People who justify abortion have said that a baby’s life begins at birth. The proof, they say, is because our birthday is the date that all of our identity is based on, not the date of our conception. We are asked, “Name? Date of birth?” repeatedly in many settings to prove who we are. But, do they really think we are a 7-lb. mass of chaotic cells moments before our mothers go into labor? Honestly!
Besides all the sonogram images and audible heartbeats disproving their claims, another tangible analogy we can draw to help them understand the truth is this: Marriage.
The day we get married is the day we count as the beginning, the day our marriage was “born”. Did the couple meet, fall in love, plan a wedding and say “I do” all in one day? Of course not.
Likewise, just as a living child is conceived and moves through the developmental stages from zygote, embryo, fetus, newborn, infant, toddler, and so on, so does the couple heading toward marriage. The natural developmental stages of meeting, liking each other (hopefully!), falling in love, pitching the proposal, saying “yes!”, setting the date, and planning a wedding all lead up to that special day of intense preparation and excitement. So, too, the birth of a baby is absolutely full of emotions and anticipation. These are the two most definitive landmark events in a person’s life.
We mark the start of a marriage by the wedding date, and the age of a person by their birth date, but we all know that a whole lot has taken place leading up to those momentous occasions. Those dates are the grand culmination of all that has preceded beforehand. And they both mark the beginning of something brand new and wonderful.