Abortion: Birth Control Or Legal Murder? Essay, Research Paper

Abortion: Birth Control or Legal Murder?

Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. With the

exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims are thrown

into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims lay waiting in

the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, the murderers are in

their offices waiting for their next patient–the accomplice to the murder. This

is the murder of an innocent child by a procedure known as abortion. Abortion

stops the beating of an innocent child’s heart. People must no longer ignore the

scientific evidence that life begins at the moment of conception. People can no

longer ignore the medical and emotional problems an abortion causes women.

People must stop denying the facts about the procedure, and start hearing the

silent screams of unborn children.

The argument by the pro-abortion side is that the unborn child is not truly

a child. Many people who are pro-abortion justify their beliefs through the

concept that a fetus is only a blob of tissue until it is born, or the

statement: life begins at birth. Abortion is not as simple as removing a “blob

of tissue” (as the pro-abortion activists put it) from a woman’s body. Abortion

is the destruction, dismembering and killing of a human life–an unborn baby.

“But it is scientific and medical fact based on experimental evidence, that a

fetus is a living, growing, thriving human being, directing his or her own

development” (Fetal Development). A fetus is not just a blob of tissue, rather a

fetus is Latin for “offspring or young one.” Human life begins at fertilization,

therefore it is wrong to murder the innocent child in the womb. At a US Senate

Judiciary Subcommittee meeting, most scientists said that life begins at

conception or implantation of the embryo. No scientist at the meeting claimed

that life begins at birth (Factbot). Professor Hymie Gordon of the Mayo clinic

stated “‘ . . by all criteria of modern biology, life is present from the moment

of conception’” (Fetal Development). In a 1963 Planned Parenthood pamphlet

entitled ‘Plan Your Children’ it states “an abortion kills the life of a baby

after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health” (Factbot). Even

though abortion is dangerous to a woman’s life, and it kills her baby, Planned

Parenthood still offers it as a safe solution. This statement contradicts what

most abortion clinics say. It is not possible for abortion to be offered to

women as a safe solution, when it not only puts her life in danger, but it also

kills her child.

Not only has science proven that a fetus is truly a human, the simple facts

also confer abortion kills the life of a human being. Life begins at conception

because of the fact that life in the womb does not change at birth. There are no

special procedures or changes that occur during birth to magically change the

fetus to a baby. It is already a baby–a human life. “‘If a fertilized egg is

not by itself a full human being it could not become one, because nothing is

added to it,’” said Dr. Jerome Lejeune (Factbot). Most of all the development

also takes place before one is born. Of the 45 generations of cell divisions

before adulthood, 41 have taken place before a person is born (Factbot).

Fertilization is just the beginning of a long process of growing and maturing.

“Life in a continuum. From the moment the egg is fertilized a new life has begun.

All of the genetic information is present to construct a unique individual.

Gender, physical features, eye color have already been determined. The baby’s

heart begins beating regularly at 24 days. Babies in the womb hiccup, cry, play,

and learn” (Factbot). Life continues from the day of fertilization until death.

Nothing is added to a person during a lifetime. “‘Conception confers life and

makes that life one of a kind,’” said Dr Landrum Shettles father of in vitro

fertilization (Factbot). Abortion is wrong because it ends the life of a human

being. The day of conception marks the beginning of a new human life. “‘The

zygote is the first cell of a new human being,’” said Keith L. Moore. There is

no way that the fetus is just a “blob of (Factbot) tissue.” Scientific and

medical facts prove that the fetus is living. They prove that the fetus is a

person, a human, and functions separate from the mother. According to our law

murder is wrong, therefore it is unlawful to kill an unborn child. The child in

the womb deserves the right to life.

The fetus is a real human being and deserves all the rights and freedom

given to people under the Constitution. This right is evident in the Fourteenth

Amendment that states, “The State shall not deprive any person of life, liberty,

property, without due process of the law; nor deny any person within its

jurisdiction the equal protection of the law” (Factbot). Abortion denies babies

equal protection under the law, and is depriving a person of life. Thomas

Jefferson stated human rights best when he wrote, “We hold these truths to be

self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their

Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and

the pursuit of happiness” (Factbot). All unborn babies have the right to life

guaranteed to humans under the constitution. No other person has the right to

take away the unborn child’s life, no matter what the situation is. One must not

sacrifice a life to make one’s own life better.

Many argue that most of the babies that are aborted are unwanted babies.

They believe that they would be abused and neglected. This is why abortion is

okay to them. They believe abortion is saving the child from abuse. Abortion,

however, is the most severe case of child abuse. The procedures are painful to

the child and intentionally end in death (except in cases where the procedure

results in a living child. “About once a day, somewhere in the US, something

goes wrong and an abortion results in a live baby” (Factbot)). The fetus is

alive and has the capacity to feel the painful abortion procedure. The US

Department of Health and Human Services reported that after nine weeks unborn

babies can feel pain, yet 48 per cent of all abortions are done after this point

( Fetal Development). The baby can feel all the pain put on it by the painful

procedures. The ultra sound shows the baby struggling to survive. Abortionist

doctors such as Joseph Randall admit that seeing the abortion “. . . of the baby

on the ultra sound bothered me more than anything else. The staff couldn’t take

it. Women were never allowed to see the ultra sound” (Factbot). Women should be

allowed to see this. They should see the struggling of the life they are killing.

An early abortion takes about five minutes and is performed six to fourteen

weeks after a woman’s last period. The procedure is called a suction aspiration.

It is like a vacuum cleaner. “‘A hollow plastic tube with a sharp edge is placed

into the uterus. The suction tears the baby apart, and the sharp edge is used to

scrape the placenta from the wall of the uterus. Everything is sucked out into a

bottle’” (Whitney 94). The other common method is dilation and curettage. “‘A

curette, which is a loop-shaped steel knife, is inserted into the uterus, and

the baby and the placenta are cut into pieces and scraped out. Both procedures

are usually done under general anesthesia, so they’re not painful for the mother.

Of course we know the child feels pain’” (Whitney 94). Another method that is

not performed much anymore is the saline injection; a long slow death process of

poisoning the baby. The saline injection was developed in the Nazi Concentration

Camps (Factbot) The most controversial form of abortion is the partial-birth

abortion. Using an ultra sound the abortionist grabs the baby’s legs with

forceps and pulls them out into the birth canal. The abortionist then delivers

the entire baby except for the head and continues by jamming scissors into the

baby’s skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole. The scissors are

removed and a suction is inserted. The baby’s brains are sucked out causing the

skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed ( Partial). It has been proven

that babies can feel pain in these procedures. The fetus can feel pain because

it is alive and growing like a human. Something that is not living cannot feel

pain. If one crushes a pop can as the abortionist crushes a baby, the pop can

feels no pain because it is not living. The baby feels pain because it is a

living human being. Abortion is wrong because it deprives the baby of rights and

happiness because of the suffering it must go through during the abortion.

Women who have these painful abortions suffer emotional stress, and years

after having the procedure they discover that they destroyed a human life. The

women finally realize after many years of emotional stress the cause of it.

“After 5-10 years 54 per cent of mothers choosing abortion had nightmares and 96

per cent felt they had taken a life” a from study by Dr Anne Speckhard of the

University of Minnesota. People need to listen to the women who have had

abortions in the past to hear what they are really about. From them people can

learn much more than a clinic can teach. After having an abortion, many women

can tell a person the true facts–abortion is murder. “‘Recent evidence

indicates many women harbor strong guilt feelings long after their abortions.

Guilt is one important cause of child battering and infanticide. Abortion lowers

women’s self-esteem and there are studies reporting a major loss of self-esteem

in battering parents,’” said Dr. Phillip Ney. There are places that give

abortion counseling. However, many of these places do not give accurate

information Accurate information is needed so women, and men, know that abortion

will take away a human life. Ninety-five percent of women who had abortions said

their Planned Parenthood counselors gave “. . . little or no biological

information about the fetus which the abortion would destroy.” Where 80 percent

of women who have had abortions from Planned Parenthood said little or no health

information was given to them about potential health risks (Factbot). Women need

to be told the true facts of abortion. They need to see the fetal monitors. In

many clinics they are not allowed to see the ultra sound. The doctors do not

want a woman to see that the baby inside of her is alive. This is wrong because

it not only denies the child the rights such as the right to be heard and seen,

it denies women the truth. The truth must be told and shown. Shari Richard, an

Ultrasonographer, said, “‘In fact many women will come to me considering an

abortion, and I have been personally told that I am to turn the monitor away

from her view so that seeing her baby jump around on the screen does not

influence her choice’” (Factbot). Abortion clinic staff members are taught how

to sell abortions, told never to give alternatives, and told to tell the women

how much trouble a baby is. Women are not told the facts. It is obvious from the

ultra sound that the baby they are carrying is alive, and abortion kills the

baby. If the clinic can clearly see that the baby is alive, the mother should

also see. Abortion is described as a decision between a women and her doctor.

Yet over 90 percent don’t even see the doctor until he appears to abort their

baby. This should not be the case. The clinics are hiding and withholding the

true facts. Clinics need to shape-up and tell the truth to women: Abortion is

wrong.

Abortion is one of the key issues facing the human race today. This issue,

like many, forces people to take sides against each other, and is one of the

main factors people look at when voting. In a 1973 court ruling, known as Roe v.

Wade, abortion became legal. Since this ruling the number of teen pregnancies

has increased from 4.94 per cent in 1972 to 9.92 per cent in 1990. The number of

teen abortions has doubled from 19.9 per thousand teenagers in 1972 to 43.8 per

thousand teenagers in 1990 while the number of teen births has increased from

22.8 to 42.5 per thousand. The number of births to unmarried women has increased

7.3 per cent during the years from1972 to 1990 while the number of abortions

increased 11.7 per cent during those years (Factbot). Abortion should no longer

be legal. It is rapidly becoming a form of birth control. No longer must women

worry about protection, if they should conceive a child, they can choose to take

its life. One-third of all babies (Planned Parenthood) are aborted, which

entitles the abortion industry to $500 million a year in income in the United

States (Factbot). Abortion is the most frequent surgical operation in the US,

and the leading cause of death in Minnesota (Factbot). Currently there are two

million couples waiting for adoption in America, yet there are 30 abortions for

every one adoption (Factbot). These statistics are true. Abortion needs to be

stopped.

There are arguments against the stopping of abortion. However, there are

solutions. Many say abortion should be legal if the woman’s life is in danger.

Only three percent of all abortions are done for the mother’s health, where 40

percent of women who have abortions will have more than one, and 50 per cent use

it as their sole means of birth control (Factbot). As for the argument that

women will do them illegally in the back alleys endangering their lives, 72 per

cent said they would definitely not have sought an abortion if they were illegal,

and death happens during a legal abortion too; maternal death rates for first

trimester abortions are 61 per 100,000 cases (Factbot).

Abortion is clearly the taking of a human life, an action that is wrong

under the United States constitution. Women must stop being denied the facts and

start being told the truth. The people of the US must start standing up for the

rights of all people, born and unborn. “Abortion concerns not only the unborn

child , it concerns every one of us.” said former President of the United States

Ronald Reagan (Factbot). Abortion concerns all of us. People need to start

caring for the women who are hurting as a result of an abortion, and women who

are struggling over the decision. People must tell them the facts, and work at

making the conditions better for women, because 84 per cent would keep their

babies under better circumstances (Factbot). America needs to open her ears to

the screams of the 1.6 million babies murdered each year.

Bibliography

Can abortion be justified? San Diego: Grenhaven Press, Inc., 1991.

“Factbot.” Netscape. Online.

“Fetal Development.” Netscape. Online.

Harrison, Maureen, and Steve Gilbert, eds. Abortion Decisions of the United

States Supreme Court: The 1990’s. Beverly Hills: Excellent Books, 1993.

Is abortion immoral? San Diego: Grenhaven Press, Inc., 1991.

“LIFE at the University of Illinois.” Netscape. Online

Melville, Keith, ed. The Battle Over Abortion. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing

Company, 1990.

“Partial-Birth Abortion.” Netscape. Online.

Should abortion remain a personal choice? San Diego: Grenhaven Press, Inc., 1991.

Should abortion remain legal? San Diego: Grenhaven Press, Inc., 1991.

When does life begin? San Diego: Grenhaven Press, Inc., 1991.

Whitney, Catherine. Whose Life?. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.,

1991.