Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region V
Masbate City Division
MASBATE NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Masbate City
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STANCE ON ISSUES CONNECTED TO ABORTION

POSITION PAPER

by:
-

In partial fulfillment of requirements in EsP 10 – Science and Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics (STEM)

S.Y. 2018-2019

MILDRED G. ALFIGURA
EsP 10 Teacher
II. Introduction

The legalization of abortion in other countries is one of the most controversial topics to

ever exist at the moment. The issues of abortion alone are already disputable, given the fact that

this is the removal of embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus, thus ending

pregnancy. As a student, I am often asked about my perspective with regards to abortion, and it

has been somewhat difficult to pick a side on this matter, taking religion-- and at the same time,

the current status of our society, into consideration.

III. Arguments on the Issue

On issues related to abortion, two stances arise:

(1) Pro-Life

(2) Pro-Choice

The Pro-Life stance opposes abortion and euthanasia. In this viewpoint, a fetus or an infant

is considered as a human being who has the right to live since the beginning of his/her existence.

To accept the fact that after fertilization has taken place a new human has come into being is no

longer a matter of taste or opinion (Lejeune, 1990). A full and intricate human genetic code is

present in an embryo which makes it unique to every other genetic codes. It is what makes a human,

human. This implies that aborting the fetus or infant violates God’s sixth commandment (thou

shall not kill) and is an immoral act. Every child is given the birthright to live in this world just

like every other child. The mother should take responsibility of her child under any circumstances,

bearing the child, wanted or not. Laws have been established against abortion such as Articles 256,
258 and 259 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines upholds the compulsory imprisonment

for 2-6 years of women who undergo abortion together with the person who assists in the

procedure. Abortion also induces psychological damage to those who undergo the process. It also

stops the future potential societal contributions of a would-have-been-born human. According to

WHO, there are approximately 40-50 million abortions taking place every year worldwide. There

is a possibility that the cure for cancer is in the mind of a baby that was aborted.

The Pro-choice stance fights for the fundamental right of women to decide whether she

will abort the baby. In contrary to the pro-choice stance, in this viewpoint, an unborn baby is not

considered as a living human being due to the fact that it has not yet been fully developed, and

therefore aborting it is not counted as immoral killing. This is the stance chosen by majority of

women who suffer from unwanted pregnancies because of rape and other sexual assaults. It

empowers women by providing them control over their own bodies. According to American

College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there is "no legitimate scientific information that

supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain." The modern abortion processes ensure safety

and are unable to cause long-term health issues such as infertility and cancer. Research show that

90% of women who have abortions are catholic, and 70% have some high school education.

According to the study of Steven D. Levitt, PhD, "legalized abortion has contributed significantly

to recent crime reductions." Since abortion in the Philippines is completely illegal. As a result,

women who want abortion resort to illegal and unsafe methods.

IV. Position on the aforementioned Issue

Pro-choice. My personal opinion on the issue is partly, if not completely, based on the

current status of our society wherein crime rate is increasing, overpopulation, and food and

material sources are rapidly depleting. According to the study of Steven D. Levitt, PhD, “legalized

abortion has contributed significantly to recent crime reductions." Majority of women who abort

their child are unable to support and raise one, and a child should not grow up in a world unwanted.

If a child is born in this era without any reliable parent, he or she is likely to be deprived of

education and other rights. He or she is also exposed to the cruel face of the world at a young age.

In 2016, the Philippine National Police recorded 299 crimes involving children below 9 years old,

and 822 crimes involving children with 9-11 years of age. These children, if not given the proper

education in determining which things are right and which are wrong, can grow up thinking that

committing crimes is acceptable and will continue committing crimes as they grow older. Children

who are forced to commit crimes suffer from poverty. They are prone to manipulative people and

involvement in disturbing acts such as child pornography, drug abuse, child abuse, etc. It would

be a shame giving the child a problematic life. A child should not live wanting to die.

In my opinion, if abortion is illegal, there should be sex education available in our country.

Teenagers should not be oblivious of these matters at hand. Unfortunately, the church forbids this.

Truth be told, many teens who are not willing to read about the cons of premarital sex learn about

sexual intercourse through pornography materials and such. The get the wrong idea and engage in

such inappropriate activities without minding the consequences of their actions. These children

who get involved in rape and sexual assault lack the knowledge thereof. And it is also because

they lack parental guidance. If not, then maybe because they are grouped with those who do.

Contraceptives in this case would have been a big help. Sadly, the church opposes to this as well.
 Imposing your ideas and the things which you think are right for you does not apply to

everyone. According to Jack Macdonald, “‘I can’t do that, it’s against my religion,’ is religious

freedom. ‘You can’t do that, it’s against my religion,’ is overreach.” If we consider religion alone

and disregard the other concerns at hand, it would be unruly to have a fixed decision.

V. Conclusion

In such concerns, there are always those who support and those who are against. In

matters connected to abortion, our stances are our choice. You can never tell someone they are

wrong unless you see things from their perspective. Both stances, the pro-choice and pro-life,

have equal points. If only there is a gray area between the stances, I would be in it. There is

always an exception on this matter, since I believe that aborting children should depend on the

given situation.
VI. References

Avanceña, A. (2013 July 02). A hard look at abortion in the PH. Retrieved from

https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/32710-abortion-philippines.

Singh S. et al. Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Causes

and Consequences, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2006.

Macaraeg, P. (2019 January 06). How Many Child Criminals Are There in the

Philippines? Retrieved from https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/children-crime-statistics-

philippines-a00287-20190129.

ProCon.org. (2018, November 9). Abortion ProCon.org. Retrieved from

http://abortion.procon.org/.