When Seeing Isn’t Believing: The Incoherent Morality Driving America’s Abortion Crisis
For decades, many in the pro life movement believed that advances in ultrasound technology would change everything. The thinking was simple: if people could see the child in the womb — her heartbeat, her tiny fingers, her movements — then hearts would change and abortion would fade into history.
That has not happened.
In fact, in 2025 America finds itself in a moral paradox. We live in an age when no one can seriously deny that the unborn child is a living human being. Science is crystal clear and ultrasound imagery has made that reality undeniable. Yet a growing number of Americans, especially younger voters, openly acknowledge that there is human life in the womb and still defend the right to end it.
This is not ignorance. It is moral incoherence.
The New Moral Landscape
Polling from Pew Research, YouGov, and the Ethics and Public Policy Center all point to the same unsettling reality:
Most Americans now say they believe human life begins early in pregnancy, often within the first few weeks. YouGov Poll: “When Does Human Life Begin?”
A majority even admit the unborn child is a person by the time of viability. Ethics and Public Policy Center Poll: “Most Americans Believe Unborn Children Have Rights.”
Yet most of these same people still insist abortion should remain legal, at least through the first trimester and often beyond. Pew Research: “Broad Public Support for Legal Abortion Persists.”
It is a stunning contradiction. They acknowledge life, then endorse killing it.
The problem is not a lack of knowledge. It is a lack of conviction. Our society has become comfortable living with moral tension, declaring both “the baby is human” and “the mother should have the right to kill it.” It is an ethical double think that reveals just how far our culture has drifted from a biblical understanding of life, sin, and justice.
The Power and Limits of Ultrasound
Scientific progress was supposed to soften hearts. The first ultrasound images of unborn children decades ago moved millions. But today, in an era of crystal clear 4D imaging, social media reels, and heartbeat videos, the impact has dulled.
Research shows that viewing an ultrasound only changes the mind of those who were already uncertain about their decision. For most, the choice to abort is solidified before they ever see the image. See PubMed study of 15,575 women offered ultrasound viewing.
For many, the picture no longer shocks or convicts. It simply confirms what they already know and have chosen to accept: “Yes, it is a life. I am ending it anyway.”
That kind of hardened conscience should shake us to our core.
A Culture at War with Conscience
This is what happens when truth is divorced from moral responsibility. For decades, abortion advocates told Americans that life in the womb was “just tissue.” That lie has collapsed under the weight of science. But instead of repenting, our culture has pivoted from denial to justification.
Now the message is:
“Yes, it is a baby, but it is my choice.”
“Yes, it is human life, but that does not mean it has rights.”
In fact, the movement has gone even further. The popular social campaign known as “Shout Your Abortion” encourages women not just to accept abortion but to celebrate it publicly. What once was defended as a tragic necessity is now paraded as empowerment. Women post videos, wear shirts, and share stories online declaring pride in having ended the life of their own child.
That movement captures the heart of our moral crisis. We have reached the point where killing the unborn is no longer justified as unfortunate, it is praised as virtuous.
This shift is more dangerous than ignorance because it is rebellion with eyes wide open. It reveals a deeper moral rot, one that no amount of technology can fix.
What Must Be Done
The pro life fight in Missouri is not just about policy. It is about restoring moral clarity. We must confront the lie that convenience or autonomy can ever justify killing an innocent child. We must speak plainly. Abortion ends a human life, a baby created by God, and no right can make that moral.
That is why Amendment 3 and the work of MO Protects are so critical. We are not simply battling bad laws. We are battling a seared national conscience. The next generation will not be won by showing clearer pictures of the unborn. They will be won by rekindling conviction about what those pictures mean.
We must teach, persuade, and pray. We must equip our churches to speak boldly and our citizens to stand unashamed. Missouri can lead the way, not just in protecting law but in restoring moral sense.
Join the Fight
If you believe life in the womb is sacred — not just scientifically human but spiritually precious — we need you in this fight.
Volunteer. Donate. Share the message.
Because the battle is no longer over whether the unborn child is alive.
It is over whether America still believes killing that child is wrong.
➡️ Support the fight for life — donate today to MO Protects.