Abortion Essay, Research Paper

Abortion ends a pregnancy before birth takes place. When an embryo or fetus dies in the womb and is expelled by the body, it is called spontaneous abortion or miscarriage. When a woman decides to end her pregnancy voluntarily, she has an induced abortion. When a fetus is dead at birth, it is called a stillbirth.

Most people support abortion in one of two ways, either as pro-life or pro-choice. Pro-life supporters believe that human life begins at conception and that abortion is the intentional killing of a human life. Opposing this belief is the pro-choice members who believe that it is the woman’s right to choose to continue or end a pregnancy. Pro-choice supporters also argue that legal abortion is safer than illegal abortion and that it relieves the psychological and social problems associated having an unwanted child.

Being pro-choice myself, I believe that it is the woman’s right to decide if she wants to have a child or not. Some women who become pregnant are not mentally, physically, or financially stable enough to raise a child. If this is the case, I believe that a child should not be brought into the world because it will then have an unhealthy life style. If a woman becomes pregnant from rape or incest then it should be okay for her to have an abortion. For whatever reason, if a woman decides to have an abortion, then it should be her choice, no one else’s.

Abortion is safe. In fact, it has been proven that having an abortion is twice as safe as having your tonsils taken out, and eleven times safer than giving birth.

Just because a woman decides to have an abortion, that does not make her a “bad” person. It simply states that she was not ready to have a child. I respect women who choose to have abortions because they are not only thinking of their lives, they are thinking about the child that would be involved. Having a child is a huge responsibility, and if you cannot handle that responsibility, then you should not bring a child into the world.

Sometimes women choose to have an abortion due to health risks. If the child or woman will be endangered during or after birth then most doctors will suggest an abortion early in the pregnancy. Many pro-life supporters believe that abortion is a sin. Although, there is nothing in the Bible to even suggest that. Psalms 139:13-16 is often used to prove that human life begins at conception, although there is nothing there that even suggests that. Abortion is not a sin. No simple act of man can repeal the fact that only God endows life, by giving the fully formed body and breath. Declaring that human life begins at conception is counter to the claims of the word of God and is a sin. It is doubly a sin because this degraded belief leads others to sin. Those that kill clinic workers, clients, and attempt to legislate this wayward belief lead innocent believers down a road to murder and corruption.

Most people in the world have freedom, including women. Freedom meaning that a woman must be free to choose self or to choose selfishly. Certainly a woman with fewer economic and social choices- for instance, a woman struggling to finish her education, without which she would have little hope of a life worthy of her talents- there can indeed be an obligation to choose self. There is no easy way to deny the powerful argument that a woman’s equality in society must give her some remaining rights unique to her biology, including the right to take the life within her life.

War is legal; it is sometimes even necessary. Letting the dying die in peace is often legal and sometimes even necessary. Abortion should be legal; it is sometimes necessary. Sometimes the mother must be able to decide that the fetus, in its full humanity, must die. It is never right or necessary to decrease the value of the lives involved or the sacrifices incurred in letting them go. Only if we up hold abortion rights within a list of individual morals, satisfaction and responsibility can we both correct the logical and ethical senselessness in our situation- and bring together the support of abortion.

Abortion Facts

? Abortion is one of the safest types of surgery.

? 1.6 abortions are preformed each year.

? Only 7% of all abortions preformed each year are because of rape, incest or health problems.

? In America, one baby dies every 22 seconds.

? There have been over 36 million abortions since 1973.

? 3,900 abortions are preformed each day in America.

? Induced abortion is safer than childbirth.

? The serious complication rate is less than one percent.

? At least 30% of all pregnancies are now ended by abortion.

? 81% of pregnancies to unmarried women are aborted.

? 41%-46% of teenage pregnancies is aborted.

? 42.9% of women have repeated abortions.

? 46% of American women over the age of 45 have had an abortion.

? 95% of abortions are done because of social reasons.

? Women who are separated from their partners are more likely to have an abortion than other women are.

? More than two thirds of women who seek abortions have jobs.

? Nearly one third of the women who seek abortions are still in school.

? More than two thirds of women who have abortions plan to have children in the future.

? Approximately 6 million women in the United States become pregnant each year. Nearly half of these pregnancies are unintended.

? In most pregnancies, birth control was used, but the method used failed.

? The risk of having serious complications from abortion increases the longer a pregnancy goes on.

Most Common Reasons Given For Abortion

? She is not ready to become a parent.

? It would be hard to keep her job.

? It would be hard to continue her education.

? She cannot afford a baby now.

? She does not want to become a single parent.

? She is not ready for the responsibility.

? She does not want anyone to know that she is sexually active or pregnant.

? She is too young or immature to have a child.

? She has all the children she wants.

? Her partner or parent wants her to have an abortion.

? She or the fetus has a health problem.

? She was a victim of rape or incest.

Adler, N.E., et al. “Psychological Factors in Abortion: A Review.” American Psychologist. 1992. 47: 1194.

Alabama Physicians For Life, Inc. “Abortion Related Statistics.” It’s a Matter of Life. 1993: P.9.

Clark, Charles S. “Abortion Clinic Protests.” The CQ Researcher. 7 April 1995: P.297-320.

Fein, Elaine. “The Facts about Abortion.” Harper’s Bazaar. May 1980: P. 75-76

Gold, R.B. “Abortion and Women’s Health”. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute. 1990.

Planned Parenthood? Federation of America, Inc. “Planned Parenthood Fact Sheet.” 1990.

Tietze, C. & Henshaw, S.K. “Induced Abortion: A World Review.” 1986. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute. 1986.