As a Catholic, I believe every life matters. Unborn babies, innocent children, criminals and all deserve a chance to live. Some may argue that an unborn child is not a life or that individuals protect unborn children just because they are told to by the Catholic Church. However, there are countless reasons other than Catholic values as to why I believe every single human, born or not, deserves a chance at life. Unborn babies are not potential people; they are people with great potential. A simple unborn child could be the next president or solve world peace. There are a multitude of celebrities whom had mothers with ideal circumstances for/ or considered abortion. Some of these well-known, infl uential people are Oprah Winfrey, Pope John Paul II, Justin Bieber, Steve Jobs and Jesse Jackson. The world would be much diff erent if these people were not brought into this world. One person can change the world but everyone together can make an even greater difference. Giving unborn children the opportunity to live their lives gives our future generations great, endless possibilities. Unborn babies are completely innocent and they are incapable of doing wrong. It would be unfair and unjust if a person not guilty of any crime was sent to jail for no reason. Why would we punish an innocent soul with death just because they were conceived? If a baby is conceived, it is meant to live. Everything happens for a reason, even if the pregnancy was unplanned or caused by sexual assault. That’s even more of a reason to let the baby live. Maybe something good could come of the worst possible situation; a baby being welcomed into the world could be the rainbow caused by the thunderstorm. You would never blame or punish a woman for a pregnancy caused by rape; it is not their fault. Both the mother and the unborn child are innocent and neither should suff er or be killed because of an act of violence that they are not responsible for. There are hundreds of individuals and couples who would give the world for a baby but cannot have one themselves. Any person under the age of eighteen, who is either born or unborn, can be adopted if the parents decide that is what’s best for the child. Even before the birth of a baby, parents can decide if it is best to raise the child themselves or allow the opportunity for another adult to adopt him or her. This gives the baby a chance at life, the biological parents a chance to decide if parenthood is for them and the adoptive parents a chance to raise a child. A life is not considered a life because it has two arms or because it can see. If we followed these standards, individuals with certain disabilities would no longer be considered as human. Some may say you have to be able to think to be considered a human. However, newborn babies cannot think anymore than a cow. Yet, we consider cows to be living beings and we value newborn babies more than a cow because it is a human life. The same argument applies to an unborn baby. A human being does not have the mental capacity to form thoughts until the age of two, they are obviously still alive and so are unborn children. The moment a child is conceived, their soul is created and the parents’ DNA is made into one. That is what matters; that is what creates a life. The moment a human is conceived until the eighth week, they are considered an embryo, a Greek word meaning ‘developing one’. Eight weeks after conception until birth, the baby is called a fetus, a Latin word that means ‘young one’. Whether an unborn baby is at the embryo or fetus stage, they are biologically living human beings. Life begins at conception. I choose to make an effort towards protecting all forms of human life. No matter the situation, all life is always precious. All life matters. Everyone is important.