Abortion

"Can a woman forget her infant, or be without tenderness for the child in her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I forget thee"? - Isaiah 49:15

No social issue in America since slavery has been more controversial than that of abortion. Abortion is an issue of global significance, which introduces a conflict of concepts and values. There can not be a universal rule to tell us what is ethically right or wrong, because of the many different cultures and religions beliefs, along with knowledge sources (such as the internet, books, and talk shows) which expose different view points. Abortion is considered a social problem because it affects the whole society (whether it is positively or negatively). Abortion is a visceral issue, what one side views as a women's right, the other sees as a murder. This issue is considered a "circular debates because they are not right or wrong, they're about what people believe, and values are non-moving" (Zinko). It has been 33 years since the Roe v. Wade descion and this issue still remains as divisive as ever.

Abortion was legal in the United States from the time of the earliest settlers. Abortion has been performed for thousands of years in every society that has been studied (National Abortion Federation). Beginning in the mid-to-late 1800's laws were being passed in many states making abortion illegal, to protect women's lives. Many ancient tribes would have a pregnant women endure excessive horseback riding, forcing the baby to be born prematurely, and if the baby was not born dead, they would then kill it (National Abortion Federation). During the 1800's all surgeries (including abortion) were extremely risky due to unclean primitive medical practices. With legal abortions being prohibited from the 1800s until 1973 it is estimated that the number of illegal abortions performed was around 1.2 million per year (National Abortion Federation). Although no accurate records were kept, it is estimated that thousands of women were harmed as a result of illegal abortion (National Abortion Federation). Between 1967 and 1973 one-third of the states repealed their criminal abortion laws, but it wasn't until the ruling of Roe v. Wade that abortion would become legal (National Abortion Federation).

Before 1973, abortion was considered an illegal act in the United States unless the women's health was threatened (a women could choose to carry the baby to term, or a doctor could perform the abortion, and it would not be a crime). In March of 1970, Jane Roe, an unmarried pregnant women sought to fight that the abortion laws were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court looked at all the evidence and facts provided, and decided that abortion laws infringed upon a women's right to privacy in America. The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade made it possible for women to have safe, legal abortions.

No issue brings out so much passion and hatred of the other side than that of abortion. More than three decades since the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal in the United States, there are still many controversies and debates concerning the issue, with no end to be seen in sight.

Though this issue has an interesting/disturbing history, it is necessary that this problem be addressed because it is an issue that affects everyone. Some feel that human life is a precious gift; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward self and others; and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence. This group is known as pro-life, they believe that all human beings have the right to life, and that includes fetuses and embryos. On the contrast, the pro-choice group argues that a woman should have total control over her fertility and pregnancy (which includes abortion). Given its history as a very controversial issue, there should be a law banning abortion in the United States, except in special circumstances such as rape, incest, or in order to save the mother's life.

According to a Newsweek poll conducted by Princeton survey research associates, 30% of people believe that abortion should be permitted only in cases such as rape, incest, and to save the women's life, while 16% believe that abortion should be allowed in all cases (Abortion). The pro-choice group argues that abortion is not murder because it is performed before a fetus has developed into a human person. That may be true, but only to an extent. During a partial birth abortion (a late term and highly controversial abortion procedure) the baby is killed when it is only a few months from being born, and becoming a full U.S. citizen. The baby is alive when a partial birth abortion is performed. Guided by an ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby legs, pulling them through the birth canal. The abortionist then delivers the baby's entire body except for the head, and next, the abortionist jams scissors into the baby's tiny skull, the scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole in the baby's skull. Once the scissors are removed, the abortionist sticks a suction tube into the baby's skull and the baby's brains are sucked out causing their skull to collapseÐ'...then the dead baby is removed. Partial birth abortion remains legal primary because of the common misconception about the topic. Many people believe that partial birth abortions are rare, and are only performed to save the mother's life. However, in the United States alone, thousands of partial birth abortions are performed each year (almost exclusively for elective and not health based reasons). Many people also argue that the anesthetic used during this process kills the baby, so the death of the baby is painless. However, the American society of Anesthesiologists testified to Congress that those statements are not true (Wynn). The main issue protecting partial birth abortions is fear that women may need this procedure to preserve their health. However, America's leading authority on late term abortion stated that partial birth abortion is "never necessary to preserve a women's health" (Mseeerli). Partial birth abortion is an unnecessary procedure that sacrifices thousands of children.

Pro-choice advocates also argue that if abortion became illegal back-alley abortions would increase, leading to increased risk of young women dying or becoming sterile. However true that may be, there is no real evidence suggesting that such measure will occur. There is, however, information stating that with legal abortions now available, there are numerous issues concerning a women's health to be considered. According to the National statistics on abortion, 10% of women undergoing induced abortion suffer from immediate complications, of which one-fifth (20%) were considered