Anyone who has seen an anti-abortion march organised by SPUC will now be familiar with their main statement of belief, namely that 'Abortion is murder', that 'Abortion kills'. It seems such a fundamental and basic statement that many people are momentarily stunned by it. We all have a horror of murder and violence, and so we react to such a statement with emotion. 'Murder of the unborn child', increases this feeling since it is directed at our feelings of love and sympathy for children. We should look carefully at the arguments behind these statements because they expose the way in which antiabortionists manipulate our emotions, and exploit our real feelings towards children.

The basis of their argument is the assumption that a foetus can be equated with a human being, since murder is defined in our society as 'the unlawful killing of a person' (Oxford Diet). Certain biological and social facts deny that the foetus is a human being; for at least six months it lives off the body of the pregnant woman, and cannot exist independently. It has no contact with the outside world, or with human society, and therefore it cannot be said to have human thoughts or emotions. The distinction between the potential humanity of a foetus, and the full humanity of a person is recognised by both Church and State. Governments issue certificates confirming date of birth not conception; pregnant women's passports acknowledge only one travelling, not two. When a miscarriage occurs neither the legal profession or the medical profession consider that a human death has occurred, and no death certificate is required. The abstract nature of this equation between foetal life and human life becomes increasingly obvious when we consider the vast numbers of miscarriages that occur.