English Composition: Abortion Essay

English Composition 2

Professor Monsour

March 15, 2012

Abortion

In this day and age abortion seems like the simplest answer to an unwanted child, no answer has been more socially accepted and, at the same time, denied as abortion. Abortion, to this day, continues to be one of the most debated, controversial, and difficult tropics that people have to face nationwide. Abortion was legalized in the 1973 Supreme Court decision in the trial of Roe v. Wade, women now have the independence and freedom to get an abortion. Whether someone is pro-life or pro-choice they are all, in general, fighting for the well being of the mother and child. There have been many professionals and religious documents that seem to contradict each other, for example, the Bible and whether the fetus can feel pain. Yet everyone seems to take one side over the other.

In 1996, there were roughly 1.37 million abortions preformed in the Unites States, which are approximately 3,700 abortions per day. In that same year, nearly 3.9 million childbirths occurred in the United States, that is approximately one abortion for every four births (Center for Bio-ethical Reform). That was in 1996, sixteen years ago. Things have changed since then, more births, better technology, and definitely more abortions. It is acceptable to say that a woman can consider abortion if she was raped and does not wish to keep the child, but only a shocking “one percent of all abortions occur because of rape (Center for Bio-ethical Reform). ” And what of the other 99%? An alarming “93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (Center for Bio-ethical Reform).” That is about 1.27 million woman who gets an abortion because she does not want the child or thought it would be an inconvenience to her life. Another shocking static, “an estimated 43% of all women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion (Center for Bio-ethical Reform). ” It seems that about half of the women who have already gotten an abortion will get another abortion some time later on in her life. Abortion shouldn’t be the first option for an unwanted child.

Getting an abortion is not only harmful the mother, but it was also harmful to the unborn child. Kanwaljeet J. S. Anand, MBBS, DPhil, a professor of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has said that fetuses are able to feel pain during abortion. The professor said, "If the fetus is beyond twenty weeks of gestation, I would assume that there will be pain caused to the fetus. And I believe it will be severe and excruciating pain. (Abortion)" According to professor Anand, a fetus is able to feel pain after twenty weeks and if a mother gets an abortion then the unborn child is suffering. Not only is the unborn child going to suffer but it is also going to end its life before the unborn child even sees the light of day. Abortion can also cause psychological damage. “More than 173,000 American women found that women who aborted were 154% more likely to commit suicide than women who carried to term. 51.6% of the women reported regret, 45.2% felt sadness, and 25.8% experienced depression (Abortion).” It seems that getting an abortions is more harmful to the mother then the unborn child. Some of these issues, such as depression, can become a serious long-term illness. There are many options other then abortion, such as adoption. Since “87% of US counties do not provide abortion services (Abortion),” getting to an abortion clinic may be an inconvenience for the woman. Choosing adoption instead of abortion will also benefit the lives of the parents adopting the child. It relieves the mother of having the responsibility of that child while helps less fortunate parents start a family.    

Many religious documents have stated that murdering an innocent life is a sin. It has been stated many times in the Bible that murdering is wrong and all men are created equal. In the sixth Commandment of the Bible's Old Testament states, "Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13)." Abortion involves killing an unborn human being and defies a commandment from God. It states that human life begins at conception, not at birth, and therefore aborting a pregnancy abuses the commandment against murder. Even though the fetus is not fully developed into a baby, it is still alive. God created all men equal, and every life deserves a change. “Outside [of heaven] are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood (Revelation 22:15).” Abortion is the destruction of an innocent life.

Although, religious parties in America and some of the public disapprove abortion, the practice of abortion allows a woman to choose her destiny and prevents unwanted children. Abortion is not as destructive as its adversaries claim it to be. Instead of viewing abortion as "murdering an unborn child," abortion can be viewed as an alternative. The anti-abortionist argument can be very well disproved because many professionals say that the "biological" or "life" aspect of the argument is incorrect. According to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham, “fetuses are incapable of feeling pain when an abortion is performed. Not only has the biological development not yet occurred to support pain experience, but also the environment after birth, so necessary to the development of pain experience, is also yet to occur. (Abortion)" Subsequently, the zygote is clearly not a prepackaged hominid. There is no body plan, no blueprint, and no embryo waiting to become mature. The fetus has no emotional feelings or attachment. Abortion is not killing a baby it is terminating a pregnancy.

Due to the technological advances in society, abortion today is extremely safe. Abortion today is much safer than natural childbirth. One in 100,000 women die form abortion, whereas, thirteen in every 100,000 women dies from trying to give birth (Abortion). Therefore, getting an abortion is actually safer then going through natural childbirth. Abortion has been practiced for many years and medical technology has advanced accordingly, providing a safer and much more sanitary procedure for the women receiving the operation. A woman who is carrying out an unwanted pregnancy is at a higher risk than a woman who has a planned pregnancy. Since the child is considered unwanted, the mother will have a great possibility of depression and refuse to seek early prenatal care or even any care at all and is more likely to use more harmful substance like tobacco and alcohol, causing a immense amount of harm to the unborn child. Unwanted children are among society's most tragic cases, often uncared for, unloved, brutalized, and abandoned. When these children grow up, they live deprived lives and could possibly live a life inclined towards brutal behavior to themselves and others. An unwanted child should not be brought into this cruel and brutal world, for the sake of the child. “Forty nine percent of all pregnancies among American women are unintended. (Abortion)” Giving birth to a child is a lifelong commitment, it requires tons of responsibility, preparation, and organization. Raising a child is a very expensive process. Since most abortions are done on the younger generations, producing enough money to provide for the child and everyday expenses is quite costly. Having children should be a joyful event, not a chore.