Abortion is one of the most fraught issues in our society.  Although science shows that life begins at conception, with a complete DNA blueprint of a unique human being, the issue of when that life becomes a person is a matter of debate.  The Bible teaches in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."  But before ultrasound technology, an unborn baby was only a weight in a woman's abdomen.

It was ultrasound technology that allowed the image of the tiny little human to be seen by expectant mothers.  For many, the experience was a profound one that reinforced the value of human life.  Others doubled down and defiantly announced that it was abortions that were really a celebration of life.

However, it's not enough just to continue a pregnancy.  Pregnancy ends in a baby, a precious little bundle that must be taken care of all day long and all night long, for years and years and years.

Children are a great joy.  They are also a great burden.  When you have children, your time is not your own.  You must give up things you enjoy so you can spend quality time with your children.  Your money is not your own.  You may want some really cute shoes and a new purse to go with them, but, alas, the kid needs braces.  Even your feelings are not your own.  You can only be as happy as your saddest child.

It's tough to shoulder all this, especially for a single mother.  Would there be fewer abortions if women who fell pregnant had more support?

Image: Female friends and their babies by senivpetro.

I'm not talking about money.  The federal government shells out money, in the form of welfare checks and some social programs, and much good it does.  I'm talking about the kind of support that comes from the village, in the form of helping the mother care for her child.

Would women be so quick to consider abortion if they knew there was a network of friends and family and compassionate volunteers to help with babysitting, homework, carpooling, and the many other day-to-day things that go into raising a child?

Our society is not a friendly one to children.  People plant kids in front of TVs, and they give kids handheld screens, and install screens in cars and even, God help us, in baby strollers.  People who don't have children complain about children, but they don't volunteer, at schools or Boys and Girls clubs or local community centers, to mentor children.

Mother Teresa waged war on abortion, saying:

By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. ... Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. ... If there is a child that you don't want or can't feed or educate, give that child to me. I will not refuse any child. I will give a home, or find loving parents for him or for her.

I believe she had the answer to abortion, and that the only way to end it is to welcome children into our lives during their lives, from the time they are born until they reach adulthood.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of Future Slave, a story about a 21st-century black teenager who goes back in time and becomes a slave in the Old South.