Abortion Should Be Restricted

The number of abortions today is almost 1.5 million a year, which is about 30% of all pregnancies (McConnell). Too many women are getting abortions as a means of birth control. The Supreme Court needs to restrict abortions to women who have been raped, been victims of incest, if the child will die at a young age, or if the woman's health is in danger. By reading this paper, the reader will gain an understanding of why abortions need to be restricted. Although abortions are necessary they need to be limited. Too many women are getting abortions as a way of birth control. In 1967 Colorado and California legalized abortion. By June, 1970, when the State of New York passed the first Abortion on Demand Law, which was a law stating no woman can get an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, it became the 16th state to allow abortion. Alaska and Hawaii had liberal, or unrestricted, laws. Laws in the other 12 states, which included Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia, were very restrictive. They usually allowed abortions to be performed only for pregnancies due to rape, incest; or if the life of the mother is endangered, as well as for severe fetal handicap. Today, of all the pregnancies, 30% are aborted. Of the 1.5 million abortions a year, 18,000 of which, were 22 weeks or older when aborted. Less then 10% were between 13 and 20 weeks, and 88.8% were 12 weeks and under. Unbelievably, about 45% of all abortions are repeats, or abortions by a women who has already had at least one abortion prior (Willke,17). The effects of abortion on the mother are horrendous. In a study of post-abortion patients only 8 weeks after their abortion, researchers found that 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor (Willke). Unfortunately, these women

Cited: Bradley, Ann. "Aborting a Handicapped Fetus is Ethical." Opposing Viewpoints. Sept. 2001. Cunningham, Gregg. "Aborting a Handicapped Fetus is Unethical." Opposing Viewpoints. Jan 2001. Greenberg, Paul. "Aborting a Handicapped Fetus is Unethical." Opposing Viewpoints. Jan 2001 McConnell, Michael. "Abortion Should Be Restricted." Opposing Viewpoints. Sept. 2002 Willke, Dr. and Mrs. J.C. "Why Can 't We Love Them Both?" Abortion Facts. 1998. heritage House 76, Inc..