Argumentative Paper

Jayleen Gutierrez
Nathanial Bork
PHI 21st
March 2013

Why Abortion is Immoral

In my paper I will be discussing and arguing against abortion. This subject can be a sensitive subject for many, depending on how one feels about it. I have always been against abortions will always be against such act. It is morally wrong in my eyes, regardless of the circumstances. My essay will set out an argument that will show a meaning, as well as any other argument in ethics that can show that abortion is, seriously immoral and that it falls under the same moral category as killing an innocent individual, human being. Many individuals that are not against abortions and fight for “abortion rights” often argue that a woman has a right to make a choice on what occurs within her body. The tacit assumption here, indeed, is that an abortion only involves the body of a woman and not the body of any other individual, such as that of the “fetus”. The tendency in this matter is to refer the fetus as an extension to a female’s body, at least until it comes to a point and stage of viability, if not all the way to the point of birth. However, is such a position defensible? How can one argue and question if a fetus is an actual human being or not. I believe that when a woman comes to face an unplanned pregnancy her main question is not “Is this a baby” with the assumed consequence that if she is aware that this is indeed a fact and is true, she will chose life. All women are aware and know, though often at the subconscious level, that a fetus is indeed a human being and that an unborn baby will be killed at abortion. Furthermore, that is the price a woman in such situation is willing to pay in her desperate struggle for what she believes to be her very survival. Emphasis on babies, whether it is a dismembered fetus or a happily newborn baby, will often deepen a woman’s sense of denial, isolation and despair, the exact same emotions and feeling that will lead the woman to choose to proceed with having an abortion. A female’s main and perhaps subconscious question is rather “How can I preserve my own life”. I believe that nothing good comes when a women encounters an unplanned pregnancy; a female must then weigh out and consider, then decide what will follow, which will then be an abortion, adoption or motherhood. The process in which a baby is formed is amazing in my eyes, at such an early stage a baby is pretty much fully developed. At only three weeks after conception the embryo, which to my knowledge is a baby; it’s heart begins to beat. Only two weeks after that a babies body begins to form, tiny arm and leg buds are developed; hands with webs between the fingers have formed at the end of the arm buds, finger prints are detectable and the face has a distinctly reptilian aspect. At six weeks the baby has two eyes on each side of its head; the front of the face has connected slits where the nose and mouth will eventually be. When the baby is then eight weeks, parts of the brain have begun to develop and at ten weeks the face looks human and the gender may be detectible via ultrasound. Now, at 13 weeks, the baby is three inches long and weighs about an ounce. Fingernails and bones have now been formed and can be seen. Over ninety percent of all abortions take place approximate around this time. How can a female take place in such a cruel act by killing their own baby when their unborn has developed to this stage? Knowing this information, how can someone still question it and ask if a fetus or an embryo is a human being? Of course it is! I was born in a Christian home and with many beliefs, which the average individual may not have or believe in. Christians believe that God implants a soul in a women’s body during the conception process. I was brought up and raised believing and being taught that an abortion is against God’s rules and that if one would commit such act, one would be considered a murder because you are literately killing a human being. I believe this because it is what God say’s “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”, this is found in Psalms 139:13. Over and over it is repeated in many scriptures in the bible where it clearly shows us that life is sacred to God. The battle over abortion rights is part of the age-old battle that dates all the way back to the fall of Satan. It represents the desire for God-like power and authority. I believe that abortion is just another way people play God. It does not matter in a case of rape nor to save the life of a mother; God does not allow his people to choose when morality applies. There are no good reasons for which God would order an individual to take another human beings life. Murder is not only wrong but such act will also intensify the agony that the woman suffers already. God never promises that life will be easy but even in the midst of the hardships; he calls us to certain standards. They are non-negotiable. This is what I believe and stand for. After doing so much research, I have come to learn a lot more about abortions and how one really takes place. Many individuals may think that having an abortion is simple, fast and to the point, however, that is not the case. There are actually three types of abortions that exist and three different ways one can commit such act; which is horrible. The procedure used varies largely upon the stage of pregnancy and the size of the unborn child. At an early stage of development suction abortions are performed using a tube, requiring dilation of the cervix. This procedure would be called menstrual extraction, which is suction from the uterus; this procedure is said to be the bloodiest and takes a longer period of time then those from the abdomen. In this procedure, the abortionist injects a tube that is twenty-nine times more powerful then a regular household vacuum cleaner; this then sucks the baby out. The hose frequently jerks as pieces of the unborn baby become lodged in the tube. Once the suction is complete, a nurse must then reassemble the babies body back together, to make sure all the body parts of the unborn baby were removed. Salt poisoning is used after sixteen weeks of pregnancy once enough fluid has accumulated. The abortionist injects a long needle with powerful salt solution through the mother’s abdomen then directly into the amniotic sac which is the fluid surrounding the baby; the baby then breathes and proceeds to swallow the poison, struggling and even sometimes convulsing. The corrosive effect of the salt solution will often burn and strip away the outer layer of the baby’s skin, which then exposes the raw, red, glazed-looking subcutaneous layer of the tissue. It normally takes somewhat over an hour for the baby to die from this procedure. Within twenty-four hours labor will usually set in and the mother will give birth to a dead baby. However, there have been cases where the baby is born alive. The baby is usually then left unattended to die; a few have survived and later been adopted. Lastly and used mainly in the last three months of pregnancy is a hysterectomy or cesarean section, the womb is entered by surgery through the wall of the abdomen. The abortionist then kills the baby by cutting their umbilical cord; this then cuts their oxygen supply causing the baby to suffocate. Another procedure, which I also became aware of, is called partial birth abortion. It is guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby’s legs with forceps; the baby’s legs are then pulled out into the birth canal. The abortionist then delivers the baby entire body, except for the head; following that they jam scissors into the baby’s skull and are opened to enlarge the baby’s skull. The scissors are then removed and a suction catheter is inserted; the baby’s brains are sucked out, causing the brain to collapse and the dead baby is then removed. Besides knowing and learning how horrific these procedures are and how cruel and torturing it is for the baby, mothers will also most likely experience many health issues subsequent to the abortion. According to The American Pregnancy Association (APA) The physical side effects after an abortion will vary depending on each woman. Following from two to four weeks after the abortion it is possible to experience vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, spotting and nausea. There are also more serious complications that can follow after an abortion as well, which can be infection, damage to the cervix, heavy bleeding, scarring of the uterine lining, perforation to the uterus, damage to other organs and even death. Many women have no idea and fail to educate themselves on all the risks that can follow after having an abortion. Not only will a female be affected physically but mentally as well. I think it is impossible for a woman to be able to move forward with her life without the guilt of the act she has committed. Killing her own beloved child is the worst thing anyone can do. Post- abortion dangers can haunt a woman in various amounts of ways. Following an abortion one can feel regret, guilt, anger, shame, loneliness, insomnia, depression and anxiety, these are only naming a few potential emotional and psychological side effects a woman can encounter and experience. Per APA, according to some females going through an abortion affected them more then they may have believed. A female who has been involved in an abortion can dramatically suffer afterwards; unlike a woman who has never committed murder and had an abortion. All females who have decided to be sexually active should look at all the possibilities one can encounter by being involved in such act. What can occur and what can be the outcome by being sexually involved? What are the risks? Anyone who has made the decision to be sexually active should also be aware of all sexual transmitted diseases (STD) that exist and how one can prevent themselves from encountering such disease and protect themselves. There are many sexually transmitted diseases that live and are present in our society today; some can even be deadly, like human immunodeficiency virus, which is also known as HIV. Although not all diseases are deadly they all can cause great harm and illness to oneself. Some examples would be gonorrhea. Chlamydia, genital warts and herpes, this is only naming a few but are all sexually transmitted diseases. I feel that many women become pregnant carelessly and then feel their only way out is by having an abortion. Many fail to realize how serious it is becoming pregnant until one is in that situation. If a female is being sexually involved she should be responsible and mature enough. If a female is aware that she is not ready to have a child then she should practice a birth control method. There are many ways a female can prevent herself from being pregnant, she can use a condom, take birth control pills, have a mirena placed insider her uterus, take a shot or simple not be involved sexually. Why should a female kill her child when it can easily be prevented and save a babies life. There should be a law in place, which makes abortions illegal. If a women does not want her child or can not support it for whatever the reason may be, then it should be mandatory for her to have her child and then put him or her up for adoption. This would then make our society think more in depth of becoming sexually involved without using the necessary safety measures to prevent pregnancy. Another factor I believe that should be in place is the education and knowledge of the process and formation of a baby. Everyone should be aware of how fast a unborn baby is developed, I believe many females fail to know and rather not be informed of where the baby stands inside the uterus, how much they have developed and formed in such a short amount of time. If everyone had knowledge of all this information prior to going through an abortion I believe many females would re consider such act and not follow through with killing their baby. Many individuals argue that abortion is acceptable if a female in financially unstable, unable to take care of her unborn child or if she was raped. If this is the case, I believe a woman should then consider putting her child up for adoption. Why would one kill her own baby instead of allowing another loving family to take the baby in and provide a nourishing and hostile home? That to me, is being selfish. There are many females and couples throughout our society today that can not have children, many have tried numerous of times to become pregnant and have been unsuccessful. Yet, there are females who easily become pregnant without planning it and decide to kill their baby. Why can’t we give these babies the opportunity to be born and have a life? This would then allow other people who would enjoy and love to raise a baby to finally get the fortune to become parents and raise a child. How can someone be so selfish and take a babies life and not allow then to live, everyone should put themselves in the unborn babies place and think, what if that baby was them. How would one like being killed and not getting the chance to live? Per The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, statistics have come to show that worldwide the number of abortions per year is approximately forty-two million; this is absurd. The number of abortions per day is approximately one hundred and fifteen thousand. Statistics also show that fifty-two percent of abortions are being committed by woman ages twenty-five and younger. Another factor that I was astound by is knowing that it is also shown that an estimated forty-three percent of all women will have at least one abortion by the time they are forty-five years old but not only that, forty-seven percent of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion. This just proves that all these females fail to have any type of morals within themselves and are low enough to commit such at over and over without having any guilt. These females should be punished and justice should be served. How can any individual be so heartless and cruel? It is certain and to my knowledge there is no question about it, that, abortion is immortal and should be illegal. There is no doubt that an embryo or fetus should be considered anything else but a baby, a human being. Any woman should be punished for aborting her own child and this world should take away and suspend any equipment that is used to kill these innocent and wonderful little angels.