inch long, the developing life is now
        called a fetus--Latin for "young one" or "offspring."  Everything
        is now present that will be found in a fully developed adult.
        (Note:  Most abortionists will not do abortions before 6-8 weeks
        because the cervix is so "ripe" or hard that it would be difficult
        to properly dilate it without damaging it.)  The heart has been
        beating for more than a month, the stomach produces digestive juices
        and the kidneys have begun to function.  Forty muscle sets begin
        to operate in conjunction with the nervous system.  The fetus'
        body responds to touch, although the mother will not be able to
        feel movement until the fourth or fifth month.

Week 9  Fingerprints are already evident in the skin.  The fetus will
        curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand.

Week 10 The uterus has now doubled in size.  The fetus can squint, swallow
        and wrinkle its forhead.

Week 11 At this time, the fetus is about two inches long.  Urination occurs.
        The face has assumed a baby's profile, and muscle movements are
        becoming more coordinated.

Week 12 The fetus now sleeps, awakens and exercises its muscles energetically
        turning its head, curling its toes, and opening and closing its
        mouth.  The palm, when stroked, will make a tight fist.  The fetus
        breathes amniotic fluid to help develop its respiratory system.

Week 13 Fine hair has begun to grow on the head, and sexual differentiation
        has become apparent.

Month 4 By the end of this month, the fetus is eight to ten inches in length
        and weighs a half pound or more.  The mother will probably start to
        "show" now.  The ears are functioning, and there is evidence that
        the fetus hears quite a bit:  the mother's voice and heartbeat
        as well as external noises.  The umbilical cord has become an
        engineering marvel, transporting 300 quarts of fluid per day and
        completing a round-trip fluids every 30 seconds.

Month 5 Half the pregnancy has now passed, and the fetus is about 12 inches
        long.  The mother has definitely begun to feel movement by now.
        If a sound is especially loud or startling, the fetus may jump in
        reaction to it.

Month 6 Oil and sweat glands are functioning.  The delicate skin of the
        growing baby is protected from the fetal waters by a special
        ointment called "vernix."  If the baby were born in this month and
        given the proper care, he would survive.

Month 7 The baby now uses the four senses of vision, hearing, taste, and
        touch.  He can recognize his mother's voice.

Month 8 The skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath
        for insulation and nourishment.  Antibodies increasingly build up.
        The baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day; the fluid
        is completely replaced every three hours.

Month 9 Toward the end of this month, the baby is ready for birth.  The
        average duration of pregnancy is 280 days from the first day of
        the mother's last menstrual period, but this varies.  Most babies
        (85%-95%) are born somewhere between 266 and 294 days.  By this
        time the infant normally weighs six to nine pounds, and his heart
        is pumping 300 gallons of blood per day.  He is fully capable of
        life outside the womb.

I wish I could show you the pictures in this brochure!

Sorry this is so long!

Michelle
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