Dennis Lowry places a plastic fetus on top of his brief case. The fetus is a model of what a 12-week-old human would look like:curled up, thumb in mouth and not much bigger than a palm-sized rock.

There are some aspects of a living fetus which are not evident on the lifeless expression of the plastic figure laying before Lowry. For example, no blood flows through the figure, and it can not breath or cry out.

Many abortions occur when the baby is in its 12th week of development, said Lowry, a member of the Jackson County Right to Life organization and professor of journalism.

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In the 12th week of development all the organs and systems of the fetus are functioning. The only major activity from week 12 until birth is an increase in size, according to a publication by the Human Life Alliance of Minnesota Inc.

Alternate pregnancy options available to women are good reasons for women to carry their babies to birth, Lowry said.

Adoption is not popular enough, but the woman can rely on her family for support. And there are homes sponsored by churches which take care of pregnant mothers at no cost, Lowry said. If the need arises, people ultimately step up to the plate to help out.

Lowry said the laws governing issues of abortion are inconsistent with laws governing the lives of federally protected animals.

The very federal laws which allow the destruction of human life will levy stiff penalties against the destruction of animal life, he said.

Damaging the eggs of a bald eagle is a felony offense, Lowry said. Baby eagles have protection from the law, human babies do not. It’s a double standard.

Lowry occasionally participates in peaceful, pro-life demonstrations outside the Hope Clinic in Granite City, Mo. Through protesting he hopes to sway the minds of women before they enter the doors of the abortion clinic.

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Occasionally you will see a woman turn around outside of the clinic, Lowry said.

The U.S. Supreme Court 25 years ago granted women the right to have an abortion in the landmark decision in Roe v Wade, which granted legal access for women to abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy. The case also allowed states to restrict abortions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Roe v Wade was not tried as a single case; it was a combination of two. The other case was Doe v Bolton.

The Roe v Wade decision included restrictions in the third trimester except where it is necessary. . .for the preservation of life or health of the mother.

In Doe v Bolton, the companion case, the U.S. Supreme Court defined health to include:All factors-physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age-relevant to the well-being of the parent.

The freedom of choice granted by the court’s decision has resulted in countless individuals’ premature deaths, and has left an emptiness in world, said Burke Shade, pro-life father of six and pastor of Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 624 N. Oakland Ave.

He said the babies are literally sucked from the life-giving wombs of their mothers.

Shade bases his anti-abortion beliefs on the teachings of the Bible and says that the tremendous value of human life is selfishly cast aside by pro-choicers.

The pro-choice individuals say to themselves, This is my body, my choice, my future here,’ Shade said. They completely overlook the baby, and they engage in self-deification.

Shade annually prepares a sermon about abortion during the anniversary of Roe v Wade. He reminds members of his congregation of his belief that abortion is a form of murder.

It’s selective murder, Shade said. And in 1973, the Supreme Court removed abortion as an area of punishment by the state.

Somewhere in the midst of the staggering numbers of abortions, C. David Jones is chilled by the fact that one of those abortions could have been his.

Jones, a graduate student in cinema and photography from Jacksonville, N.C., participates in the annual Life Chain. The Life Chain is a celebration of life where pro-lifers join hands hoping to span the continent.

Jones said that while his mother did not consider abortion, it is possible she could have.

The chilling fact here is that it could have been you or it could have been me, Jones said with a distant look in his eye.