Composition Abortion free essay sample

As well I would like to thank her for guiding us while we started to write this paper. Table of Contents Content Page Title page 1 Honor Pledge 2 Acknowledgments 3 Abstract 5 Abortion: A Man, a Woman and a Victim 6 References 2 Abstract This paper deals with abortion from pro-life perspective providing evidence and examples. It argues that abortion must not be legal as it sheds light on the harms that an abortion could cause. It goes on from discussing the dangers that threaten the well-being of the mother to the hardships that face couples who choose to abort a child as it finally establishes that abortion is a murder proving that there is life in the fetus. This paper refers to many studies, books and articles to provide the appropriate scientific back up to every claim. Abortion: A Man, a Woman and a Victim ‘No one wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg. ’- Frederica Matthews-Green. The reason why abortion is such a controversial topic hides behind the fact that it was illegal for a long time and is now becoming legalized in many parts of the world. As a matter of fact, abortion was practiced in almost every society in the ancient times. Evidence of abortions are as old as 3500 years. It was not until the early 19th century that many physicians, religious persons and social reformers first sought to ban abortion. Of course, many defend the new laws that are with abortion claiming it to be part of a woman’s rights to her own body, while many others argue that killing a fetus is as bad as killing a child. The two stands could be branched from two more general viewpoints: pro choice and pro life respectively. To be pro life means to believe that the government has the duty of preserving all human life no matter what the quality of life may be; in contrast, being pro choice means believing that all choices pertaining to one’s own anatomy should remain legal. Ironically, both view points are defending human rights, the only disagreement lies in what should be considered human life and what should not. However, these approaches are very theoretical and lack reality. Abortion is not: ‘an induced termination of pregnancy, involving destruction of the embryo or fetus’ as Websters New World Dictionary suggests. It is the termination of a potential human life which actually generates more torment than it does relief. By all means, abortion should be illegal all around the world because, in addition to all the dangers that threaten the well being of the woman and the couple, it is still murder. Most of the women who go into surgery or take a medicinal treatment to abort a child are not told about the risks they are taking. The physical, mental and emotional dangers that are triggered after such a process are far more serious than the repercussions of any other treatment. As Lalwani (2010) reported in her article â€Å"Post Abortion Side Effects†, surgical abortions could cause irreparable damage to the patient’s cervix or uterus. Furthermore Lalwani explains how hazardous general anesthesia could be when used to perform an abortion and how it could lead to cardiac arrests. Despite the fact that a surgical abortion seems scarier than a medical one (one that involves using a pill kill the fetus), the writer clarifies that the side effects of medical abortion could stretch out to infertility and death as a result of a whole bodily infection. Moreover, the effects on mental health are completely related to the emotional state of the patient. â€Å"There was clear evidence of a relationship in which rates of mental health problems increased significantly with increasing abortion-related distress. † (Fergusson, Horwood amp; Boden, 2009, p. 424) The research, based on information about 523 women, proved that women who have had an abortion were 1. 9-2. 0 times more likely to have negative reactions such as â€Å"major depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal ideation, alcohol/drug dependence, and a number of mental health problems† than women who have not. Infinite numbers of studies confirm that after abortion most women get suicidal ideas, some even give it a try. According to Dillon (2007), of the 65% of women who thought about killing themselves, 35% actually attempted to ‘abort’ their own lives. It is no mystery why any mother wouldn’t want to live after her child is killed. Who would want to live with not only the thought of having lost a child, but also with the feeling of guilt that constantly reminds them it was their choice that killed? Anyone who is human enough to feel love for another would feel extreme distress after such a procedure. No one wants to be in a situation where they have to make tough decisions, but the dangers of abortion make it clear that it is not a proper solution to any problem. The relationship of the couple is also affected by abortion because as much as the embryo is part of the woman’s life, it is also part of the man’s. No matter how much feminists make it seem like an unborn child is only the mother’s concern, the father also has a say in this. A woman has the right to do whatever she wants to her body, and she is free, but that fetus is a being on its own and part of the father and not just part of the mother. According to Shostak, McLouth, and Seng, (1984), many men (whose girlfriends or wives have had an abortion) felt that they were absent in the decision-making process. Many of them would have wanted to keep it—â€Å"Many broke down and cried during the interview†. If person M and person F were baking a cake together in person F’s oven, and F decided she did not like or want the cake anymore, does she have the right to throw it without M’s consent? M has put as much ingredients and effort in that cake and has the right to object. The fact that it was being baked in F’s oven makes no difference. When an unexpected pregnancy occurs and abortion is brought up, the world of the couple crumbles. If a single person can’t make up their mind when it comes to such a controversial subject, then how about two? The truth is, couples rarely mutually agree about performing an abortion, since there is always someone who’s reluctant about it and another who’s encouraging it. If a couple thinks having a child might destroy their relationship, then they should try having an abortion. In his PhD. Thesis, â€Å"Induced Elective Abortion and Prenatal Grief†, Gail Williams reveals that 80. 7% of women who have had an abortion weren’t even living with their partner (the father) after a couple of years. Couples hardly ever survive abortions, because while the woman is experiencing dozens of emotional complications, the man is trying to re-gain his masculine identity as a parent, a father. To make matters worse, the woman’s ‘sexual response’ usually radically lessens after an abortion for a number of reasons including physical problems and fear of another pregnancy. It is even professionally advised that women who have had an abortion refrain from any kinds of sexual activities (Pendergraft, 2009). All that leads to less communication between the couple due to the lack or the insufficient understanding of one to what the other is going through. Whether with respect to a woman, a man or both as a couple, an abortion is a very emotionally draining process. The way that people view abortion differs solely because of the way people perceive a fetus. Individuals who are pro choice believe that the embryo is not a human being until the mother is three months into her pregnancy. To them, the unborn child remains a part of its mother, and so it is part of her right as a human to act however she wishes with it. As Head argues in his article â€Å"Pro-life vs. Pro-choice†, â€Å"We value each other for social, emotional reasons; science does not tell us to do it. † It is as if those who are for abortion are simply for abortion because to them, science can’t prove the existence of human life in the womb before three months. However, and contrary to what they might think, all the scientific evidence of life before three months has been gathered. In his book â€Å"Abortion and the Meaning of Personhood†, Bajema(1974) states â€Å"Webster defines life in this way: The quality or character distinguishing an animal or a plant from inorganic or from dead organic bodies, which is especially manifested by metabolism, growth, reproduction, and internal powers of adaptation to environment. (p. 16). Even the zygote constantly experiences metabolism and growth, and the embryo develops reproductive organs as early as six weeks. Moreover, studies of fertilization in vitro have proven that a zygote as young as one week has a chance of adapting to the culture outside the mother’s womb. (Brown NA, Clarke D. O. , McCarthy A. , 1991, p. 245-253). And isn’t it alive? I think everyone can relate to the fact that where life exists, so does the instinct of survival. A fetus of less than 12 months still swims away from the curette (the loop-shaped knife that is usually used in pre-mature abortions) when it is inserted into the uterus – survival! How about the embryo which is aborted? What happens to it? It Dies. The fact that it dies means that it was alive before so. Some people argue that it is not human before three months. Well, it certainly is not a monkey. It has all the chromosomes and DNA of a human being. At as early as eight weeks, the embryo has developed hair, eyelids, and by the end if the ninth week, it starts to suck its thumb. (Willke, 1985). A fetus is as alive as any human being, and killing it should not be legal when homicides are not. Aborting a fetus is murder, and there is more evidence to prove it than needed. Abortion is many things, among those it is the taking away of a human life. Whether before or after twelve weeks abortion is a crime – a crime which people are rarely penalized for. Because of social pressures, humans are abolishing life. Mockingly, individuals defend the rights of those who are disabled and yet, if they could, some would kill them before they are even born. Abortion today is not limited by anything except time, and excuses vary from not being ready to have a child to not wanting an abnormal child. There are only excuses for mistakes, errors and wrong doing. And if abortion is not even a mistake, then homicide shouldn’t be a crime. Abortion cannot only be blamed on the parents; it should also be blamed on the doctors that perform such operations because they are the ones who have been sworn to do their best to preserve human life – abortion is really the opposite of that. And as Reagan R. said, â€Å"Everybody that is for abortion has already been born. † Mothers should be encouraged not to abort, but to love their unborn children as much as they love the ones they have born. After all, it’s only a matter of time. References Fergusson, D. M. , Horwood, J. L. amp; Boden, J. M. (2009) . Reactions to abortion and subsequent mental health. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 195, 420-426. Lalwani, P. (2010). Abortion: Side effects of abortion. Retrieved from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/abortion-side-effects-of-abortion. html Shostak, A. , McLouth, G. Seng, L. (1984). Men and abortion. New York: Praeger Publishers. Reisser, T. (2009). The effects of abortion on marriage and other committed relationships. Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change, 6, 4. Pendergraft, J. (2009). Post abortion: What to expect afterwards. Retrieved from http://www. articlesbase. om/womens-health-articles/post-abortion-what-to-expect-afterwards-880007. html Dillon, J. (2002). A path to hope  : For parents of aborted children and those who minister to them. Totowa, New Jersey: Resurrection Press. Head, T. (2011). Pro-life vs. pro-choice. Retrieved from http://civilliberty. about. com/od/abortion/tp/Pro-Life-vs-Pro-Choice. htm Brown, N. A. , Clarke, D. O. , McCarthy, A. (1991) Adaptation of post implantation e mbryos to culture: membrane lipid synthesis and response to valproate. Reprod Toxicol. 5(3):245-53. Willke, J. C. (1985). Abortion: Questions and answers. Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing.