definition of Abortion
When is a life considered a life? According to dictionary.com, abortion is defined as “the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.” People often debate whether or not abortion is morally right. They often dispute if aborting an embryo or fetus is considered taking a life.
Abortion is legally allowed during any time of a pregnancy, but is at least risky during the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy. So, when is a life considered a life; is it when that baby takes its first breath, when their organs grow, or from the moment when the egg and sperm procreate? BabyCenter.com has a week by week progression of a pregnancy. Around week five of a pregnancy a baby is about the size of sesame seed but, has a brain, spinal cord, the start of a circulatory system, and a beating heart. By week nine the baby’s tail is gone, and looks more like a human. The baby is about the size of grape and weighs a fraction of an ounce. Although they are still extremely tiny, they are beginning to have defined facial features, limbs, and fingers. During week twelve, a baby’s kidneys start producing urine. The baby now has finger nails and can clench its hands. Around this time, you may even start to feel the baby kick. If a baby has all these features just during the first twelve weeks of a pregnancy, imagine how developed they are by week 20. As said by neurologist Dr. Paul Ranalli and mmcl.org babies can physically feel pain by 20 weeks old. He said “At 20 weeks, the fetal brain has the full complement of brain cells present in adulthood, ready and waiting to receive pain signals from the body, and their electrical activity can be recorded by standard electroencephalography (EEG).” (www.mmcl.org) I think that if a baby can feel pain, they are alive. Things that aren’t alive can’t feel pain, they don’t’ have limbs, and don’t have functioning organs. A baby has multiplying cells and DNA. There is no definite universally accepted explanation
Abortion is legally allowed during any time of a pregnancy, but is at least risky during the first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy. So, when is a life considered a life; is it when that baby takes its first breath, when their organs grow, or from the moment when the egg and sperm procreate? BabyCenter.com has a week by week progression of a pregnancy. Around week five of a pregnancy a baby is about the size of sesame seed but, has a brain, spinal cord, the start of a circulatory system, and a beating heart. By week nine the baby’s tail is gone, and looks more like a human. The baby is about the size of grape and weighs a fraction of an ounce. Although they are still extremely tiny, they are beginning to have defined facial features, limbs, and fingers. During week twelve, a baby’s kidneys start producing urine. The baby now has finger nails and can clench its hands. Around this time, you may even start to feel the baby kick. If a baby has all these features just during the first twelve weeks of a pregnancy, imagine how developed they are by week 20. As said by neurologist Dr. Paul Ranalli and mmcl.org babies can physically feel pain by 20 weeks old. He said “At 20 weeks, the fetal brain has the full complement of brain cells present in adulthood, ready and waiting to receive pain signals from the body, and their electrical activity can be recorded by standard electroencephalography (EEG).” (www.mmcl.org) I think that if a baby can feel pain, they are alive. Things that aren’t alive can’t feel pain, they don’t’ have limbs, and don’t have functioning organs. A baby has multiplying cells and DNA. There is no definite universally accepted explanation
Cited: Dr. Pendergraft. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.womenscenter.com/abortion_stats.html Ertelt, S. New study shows 85 percent of women say abortions cause mental health issues [Weblog message]. Retrieved from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377814/posts (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_law/ (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-12-weeks (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abortion?s=t (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-12-weeks (2012, 8 20). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/08/20/159392690/examining-the-truth about-rape-and-pregnancy