We are in the midst of a mass genocide, and it has nothing to do with gun violence. A forty-six-year war—resulting in over 60,000,000 casualties—is still being fought today. History has been painted crimson with the blood of innocent people for thousands of years. Slavery, the Holocaust, and today's Middle Eastern conflicts have particularly contributed to the bloody narratives that we read in history books and skip over while scrolling through feel-good Instagram and Facebook posts. The notorious truth about each of these examples is that they were socially acceptable and—in fact—encouraged at the time. Today's mass genocide mirrors those of the past, and it is inescapable. Today's genocide has a name: abortion.

Let's start with a basic summary of exactly what aspiration and dilation abortion procedures entail:

• 1.Aspiration is the surgical procedure that is performed when a baby is anywhere from 6-16 weeks old—old enough to have blood flowing through its delicate body, along with tiny, rapidly-forming hands and feet. To begin the aspiration procedure, the abortion provider will widen the mother's cervix with rods, insert a suction tube, and vacuum the tiny baby—along with his/her placenta—through the uterus and into the tube. In a mess of blood and mangle body parts, the contents of the tube is exposed. The tiny body, along with its detached limbs, are discarded like pieces of trash, or preserved for sale in the black market.
• 2.Dilation and Extraction/Excavation is performed by inserting forceps into the uterus, followed by a blind ripping and pulling of the miniature arms and legs. If the child's head isn't crushed during the initial part of this "procedure," the "doctor" will intentionally lock the forceps around the tiny skull, pushing and crushing downwards until the baby is pronounced dead.
• (a)Purchase of tissue

It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration.

42 U.S. Code 289G-2

Though laws allegedly prevent the harvesting and selling of infant body parts, Planned Parenthood intentionally collects and preserves body parts, generating a shocking amount of revenue off of their evil practice. A $7.8 million settlement with the Orange County District Attorney in 2017 described the illegal sales this way:

"…the next step is for Planned Parenthood…to be held accountable under the law for their 7-year-long aiding, abetting, and profiting in DaVinci's criminal scheme to sell baby parts for profit" ("Planned Parenthood Baby Parts," 2017).

Notice how they acknowledge the life of the baby, instead of claiming that it's lifeless tissue.

"Doctor" Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood's senior director for medical services, confesses hijacking her own procedures so that the black market body parts are more carefully preserved for their eventual sale. While nonchalantly sipping her wine, Nucatola describes the demand for body parts this way,

"A lot of people want intact hearts these days because they're looking for specific nodes…I was like, 'Wow…good for them.' Yesterday was the first time [they] said people wanted lungs. And then, like I said, always as many intact livers as possible…Some people want lower extremities too, which, that's simple. I mean, that's easy" ("Planned Parenthood Harvests," 2018).

The accused abortion providers do not show any signs of regret for their part in the selling of body parts. However, ex-abortionists have come forward with confessions about their involvement in the entire abortion process. One of the most regretful, shocking confession arguably comes from former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino:

"I started that abortion, and I ripped out an arm or a leg, and I literally just stared at it in a clamp. And I got sick, but—you know—when you start an abortion you can't stop" ("Confessions," 2012).

Dr. Paul Jarrett, a former abortionist, also shares his opinion. In this case, the medical (drug-induced) abortion that he administered failed, and the child was delivered:

"I remember using it [hypertonic saline] on a patient…I'll never forget delivering her nearly two-pound baby, and hearing her screams, 'My baby's alive, my baby's alive!' It lived several days" ("Testimonies").

I never want to shame anyone—especially those who feel like they have no way out of a seemingly impossible situation. Please don't think that I want to impose guilt on you or anyone you know. This is simply a wake-up call. America needs to stop this genocide once and for all, on the basis of love. Love is hard. Love hurts. Anyone who's ever been in any kind of relationship will tell you that love means sacrifice. It takes sacrificial love to give birth to and raise a child—I understand that. However, it is not anyone's choice to end another life. The way that life was conceived is irrelevant in this case. Once life exists, it is a life. It is for this reason that I am going to lovingly plead with you for change. Help us stop the mass genocide.