Essay on Pros and Cons of Abortion

Abortion: Why or Why not Each year about 56 million abortions occur worldwide. The definition of abortion could be told as the termination of pregnancy usually around the first 28 weeks. The most common abortion is surgical. This process is done by using a suction device to remove the fetus and placenta in the first 6 to 16 weeks of gestation. The procedure lasts about 10-15 minutes and causes some side effects like nausea, cramping, and feeling faint. Another way is called medical abortion and this involves taking medication to induce an abortion. This is usually done in the first 7-9 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 depending on how far along the pregnancy is. Abortions go way back as early as 1550 B.C. when Egyptians used natural resources like plants and honey to induce abortion. Throughout history, abortions were not illegal if done before 25 weeks until the first state (Connecticut) stated that it was a crime in the year 1821. Connecticut banned the selling of abortion-inducing medication but did not punish a woman who took it. The first state to punish women who had abortions was New York in 1845. Abortions are commonly known and were not legal in the U.S. until the year 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court declared it a fundamental right in the Roe v. Wade case. Many different people have their own opinions on whether a woman should be able to choose to have a baby (pro-choice) and others say that it is immoral to not go through with a pregnancy (pro-life). There are pros and cons to getting an abortion. When considering if getting an abortion is right for you, the pros and cons should always be reviewed. Some say that it is against their beliefs or just wouldn't imagine hurting a baby. Others mention that being able to even have the choice of getting an abortion is life-changing. Heather Busby, JD, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, mentions in her article 'Abortion Is Healthcare,” that sometimes contraception can fail and things will not work out then it is a good idea to have the option of having an abortion. She states that abortions allow women to plan to have a baby and that it is better for them physically and emotionally. She supports her idea with evidence that most people who get an abortion have a positive outlook on the future and accomplish the goals they had set for themselves. She also adds that if women get denied the right to have an abortion it could danger their life by finding a different way to terminate the pregnancy. A group named Created Equal seeks to end abortion through social action, stating on a web page titled 'FAQs about Abortion,' that preborn children are not part of the woman's body because they have their own bone structure, blood type, and own genetic code. Do they argue that if we do not let a mother kill her born child by choice then why should we let a mother kill her preborn child by choice? Ellen R. Shaffer, Ph.D., MPH, Co-Director of the Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health stated that access to safe abortion is important in preventing deaths and disability among women due to pregnancy-related causes. She writes that each year, an estimated 22 million women and girls have an unsafe abortion. Her evidence states that 47,000 lose their lives and millions more suffer serious injury due to unsafe abortions. She mentions that the effects of unsafe abortions include the possibility of the mother dying, long-term complications from damage to reproductive organs, pelvic inflammatory disease, and the possibility of not being able to conceive again, as well as possible harm to a woman’s next child. Samuel B. Casey, JD, Managing Director & General Counsel of the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project, stated that he is pro-life because abortion inhumanely kills children including some of his own family members, physically and psychologically harms their mothers, and deprives fathers of their paternal identity and responsibilities. When I was young I did not really know what an abortion was until I was about 12 or 13 years old. My parents never really talked about it with me or any of my siblings. What I learned about it was passed on knowledge from teachers from school and classmates. We never spoke about it until my sister got pregnant at 19. She was young but not extremely young. She wanted to keep the baby because she could not imagine someone else raising her child and she did not want an abortion. This was not something that we would want to tell our mother that has been warning us for years to be careful about. My sister did not say anything to her until she could not hide her belly anymore which was around 3 - 4 months pregnant. When my mom found out she wanted my sister to get an abortion she believed that she was not capable of being a mom at such a young age and she believed that a child would not let her accomplish a lifelong career. This was the time when I realized that this topic was and still is overwhelmingly important and that many people have different opinions. This was the time that I declared myself pro-choice. Seeing how devastated my sister was arguing with my mom opened my eyes. Women all over the world should have the right to choose whether or not to have a baby. It's their own body and they are not hurting anyone. The option to be able to choose is so important in a case where a lady gets raped resulting in a pregnancy and not wanting to keep the pregnancy going is ultimately her choice. Lastly, the government and church especially should not be allowed to dictate what women should do when they get pregnant.