Abortion Paper

Abortion Paper


The coexistence of opposite and conflicting feelings about
abortion is centuries old. Disagreements between public policy,
morality and individual behavior on this issue existed even at
the time of Plato and Aristotle. In the past few decades
abortion issue has been brought into sharper focus and has been
vigorously debated. A number of factors are responsible for this
but perhaps the major one has been that associated with the
sexual revolution which accentuates freedom in all matters sexual
and in spite of or even because of the tremendous and
indiscriminate increase in the distribution of contraceptives.
Judges have ruled, politicians have legislated, but the
controversy on this issue is still shaking our society.
Since the late 1960's abortion has been shifting from a
predominantly illegitimate status toward a more legitimate one.
Several cases have been fought for the right to choose. Many of
these have been hard cases with very personal feelings, but the
perseverance showed through and gives us the rights we have
today. In 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut upheld the right the
right to privacy and ended the ban on birth control. Eight years
later, the Supreme Court ruled the right to privacy included
abortions. In Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court stated that it is the
women's right to have an abortion if she so chooses. In Jan 1988
the abortion section of the Criminal Code of Canada was struck
down in Morgentaler decision. (Gentles, 13). Most arguments
against granting women the right to abortion are based on
religious and moral prohibitions, defending the sanctity of human
life. Opponents of abortion rely on the premise that the fetus
is a human being, a person from the moment of conception. Anti-
abortionist proclaim that they are pro-life. However, they spend
so much time establishing that the fetus is a person and
therefore has a right to live that they forget about mothers
rights or simply ignore her existence.
The word "murder" is often used by pro-lifers to describe
abortion. Murder means deliberate and unjustified killing of
another person containing intent. How can anybody see an evil
intent in a woman's decision to interrupt pregnancy if it is a
result of rape or incest? A woman cannot bear the thought of
having a child that would be a constant reminder of what had
happened on such and such a day, such and such number of years
ago. She doesn't want to kill a baby, she wants to interrupt
the growth of an embryo so that it will not become a baby. She
interrupts potential life. But potential life is just that,
potential.
It is interesting to note that these same people, who place
so much emphasis on protecting the fetus seem to care so little
about what happens to children after they are born. The vast
majority oppose government welfare programs to help support needy
and dependent children. These people are also in favor of the
death penalty and see the killing that goes on during war as
justified and noble.
My personal belief is that each woman should have a right to
decide whether she wants to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. For
reason's of women's right to self-determination, protection of
their health, adequate care of children which are born and in
order to prevent child abuse and mental disease, easy access to
abortion is a must. Most abortions occur because contraception
failed, because of a rape or because of a serious medical
condition of the mother which could lead to her death. In these
situations abortion is often the only way that prevents the birth
of an unwanted child or saves a mothers life.
Large percentage of women who have to deal with unwanted
pregnancies are teenagers. Pregnancy often has catastrophic
effects on adolescents. They drop out of school, have nervous
breakdowns, even commit suicide. It is also unsafe for them to
go through with pregnancy. Dr. Henry Morgentaler writes:
"Mortality among pregnant teenage girls is sixty percent higher
than among adult women, one of the reasons being that the
pregnancy depletes the resources that the need for their own
growth. Congenital malformations are also more frequent among
babies whose mothers are under eighteen" (Morgentaler, 32). Many
teenagers cannot provide the right conditions for raising a child
for they are children themselves. Having a baby will often mean
an end of future career, poverty and complications in health.
Another issue is when pregnant women are older. They no
longer feel prepared to shoulder an obligation of motherhood.
Most of these women already have grown-up children and sometimes
even grandchildren. From medical point of view their health is
also in danger: "Probability of complication during childbirth
and congenital malformations in the offspring increases
significantly after the age of forty. It is estimated that about
twenty five percent of Mongoloid children (Down's Syndrome) are
born to mothers over forty" (Morgentaler, 34).
The issue of rape has to be considered when we discuss the
importance for women of having a right to safe and legal
abortion. It seems obvious to most people that we should not
force a woman who has become pregnant as a result of rape to
continue with pregnancy. Catholic church and conservative pro-
lifers use the same old "murder argument" to not allow a woman to
have an abortion in case of rape. Many of them do not realize
the psychological trauma a woman has already gone through. They
are not seeing the human beings involved. They are only
concerned for unborn and have no concern for the born that is the
victim, her family and friends.
Most people now agree that if the mother's life is in danger
abortion is acceptable. It seems unreasonable to let both die
when one can be saved. There are many other situations in which
abortion can be morally justified. One thing is obvious. These
pregnancies were not planned and they are unwanted. Children
born to these mothers are "biological accidents". In my opinion
it is sinful to bring innocent and defenseless children into the
world when they will not be cared for. All over the globe these
are children starving, being raped, dying, being beaten up
because they're are unwanted. They suffer abuses from which
they never recover. Medical researches also show that unwanted
children whose mothers refused an abortion suffer from serious
psychological disturbances throughout their life (Morgentaler,
52).
Another reason why I believe that availability of choice is
vital for women is that if a woman decides to have an abortion,
she will do anything to end her pregnancy. This is the reality.
There is no such thing as a one hundred-per cent effective
contraceptive which of course results in unwanted pregnancies.
From the "illegal days" we know many ways in which women aborted
themselves. Many women would introduce caustic detergent
substances into themselves, producing major burns of the vaginal
wall and systemic poisoning. Others would insert a tablet of
potassium which led to serious lesions. Number of women tried to
dislodge their pregnancies by introducing knitting needles, coat
hangers, or other metal or wooden objects into their uteruses.
Some women threw themselves down flights of stairs, and some
pumped air into the uterus by means of a small pump used to blow
up bicycle tires. Illegal abortions were performed by people
with no or little medical knowledge, in back rooms, in a non-
hygienic environment. All this led to tremendous number of
deaths but did not stop the abortions. Anyone who thinks that
outlawing abortion makes abortion go away is a fool. It makes it
dangerous and it makes it shameful. Women will always get
abortions. And if we are truly concerned about human life, and
if this is not just a hollow slogan for us we should make
abortion safe and clean procedure instead of trying to make women
feel guilty.
Opponents of abortion seem to think that women who choose to
have abortions typically do so thoughtlessly. They do not know
that a decision in itself is already agonizing and a very
painful thing for a women. But can you really understand the
issue of abortion unless you have been in the situation of
possibly having one? What some people do not seem to understand
is that abortion is not an easy way out. This issue concerned
with badness, and if there is badness there is betterness and
worseness. Woman herself has to make a decision on which is
which. Many people try to force their beliefs on others and judge
them for their actions. These people need to judge themselves
before they start to judge others.
Abortion is a difficult issue when it is viewed from a
religious point of view. On one hand there is the Commandment
against murder, which begs the question of whether or not a fetus
is a human. There is a passage in the Bible which deals
specifically with the act of causing a woman to abort a
pregnancy. In Exodus 21:22-25 we read: " And if men struggle
and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet
there is no further injury, he shall be fined as the woman's
husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.
But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a
penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for
bruise". In this passage we find a woman losing her child by
being stuck by men who are fighting. Rather than it being a
capital offense, however it is looked as a civil matter, with the
father - to - be taking the participants to court for a
settlement. But, as we read on, if the woman is killed, a "life
for a life," then the men who killed her shall be killed. Some
have claimed that the life for a life part is talking about the
baby, but in this passage we also read "tooth for a tooth".
Fetuses/babies do not have teeth when they are born. Thus we can
see that if the baby is lost, it does not require a death
sentence - it is not considered murder. But if the woman is
lost, it is considered murder and is punished by death.
I do not want to say that abortion is Biblical, but I just want
to show that there can be arguments on both sides and a judgment
against people in God's name should be stopped.
The reasons why women have abortions vary. It may be a case
of rape, physical or psychological condition. A choice must
needs to be available to prevent the birth of unwanted children,
to avoid damage to the child as well as to safeguard the
emotional and physical health of women. Preservation of life
seems to be rather a slogan than a genuine goal of the anti-
abortion forces; what they really want is control. Control over
our behavior and power over women. Abortion is a tough choice
and the decision should be a personal one, without interference
of government or special interest groups. Losing safe and legal
abortion would mean reducing women to "childbearing vessels". It
would mean turning our backs on the technology we have, and it
will also devalue women as independent human beings. It would
bring more meaningless deaths from the illegal and self-induced
abortions and more pain for women.
God gave us freedom of choice and if He, as a God, gives all
of us this freedom, what right do we have to take it away from
women?

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