Not only does God tell us not to follow the heathens' practices; God doesn't want us even inquiring about what they did or how they did it because He knows that we would try to emulate them. Deuteronomy 12:29-30, "When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise." We can't say, "Good idea. I'm gonna do that too, but to honor my God."

These verses sum it up best: 3 John:1:11, "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." Proverbs 15:9, "The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness."

What was one of the ways heathens worshipped, paid homage to, and served their gods? By getting tattoos. What does God's word tell us NOT to do? Serve or worship Him by doing those things that the heathen people did or do. Again, God's word could not be any plainer than that. And if you still didn't catch the point I'm trying to make, here is one more verse before we move on: 1 Corinthians 10:20a-21, "I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

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(3) YES, MANY PAGAN GROUPS AND CULTURES EMBRACE PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS, BUT WHAT IF MY MOTIVE IS TO SYMBOLIZE WHO MY SAVIOR IS TO ME?

For those who say, "But these crosses on my arms have spiritual significance," I say God's word shows us that you cannot put "new wine" into old bottles. You cannot take a practice that has been embraced by heathens and condemned by God and turn it into something that is "honoring" the Lord. If you take a pig and put him in a tuxedo, all you have is a dressed-up pig!

And you cannot say, "Well, I know that piercings carry a sexual connotation or a heathen connotation, but that's not what I mean by it." Or "I know that tattoos originated in pagan traditions and that a lot of satanic people embrace them, but that's not what I mean by it." Friend, if that's what it means to God, who cares what you mean by it? Is your opinion or impression or intent greater or more important than God's? God's word has this to say to you: Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

And if you say, "But those pagans were worshipping false gods and idols and images. My tattoos are a symbol of my faith in the Only True God," please read this part very carefully. The Lord does not want us to be into ANY symbolism or effigies or images. Not even images that supposedly represent Him!

Whether you have on your flesh the pagan triquetra to symbolize the Trinity or a dove or the crown of thorns or a "face of Jesus" or a cross or whatever else, YOU ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE BIBLE TELLS US NOT TO DO! Read these verses carefully:

Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make unto thee ANY graven image, or ANY likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"

Deuteronomy 27:15: "Cursed be the man that maketh ANY graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen."

Romans 1:23: "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things."

Friend, what is a tattoo but an "engraving" on your flesh? The second definition of the word "engrave" is: to picture or represent by incisions. To imprint; to impress deeply; to infix. Whether an image is carved in a tree or engraved on your arm, the Lord commands us not to turn His glory into ANY symbolic images or engravings.

And if you are still arguing, "But I'm not worshipping the image engraved on my arm," you are still missing the point. Yes, the Lord does not want us to worship images, but the Lord's word is clear that God also does not want us reducing His glory to any kind of likeness. The Lord specifically spoke to His people through burning bushes and in the fire, et cetera, because He knew that sinful man would want to limit his glory to a "look." The Lord has given us verse after verse telling us this ought not to be.

Here is yet another verse AGAINST us using symbolism and images to represent God. Please read it carefully: Deuteronomy 4:15-18, "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth..."

And here is a similar verse in the New Testament: Acts 17:29, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead [the Trinity] is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."

If you believe that it is cool to "symbolize" who God is, you are in direct rebellion against what God has declared! All of the above verses could not be any plainer. The Old Testament and New Testament alike tell us not to make ANY images symbolizing God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Trinity.

(And here is a side note specifically to people who have tattooed onto their bodies the heathen triquetra to symbolize the Trinity. This symbol has always been and presently is still associated with witchcraft, Satanism, and the occult. Click here if you don't believe me. Do you really think the Lord wants you to have anything to do with this?)

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(4) MY TATTOO (OR PIERCING) IS TO REMIND ME OF THE SACRIFICE THAT JESUS MADE.

If you are still protesting, "But my tattoo is for me. It is to remind me of the sacrifice that Jesus made," I would ask, friend, why do you need to be reminded of who Christ is or what He has done for you? Is the Lord's finished work on the cross so trivial and meaningless that you need something to remind you of it? I have to sometimes write a note to myself to remind me to pick up toothpaste from Wal-Mart, but I never need to be reminded of who my Savior is or what He did.

Then I've also heard people who say, "Getting my tattoo (or piercing) was painful, and it symbolizes for me the pain Christ endured." Listen, the Lord endured the shame of the cross. He was falsely accused, mocked, scourged, hated, crucified, and pierced. There was nothing hip, cool, trendy, or desirous about it. Don't trivialize Christ's suffering and pain and crucifixion by believing that your vainglorious piercing or "statement" cross tattoo has anything to do with what Jesus endured for the sins of the world.

Then there are some people who say, "My tattoo is because I want to be identified as a Christian." To that I would say that you should not have to go around announcing, "You know I'm a Christian, don't you? And to prove it, here is my 'mark of Christ.'" No, instead, your life and your witness should identify you as a Christian. People should SEE your love for Christ in your walk, talk, and deeds. Remember the scribes? They wanted everyone to "see" their holiness. They loved the long ornate robes that "identified" them as religious folks. But this is what the bible said of them: Matthew 23:5: But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.." Friend, don't be showy like the Pharisees and Scribes, desirous that man can see and identify that you are part of a religious sect. (Refer also to Mark 12:38 and Luke 20:46).

(This young man wants to be identified as a Christian: Click here really quick and tell me if you can see his Christian light shining.)

As Christians, we should not crave that man sees how committed we are through our religious symbols, et cetera, adorned and tattooed on our arms or necks. Yes, there are some ornaments that we should wear in our bodies, but they have nothing to do with tattoos or piercings. What ornaments are those? 1 Peter 3:4, "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." If the Lord wanted us to physically wear something special to signify our allegiance to Him, don't you think He would have told us that in His word?

So, again, if you really, really want to be identified as a Christian and do something for the Lord, why don't you routinely visit some shut-in elderly folks. Start a bible study at a prison. Mentor an at-risk youth. Find a meaningful way to let your Christian light shine and at the same time spread the gospel to these people by sharing God's Holy Word. Then people will see how important Christ is to you and how committed you are to Him and understand the sacrifice that Jesus made. Doesn't just getting a tattoo or a piercing sound lame when compared to that? (Refer to James 1:27, Matthew 25:35-40)

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(5) BUT MY TATTOO IS A WITNESSING TOOL.

Many people will say that their tattoo opens doors with a certain crowd of people, gives them cultural authenticity, or that it is helpful as a witnessing tool. To that I would say that Christ's apostles and disciples "preached Jesus" through their actions and words. They didn't need gimmicks or cool fashions or fads of the day to relate to people and neither do we!

You don't need physical piercings to relate to people. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

God's Holy word is the only "piercing" thing that will save people! The disciples preached God's word, lived by God's commands. People saw Jesus living through them and learned what it meant to be saved by hearing them preaching God's word and seeing the fruit of their lives. The disciples didn't try to be fashionable like the world. They didn't seek to entertain the world.

Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Your light, not your tat)

Our Christian light should shine. We should not be busy taking on the world's image. We should not be concerned with looking such a way that is pleasing to men. Galatians 1:10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Acts 5:29, "We ought to obey God rather than men."

For those who say, "But I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22), I say to you that God's word has already shown us that we are NOT to be conformed to this wicked and adulteress world. Do I have to smoke crack or marijuana so that I can relate to those who are on drugs? Do I have to dress like a whore and hang out on the street corners so that I can try to witness to my lost sisters who are prostitutes? Should I join a gang and take on the trademarks of a certain "set" so that I can speak to those young men who are obviously in need of a relationship with our Savior? Of course not! This dark world needs the Light. It does not need us to come down to its dark, fleshly level.

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As I said at the beginning of this paper, I am sure that many of you are sincere in your love of the Lord. But I hope that you now see that if you love the Lord, a tattoo or piercing is not the way to show it. God does not want us to have "Christian tattoos," and He does not want us to be tattooed or pierced just because we think it's a cool look. Don't just listen to your heart or look to your friends for answers. God's word shows us how God wants us to live. Obey the Lord above all else!

(At one point, I volunteered at a pro-life site, answering e-mails. Below you will find a letter that I wrote in response to a Catholic young woman who was arguing with me on why she believed it was all right to have an abortion.)



Hello Christine:

Thank you for taking the time to share your views. I read your entire letter. I will respond by taking different points that you mentioned one at a time and sharing my views now with you. This letter is kind of long. Maybe you will read it, maybe not. Well, here goes:

You asked me, "Why are you now pro life? What captured you? Was it the misinterpretations of the Holy Bible?"

First of all, I believe that God creates all babies. God gives life. And as the Creator, God is the only one who has the authority to take life away. It is true that I am a Christian, but even if I weren't a Christian, I would still believe what I just said.

And I do read my Bible, but I don't need anyone else to "interpret" my Bible for me. I John 2:27 tells me "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him" So, no, I wasn't convinced by any "misinterpretations of the Holy Bible."

Christine, maybe YOU don't read your Bible and have never seen what God's Word has to say about the sanctity of human life, so I will share some verses with you from my King James Bible, especially since you say that you are a Catholic. And as you will see, there is no ambiguity to God's words.

Isaiah 49:1a "The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee."

Isaiah 44:2, "Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb."

Psalm 139:13-16, "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all."

Christine, these verses show me that to God, babies are considered precious and important from the time they are conceived. We are His great works! Before we even register on man's machines, God has already named us as His children. God does not just consider us fetuses or zygotes or tissue. You don't sanctify and set apart for great works lifeless tissue. From day one we are created in God's image.

We self-centered humans believe that babies in our bellies are our property. But God's Word says otherwise: Ezekiel 16:20-21, "Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? Thou hast slain MY CHILDREN, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire." Did you get that, Christine? HIS CHILDREN.

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Christine, you asked why I was pro-life and you questioned "Or was it the misinformation of medical information about fetal and embryo development?"

Well, maybe you believe it when sinful man tells you that life begins at this stage or that stage, but personally, again, I am going to believe what God tells me in His Word in the verses I showed you above. I agree with Romans 3:4 .."Let God be true, but every man a liar."

You said you just "shook your head" when you read my bio. I am constantly shaking my head and appalled over the fact that people delude themselves into believing that tearing apart, suctioning to death, scraping, vacuuming, burning -- you name the method -- babies is something to be cherished and coveted and thought of in a positive light. Abortion equals death to a baby that God created. Plain and simple. Sure, it is now legal in man's eyes, but the murder of innocent children is still forbidden in God's Word.

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And, Christine, why would I want to go against God's commands and harm His children? God's commands tell me in Exodus 20:13, Romans 13:9 "Thou shalt not kill."

And in Proverbs 6:16-19, "These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devised wicked imaginations..."

Genesis 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man."

Revelation 21:8 "The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Christine, you did say that you "highly disagree with multiple abortions." What? So you think that a couple of baby killings are okay, but you have to draw the line somewhere?

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Christine, you also stated, My rights are trying to be infringed, and the rights of my children when they come to childbearing age."

I don't believe that this sinful world is ever going to take away your right to murder your children. And when the children who you decide to birth come along, the world would have come up with an even more expedient, convenient way for them to kill their children if they so desire. So I don't think you have to worry too much about your rights being taken away.

As a pro-life believer, all I do is share my voice and my vote. I don't stand in front of clinics to do harm to people walking in. I don't advocate violence against abortion doctors. But isn't it interesting that the key words you used were MY RIGHTS. It is all about you. Well, according to God's Word, the baby is just as human and just as important as you are.

And I am not judging you or anyone else. All I am doing is quoting the Bible, sharing God's law. God gave us each a free will. If you or anyone else chooses to rebel against God and break His laws, He will be your Judge, not me. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, "Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

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Christine you also asked hypothetically, How am I to tell my 12 year old daughter that she has to keep her rapist's baby against her will because she has no right to bodily integrity."

Well, personally, I would have raised my daughter from day one knowing the Lord, Jesus Christ, and knowing that the sinful world we live in now is not the way God originally created it. I would tell her that people commit evil acts, but that God is still in control. I would tell her that God will punish those who harm us and that it is not up to us to play God and to take out our vengenance on innocent babies who are precious in God's sight. I would show her how sometimes people mean things in an evil way, but that God can even turn evil into good. She would know that she is loved and that what happened is not her fault, nor the fault of the baby's. I would be with her every step of the way, whether she chose to keep her child or put him/her up for adoption.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

"Vengeance is mine saith the Lord."

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Christine, you stated that someone you knew became pregnant against her will at a young age and was forced to carry out the pregnancy and "Is dead now because of it."

I think that it is sad that your friend died, but I find it interesting that you seem to have no compassion for the millions of babies that have been killed over the years by abortion.

And on the other end of the spectrum, let me share a personal story with you that had a tragic ending. A girl I know who was 18 became pregnant and decided to have an abortion. She went to the hospital to have the procedure and something went wrong. The doctor suctioned out the baby and half of the girl's intestines before he realized his mistake. Now this young woman will have medical problems for the rest of her life and will never be able to have children.

My point is that bad things happen to people. Does this mean that murdering babies at will guarantees that everything will turn out great? Of course it won't. It just adds sin on top of sin.

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Christine, you also said, "No one should be forced into parenthood."

No one is trying to force anyone into having an unwanted baby and being the child's parent for 18 years. There are thousands upon thousands of childless couples who would gladly adopt a person's unwanted child. Visit an adoption site on the internet someday. You will see what I mean.

It's interesting that people are so selfish that THEY don't want their babies, but yet they don't want anyone else to have them either. A person would rather kill this child instead of allowing another family to raise him/her.

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Christine, you referred to abortion and adoption as "each is a hard road to go down."

They may both be a "hard road to go down," but at least with adoption that road isn't a one-way street leading to the death of an innocent child. Murder is final. Where there is life, there is still hope and possible promise. Sure, all adoptions don't have happy endings, but at least the story gets to continue. And, hey, even with blood families there is no guarantee that things are going to be peaches and cream.

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Christine, you said, "It's all in the eye of the beholder." That is not true according to God's Word. Here are a couple of warnings from God's Word that show us that we are treading on thin ice when we think that it is all about what we think:

Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Isaiah 5:10; 10:1, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed.

Isaiah 24:5, "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have trangressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."

Romans 13:1-2, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."

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And, lastly, Christine, here is one final comment by you: "I do not regret my choice, nor think ill of it."

In the Christian faith, if one wants to be forgiven by God, once must see their sin the way that God sees it, be willing to turn from that sin, and sincerely ask from the heart for forgiveness from God. That is called repentance. Don't be fooled by the words of doctors into believing that murder is okay or that your child was inconsequential. To break God's commandment (Thou shalt not kill) and to say that you have no regret about doing such is to be in rebellion against God.

Proverb 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel."

Luke 13:5, "Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish."

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation."

Proverbs 17:15, "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord."

John 14:15 Jesus said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments."

And 1 John 2:4, "He who saith 'I know Him' and keepeth not His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in Him."

Christine, you have broken God's commandment. I would caution you to not be so proud of your actions. Turn from your sins and ask Christ to be your Savior before it is too late. John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Rena

Abortion word games

Have you ever noticed how pro-abortion people like to use positive, nice sounding words? For example, words like pro-choice, or they will say abortion is a woman's right. And they try to pretend that the living human being that is being killed is not really a living entity by using clinical sounding words such as embryo, fetus, cell, or tissue.

Well, I thought it would be interesting to look in the dictionary to find out how the dictionary defines words such as "pregnancy" and "termination," since even the abortion groups such as Family Planning still use those words to advertise their services. Yes, look in any Yellow Pages directory, and there you will find listed Pregnancy Termination. So let's see what that REALLY means:

Pregnancy: 1. state, condition, or quality of being pregnant.

Pregnant: 1. having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.

Offspring: 1. children or young of a particular parent or progenitor. 2. a child or animal in relation to its parents. 3. descendants.

(Okay, so the dictionary says that pregnancy equals pregnant which equals having a child or offspring developing in your body. A child, not just some tissue)

Termination: 1. the act of terminating or the condition of being terminated.

Terminate: 1. to bring to an end; put an end to.

(Okay, so termination equals terminate, which equals "to put an end to." Let's see what other word has that same definition.)

Kill: 1. to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay. 2. to put an end to; extinguish.

So to recap, according to the Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary (1989 Edition) PREGNANCY means the same as CHILD, and TERMINATION means the same as KILL. Put them together and you have PREGNANCY TERMINATION equals CHILD KILLING.

I wish the pro-abortionists would stop hiding behind euphemisms. A rose by any other name still smells as sweet, and abortion by any other name is still the murder of children. Call it what it is!

The Milestones of Early Life



Conception: The father's sperm penetrates mother's egg cell. Genetic instructions from both parents interact to begin a new and unique individual - no bigger than a grain of sugar.

1st day: The first cell divides into two, the two into four, and so on.

5-9 days: The new individual burrows into the wall of the womb.

14 days: Mother's menstrual period is suppressed by a hormone produced by her child.

18 days: Heart is forming. Soon eyes start to develop.

20 days: Foundations of brain, spinal cord and nervous system are laid.

24 days: Heart begins to beat.

28 days: Muscles are developing along the future spine. Arms and legs are budding.

30 days: Child has grown 10,000 times to 6-7 mm (1/4") long. Brain has human proportions. Blood flows in veins (but stays separate from mother's blood).

35 days: Pituitary gland in brain is forming. Mouth, ears and nose are taking shape.

40 days: Heart's energy output is 20percent of adult's.

42 days: Skeleton is formed. Brain coordinates movement of muscles and organs. Reflex responses have begun. Penis is forming in boys. (Mother misses second period.)

43 days: Brain waves can be recorded.

45 days: Spontaneous movements have begun. Buds of milk teeth have appeared.

7 weeks: Lips are sensitive to touch. Ears may resemble family pattern.

(Below is a photo of a baby aborted at 8 weeks)

8 weeks: Child is well proportioned. Now a small scale baby, 3cm (1 1/8") and weighing a gram (1/30th oz.) Every organ is present. Heart beats sturdily. Stomach produces digestive juices. Liver makes blood cells. Kidneys begin to function. Taste buds are forming.

8 1/2 weeks: Fingerprints are being engraved. Eyelids and palms of hands are sensitive to touch.

9 weeks: Child will bend fingers around an object placed in the palm. Thumb sucking occurs. Fingernails are now forming.

10 weeks: Body is sensitive to touch. Child squints, swallows, puckers up brow and frowns.

(Below are photos of abortion at 10 weeks)


11 weeks: Baby urinates, makes complex facial expressions - even smiles.

12 weeks: Vigorous activity shows distinct individuality. Child can kick, turn feet, curl and fan toes, make a fist, move thumbs, bend wrists, turn head, open mouth and press lips tightly together. Breathing is practiced.

13 weeks: Face is prettier, facial expressions resembling parents'. Movements are graceful, reflexes vigorous. Vocal chords are formed (but without air baby cannot cry). Sex organs are apparent.