Russ Young: Abortion has killed millions more than war
Russ Young
Budgeteer News
Last Updated: Friday, January 20th, 2006 09:57:16 AM

36,000,000 to 52,000,000 or an average of 46,000,000; these are very big numbers. They happen to represent the number of babies that are killed worldwide each year by abortion. These numbers were not fabricated for propaganda purposes; they were compiled by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the statistical wing of the largest and deadliest abortion institution in America, Planned Parenthood.
Unlike the false, overinflated, numbers that were once fed the nation in order to cajole America into legalizing abortion, these numbers are now recognized by both sides as legitimate. The horrific toll since then, however, has been all too real. The millions upon millions of innocent babies that have been butchered in the womb will only continue to mount, until this nation and the world repent of this abomination.
As we come to another grim anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must never forget how this was accomplished. We now know it was done by using fraudulent facts, and a perjured rape testimony. It was furthered by the lie, given to expectant mothers, that what is in their womb is not a baby. This was coupled with the lie that abortion has no negative consequences for women. These lies have been told millions of times over.
For those who continuously push the travesty of abortion aside, a closer look at the statistics can help put the issue into perspective. Since there are so many who are concerned about the tragedy of war, but have no such concern for the taking of innocent lives of babies, a comparison of the deaths between the two seems appropriate.
Michael White, writing for the Twentieth Century Atlas, has compiled an intriguing list of body counts, attributable to the worst known acts of war, and other human atrocities, dating back to the fall of Rome. I will venture to briefly list them here by count and century.
55 million, World War II (20C); 40 million, under Mao Zedong (20C); 40 million, Mongol Conquests (13C); 36 million, An Lushan Revolt (8C); 25 million, Fall of the Ming Dynasty (17C); 20 million, Taiping Rebellion (19C); 20 million, toll of American Indians (15C-19C); 20 million, under Joseph Stalin (20C); 19 million, Mideast Slave Trade (7C-19C); 18 million, Atlantic Slave Trade (15C-19C); 17 million, Islamic Conquest of India (14C-15C); 17 million, British India (19C); 15 million, World War I (20C); 9 million, Russian Civil War (20C); 9 million, Hindu Thuggee cult killings (13C-19C); 8 million, Fall of Rome (3C-5C); 8 million, Congo Free State (19C – 20C); 7 million, Thirty Years War (17C); 5 million, Russia’s Time of Troubles (16C-17C), 4 million, Napoleonic Wars (19C); 3 million, Chinese Civil War (20C); 3 million, French Wars of Religion (16C).
Taken all together, we have 401 million deaths over nearly 2000 years of war and barbarism. Just for the sake of argument, let’s add another 10 percent, or 40 million, to cover margins of error, and other wars. This would bring the total to 441 million deaths over the last 20 centuries.
Now, what about abortion? At the low end of the Guttmacher scale, even if we ignore all abortions done prior to 1980 when accurate numbers were a little more difficult to ascertain, abortion accounts for more than twice the number of deaths by war. In just the last 25 years, the ghastly toll for abortion has totaled over 900 million dead babies. Taking the more probable mean average, the toll rises to well over 1 billion babies, or nearly three times the amount of deaths due to war.
How many millions more need die before we understand that abortion is wrong?
This Sunday is Sanctity of Life Sunday. Around Duluth, and around the nation, many will mark the 33rd anniversary of legalized abortion. Which side will you choose to stand with, life or death?

Russ Young, Christian, free-lance writer and a former pastor, may be reached at RussYoung@thelifeline.net.