Abortion Research Paper

Kruti Patel
Mrs. Vorhis
Advanced Composition
15 October 2014
Abortion is not a Necessity

# of paragraphs: 7
# of words: 1809
# of parenthetical notations: 22
# of different sources cited: 7
# of direct quotations used: 3

“A woman’s decision whether or not to bear a child is one of the most intimate and important decisions she will ever make” (Ojeda 61). This quote, said by Ojeda, means that every woman has a natural right of their own body, and she can make the decision on whether or not she wants to receive an abortion. However, women should make the right decision because it is extremely important and will affect their life in the future. For several years, abortion has been and will be an extremely controversial subject not only in the United Sates but also in many other countries. Arguments against abortion are based on the belief that an abortion is the unwanted killing of an unborn child (Dale 15). Many issues pertain to an abortion, including whether or not it should be permitted by law. The government explains this idea in the case of Roe v. Wade and the right is also explained in the fourteenth amendment. Many women believe that if their health is endangered by their pregnancy, an abortion could be acceptable, whereas others find it acceptable if the child has a danger of being born with a serious mental or physical defect. Therefore, many women believe there are many reasons to abort a child with such fear of having or raising a child, rape, or maybe not having enough money to raise a child. However, whatever the situation might be, I agree to the fact that there is never an acceptable answer to receive an abortion. Abortion is an unethical practice of killing the unborn fetus, which should be outlawed because they are taking human life, not following government rights, and it could cause many complications to the mother. In order to fully understand the topic of abortion, a complete explanation is required. “If abortion is not wrong, nothing is wrong” (Teresa 39). This quote said by Mother Teresa means that if a person is not against an abortion, they will not be against anything else in life. Having an abortion is taking the life of an unborn child, which basically means that they are killing the embryo that becomes a human life from the time the ovum is fertilized (Hurley 25). However, I strongly believe that “the human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception, and therefore from the moment his rights as a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life" and, my thoughts are that abortion as a particularly grave is a moral disorder (26). Although many women who are for abortion do not realize the after effects until the whole procedure is completed. After the abortion process, a woman will experience mood swings and many might even have tears of happiness. Most women feel a number of different powerful emotions, but the women that are forced to have an abortion due to health issues might report depression, grief, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and regret. Other women might also report serious psychological effects after their abortion (Kliebert). After treatment, for certain women it is common to feel sensitive and irritable. However, "some women find that their hormones levels swing quite dramatically whilst their bodies adjust” after the procedure (“Risks of an Abortion”).
Procedures for an abortion vary according to the stage of the pregnancy; however, women are able to choose the procedure and treatment they want to receive. For the first procedure, which is within nine weeks into the pregnancy, two medicines are given. One to block the action of hormone progesterone and the second one to cause the lining of the uterus. The second procedure is before twenty-two weeks into their pregnancy where they use a vacuum aspiration, a dilatation and evacuation (“Risks of an Abortion”). The process of vacuum aspiration is the most common procedure in the United States for an abortion which is only done for the first six weeks. The procedure of dilation and evacuation is done in the second weeks of the pregnancy stage. All these procedures vary for every person and for every stage of pregnancy, similarly to the statics. One article showed that one out of 8,475 women die from pregnancy complications or while the procedures are taking place. Another is that around fifteen to twenty of every one hundred pregnant women require a caesarean delivery (Kliebert). This type of delivery is performed if the baby is flipped in the womb or if there are other issues with the baby. The statistics of an abortion vary similarly to the government rights over the topic of an abortion. The government rights and the court decisions on the topic of abortion all depend on the stage of a mother's pregnancy. For the first stage, which is prior to the end of the first trimester, the court’s decision is that the abortion decision must be left to the medical judgment. The court’s decision for the second stage is subsequent to the viability in which the state chooses to regulate abortion except where it is necessary; therefore, the state does have an important interest in protecting the health of pregnant women. In the court case of Roe v. Wade, the government established a right of personal privacy including the right of a women to determine whether or not they could bear a child. I think this right is tremendously important because in today's world most women do not want a child because they think that they are a pain to take care of and they are expensive. Hearing statements like this really hurt my feelings because they were a child once too, and their parents brought them into this world without thinking about the difficulties that come with raising a child. Therefore, I agree with this court case because the state could only allow an abortion if it is absolutely needed, but recently the state interest in protecting the life of the fetus is held to be limited, by the lack of social consensus (“14 Amendment”). Roe v. Wade also states the right of privacy and allows a women to decide for herself if she will have an abortion (Jacobs 15); however, this right is not followed in all of the states and foreign countries.
Before 1960, southern and eastern Europeans and African Americans used to raise children faster than people of English and Irish stock (Rubin 28). The Europeans and African Americans say that they have the duty to have children rather than to limit family size by receiving an abortion (28). However, in Eastern Europe, there is a concern about low birth rates (102), consequently from many women having abortions. In 1981, for most Muslim countries of Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe, abortion was prohibited without exception, and it was only permitted to save the life of the pregnant woman (100); therefore, every country in this world should have the same rules as the Muslim countries. Similarly, in 1981, the countries of India, Japan, United Kingdom, and some states of Eastern Europe only allowed abortion if there was a threat to the woman’s health, social conditions, housing problems, unmarried status, and income issues (101). Many women might run into income issues because abortions are not very cheap. They normally cost around four to five hundred dollars depending on the procedure. Others may also have a problem because their Medicaid would be restricted. The federal government and most states restrict Medicaid funding for abortion; therefore, problems like these make it hard for low-income families to afford an abortion (Ojeda 63).
Abortions also cause many complications in the future and these complication are even worse for the younger generation. Women that have an uncomplicated early abortion have a difficult time in the future to carry a later pregnancy to term. Other risks that could affect a mother in the future might be incomplete abortion, blood clots in the uterus, cut or torn cervix, or preformation of the uterus wall (Kliebert). All of these risks could affect a mother from becoming pregnant again, but certain women still carry out the abortion without thinking about these complications. There are also risks from natural causes as an abnormality in the embryo, a long-term disease, or other disorders (Jacobs 14). However, one of the highest risk after an abortion would be an infection (“Risks of an Abortion”), and several severe infections could also lead to death. These infections might be worse for teens because their body is not fully done growing. I think teens should only be able get an abortion if their pregnancy is at a risk, because if not they will have complications at a younger age. Also, teens should live a normal life without having risks in the future or risks that would lead to death. In at least twenty-two states they have parental-involvement laws in effect, when a teen needs to go through an abortion (Ojeda 49), so they do not make a big mistake without their parents knowing about it. The only good thing for women who have had a first full term pregnancy at an early age is that they have reduced risks of breast cancer. Therefore, people can see how there are more complications of an abortion than a positive effect in life. As I said earlier, many abortions could go wrong and might lead to death. The most common causes of death from an abortion are emboli, eclampsia, heavy bleeding, sepsis, cerebral vascular accidents, or anesthesia (Kliebert). All of these causes are not easy to handle as well as the complications.
In conclusion, abortions are an immoral way of killing an unborn baby; therefore, people believe the government should outlaw it. After all, they do take human life, disobey government laws, and harm the mother in the future. People supporting abortion do not realize that they are separating human life from personhood (Jacobs 15). As stated above, having an abortion is not a good idea because they take the life of an innocent that has not even been born yet. An abortion also might leave a mother feeling depressed, and later most mothers regret it. Mothers who want an abortion have to go through many different risky procedures that could harm them in the future. Abortions are also not cheap especially for the low-income families because the government does not allow them to use Medicaid. Thus, understanding that there are many differences of opinion concerning abortions, some people strongly believe that it is more than a choice to be made. Most people still believe the rights of women and believe they should have control over their own life, but others are for the rights of unborn babies. Therefore, most people strongly believe that abortions should never be done unless they absolutely must be done due to a mother’s health issue.
Works Cited
Hurley, Jennifer A. The Ethics of Abortion. San Diego: Bender, David L., 2001. Print.
Jacobs, Dale W. “Abortion.” World Book 2002. Chicago: Scott Fetzer Company, 2002, 25, 26, Print.
Kliebert, Kathy. “Department of Health and Hospitals.” State of Louisiana, Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
Ojeda, Daniel. Should Abortion Rights be Restricted. Farmington Hills: Szumski, Bonnie, 2003. Print.
“Risks of an Abortion.” Bpas- British Pregnancy Advisory Service: 2010. Web. 24 Sept.2014.
Rubin, Eva R. The Abortion Controversy. Connecticut: Praeger, 1998. Print.
“14 Amendment.” Justia US Laws. Justia Legal Marketing: 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.