What Is Abortion? Essay, Research Paper

What Is Abortion?

What is abortion? Is it the killing of a defense less child or is it

the freedom of a woman. In the case of the latter, it is easy to see how

abortion can be very beneficial for the mother. Perhaps she is a teenager who

is too young and too scared for such an awesome responsi bility or perhaps she

simply does not have the resources for or want another child. The situation

becomes more complicated when the father of the fetus wants the baby. Does the

father, whose very DNA was transferred to the fetus, have any right to determine

whether the mother receives an abortion or is the decision totally that of the

mother, who must endure the nine month pregnancy and the birthing process as

well as any lingering physical or psychological effects.

Even if abortion is considered the killing of a defenseless child, serious

and difficult questions cannot be avoided. Certainly, it is illegal and immoral

to kill a week old baby; but can the same be said of the termina tion of a week

old fetus? When does a fetus become a life entitled to the same protection as a

newborn baby or when is it too late to end a pregnancy? Some would say at any

point before birth; however, a fetus can be viable and live outside its mother’s

womb quite some time before its natural birth otherwise would occur. Is that

the point at which abortion is inappropriate and, thus, illegal as well as

immoral? While there are those who would answer in the affirmative, many would

argue that a life entitled to protection began at the time of concep tion, the

entry of a sperm cell into the egg.

In any event, abortion must be viewed as an issue with many angles. If a

person is pro-life, is he or she opposed to abortion altogether, is there a

period early in the pregnancy that the fetus may be appropriately terminated, or

are there circumstances, such as rape, incest, or danger to the life of the

mother, that justify ending a pregnancy? If another person is pro-choice, is he

or she in favor of abortion on demand at any time, regardless of the fetus’

viability. As is true of most complex issues, the matter of abortion raises a

multitude of questions that elicit a variety of answers and opions.