ABORTION 1

ABORTION

Name

Lincoln technology institute

Mrs. Mowry

GEN109

Date
ABORTION 2

Abstract

The abortion debate majorly deals with the right and wrongs of consciously terminating

pregnancy before normal childbirth, getting rid of the fetus in the process. Abortion is a very

throbbing subject matter for both women and men who face the moral predicament of whether or

not to end a pregnancy. It is one of the most critical moral concerns that the human race has to

face. Abortion refers to a medical procedure that terminates pregnancies by extracting the fetus

or embryo from the uterus before its birth. “Even if a fetus is not a person, abortion is immoral”

(Hendricks, 2019). Abortion is however a common solution intervention for millions of women

and teenage girls around the globe who become pregnant ‘unknowingly’ or ‘unwantedly’.

According to research, between 2015 and 2019, nearly 121.0 million pregnancies were reported

annually. Among these are 64 unplanned pregnancies per 1000 women between the age of 15

and 49, ultimately ending in abortions (Bearak et al., 2020).

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In the 20th Century, most of the Western countries started to modify abortion laws or put

further regulations on the practice. During that time, there were anti-abortion movements,

popularly known as pro-life movements, led by groups of individuals against abortion on moral

grounds (Avanza, 2018). Additionally, medical professionals who were unsettled by the jeopardy

brought about by the procedure, and constant involvement of non-medical and unqualified

personnel in executing abortion fervently opposed the procedure. However, by the half of the 20th

century, different countries had begun to loosen abortion laws, at least when executed, to

safeguard women's lives. According to Petrone (2020), under Vidlamir Lenn's rule, the Soviet

Union set off to be the first state to legalize abortion. However, in most countries in the world,

abortion is legal under certain conditions and restrictions

The resolve to have an abortion is hardly ever made lightly. The vehement public

discourse can make the abortion decision even harder. More often than not, abortion opponents

denounce people with unplanned pregnancies. They point out it is reckless, and those involved

should have used birth control. The most often mentioned reason for abortion is financial

capabilities. Nearly six percent of women in the US stated it as their only concern, and 38%

mentioned general financial worries (Biggs et al., 2013). A small percentage of women reported

that unemployment and under-employment, to a great extent, propels women to seek an abortion.

Approximately 36% of respondents in the study conducted by Briggs depicted concerns relating

to timing. Most of the time, women are not emotionally ready for a child. This is brought about

by factors such as education and career (Biggs et al., 2013). However, it is important to note that

there are two significant types of abortion: induced abortions and spontaneous abortions. Induced

abortions are performed purposefully to get rid of the unborn baby, while spontaneous abortions

are commonly referred to as miscarriages.

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However, before having an abortion, it is of utmost importance to understand the

potential repercussions it could have on one’s body and future health. Abortion causes

debilitation of the cervix which enormously increases a woman's possibility of pre-term

deliveries. Peelen et al. (2019) argue that induced abortion increases the risk of pre-term birth by

approximately 25%. On top of that, excessive bleeding is also a major complication during the

procedure. Bleeding occurs one in every 1000 abortions and in severe cases, blood transfusion

may be required. Excessive bleeding most of the time occurs during non-medical procedures.

In conclusion, as clearly illustrated above, abortion is a very controversial topic.

Therefore, several considerations must be made before making the final decision about abortion.

Abortion goes against the right to life that the fetus has, and just because it cannot advocate for

itself does not make the act right. However, it can be argued that every woman has the right to

decide whether or not to bring life into earth. According to a quote by William Brennan “The

right to privacy also includes the right of any individual, whether married or single, to be free

from intrusion concerning the issues of bearing a child!” (McThomas, 2013) This makes

abortions a big dilemma because on one side of the coin, we have the right to life of the fetus,

and on the other, the other freedom to choose by the mother. People with different ideologies,

customs, beliefs, and values view abortion from a different point of view. However, it is safe to

conclude that abortion is unethical and dangerous. The act is a violation of the right to life since

life begins after inception and anyone who willingly ends the life of an unborn child can be

considered to have committed murder. The health and psychological effects associated with

abortion are plenty and we should therefore shun the practice.

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References

Avanza, M. (2018). Plea for an emic approach towards ‘ugly movements’: Lessons from the

divisions within the Italian pro-life movement. Politics and Governance, 6(3), 112-125.

https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1479

Bearak, J., Popinchalk, A., Ganatra, B., Moller, A. B., Tunçalp, Ö., Beavin, C., ... & Alkema, L.

(2020). Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of

abortion: estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019. The Lancet Global

Health, 8(9), e1152-e1161.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X20303156

Biggs, M. A., Gould, H., & Foster, D. G. (2013). Understanding why women seek abortions in the

US. BMC women's health, 13(1), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1472-6874-13-29

Eschenbach, D. A. (2015). Treating spontaneous and induced septic abortions. Obstetrics &

Gynecology, 125(5), 1042-1048.

https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/2015/05000/Treating_Spontaneous_and_Indu

ced_Septic_Abortions.5.aspx

Peelen, M. J., Luef, B. M., Lamont, R. F., de Milliano, I., Jensen, J. S., Limpens, J., ... & PREBIC

Biomarker Working Group. (2019). The influence of the vaginal microbiota on pre-term birth:

A systematic review and recommendations for a minimum dataset for future research.

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0143400418312062

Petrone, K. (2020). Gender in Russia and Eastern Europe since World War I. A Companion to

Global Gender History, 577-592.Rights, 18(1), 1-10.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119535812.ch35
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Sanger, C. (2018). About abortion. In About Abortion. Harvard University Press.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.4159/9780674977297/html

McThomas, M. (2013). The Dual System of Privacy Rights in the United States. Routledge.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203076958/dual-system-privacy-

rights-united-states-mary-mcthomas

Hendricks, P. (2019). Even if the fetus is not a person, abortion is Immoral: the impairment

argument. Bioethics, 33(2), 245-253.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bioe.12533