Abortion Pro-Choice: Considering Both Sides of the Debate

Here we will research the topic essays on abortion pro choice. Murder is defined as “the unlawful, premeditated killing of one human being by another”. Abortion is defined as “the intentional termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows women to put an end to their pregnancies, but involves killing the undeveloped embryo or fetus.” The parallels between these two definitions are striking. Murder is premeditated, abortion is intentional. Murder is the killing of one human, abortion is the killing of an undeveloped baby. The variable in the equation rests on the word unlawful. Murder is taken seriously in America, with the exception of abortion. Abortion can be debated in various ways because of different situations, but George W. Bush said it best, “While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryonic stem cell research. Even the noblest ends do not justify any means”. Abortion is not justified in any situation because it is directly disobedient to God’s Word, and qualifies as premeditated, unlawful murder.

One of the biggest questions when considering abortion as an ethical action is the debate of when life begins. Scientists say life begins at conception, while others say it begins during the fetus stage, or even at birth. The Bible clearly states in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations”. Psalm 139:13-15 says, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hidden from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth”. God demonstrates through two different Scriptures that life begins at conception. He has plans for everyone He creates, and for someone else to decide when to end their life is not only selfish, it is disrespectful. God validates this point through His Word, but science confirms this as well. Dr. Maureen Condic is an associate professor of neurobiology and adjunct professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine who stated, “A neutral examination of the evidence merely establishes the onset of a new human life at a scientifically well-defined “moment of conception,” a conclusion that unequivocally indicates that human embryos from the one-cell stage forward are indeed living individuals of the human species; i.e., human beings”. This point is the crux of the entire abortion argument. If life begins at conception, then having an abortion at any point during pregnancy, including the first trimester, is murder. Yet the courts do not agree that this is murder, and they refuse to consider a different point of view and the truth about when life begins.

Abortion is not a new or recent discovery. In fact, it has been going on for thousands of years. Women used to have abortions by drinking poison after the fourth month of pregnancy. Connecticut was the first state to put a ban on abortion in the early 1800s and was soon followed by at least twenty other states. After this, women had to get abortions either in secret or in a different country. Having an abortion was already risky, but going through the same process illegally made the procedure even more dangerous. They did not have the necessary tools or knowledge to have the operation done safely, or without licensed doctors and modern equipment. From 1967 to 1973 several states began to repeal their own abortion laws, the first one being Colorado. The legalization across all of America occurred in 1973 with the case of Roe v. Wade. The voices of women through the years were suddenly being heard and considered, which would change America and the growing feminist movement forever. The process of making abortion legal in the entire United States began in 1970 when some attorneys came to the side of Norma McCorvey, more commonly known as Jane Roe. McCorvey, a Texas native, wanted an abortion but was denied because the law stated that abortion was illegal unless it was to save the mother’s life. McCorvey decided to try to fight for her case. The attorneys filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, who was the district attorney for the county where McCorvey lived. The case was taken to the Supreme Court where the court ruled in favor of McCorvey. They claimed that the law against abortion was unconstitutional because of the 14th amendment, the right to privacy. The 14th Amendment section I. says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This decision marked the beginning of a new age. 'At the heart of the controversy in these cases are those recurring pregnancies that pose no danger whatsoever to the life or health of the mother but are, nevertheless, unwanted. ... I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the court's judgment. The court simply fashions and announces a new constitutional right for pregnant women”.

Abortion should never be an option. Through the years, there have been several arguments made to try to justify the decision to end the baby’s life. Some say abortion is valid if the mother’s life or health is in danger, while others say that no criteria are necessary. One of God’s ten commandments to the children of Israel was “thou shalt not kill”. The Bible says that the law of God is written on the heart of every man leaving him without excuse. Romans 2:15 says, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another”. This verse gives a warning to everyone about making choices-everyone will answer to the Lord for what they did in life.

There are many popular arguments both for and against abortion. Those that argue against abortion often point to an act passed in 2004 that is designed to protect unborn babies. “The Unborn Victims of Violence Act recognizes that when a criminal attacks a pregnant woman, and injures or kills both her and her unborn child, he has claimed two human victims. The bill would establish that if a “child in utero” is injured or killed during the commission of certain federal crimes of violence, then the assailant may be charged with a second offense on behalf of the second victim, the unborn child”. This essentially states that the government views the death of an unborn child as murder if it is committed by anyone other than the mother.

A popular argument often posed by pro-choice activists is their hesitancy to give birth to a child that has physical or mental challenges. Lack of financial resources, poor family support structure, and the emotional toll of having a child with disabilities are often used as a reason for abortion. Pro-choice doctors encourage terminating these pregnancies since the child’s mortality is more likely than a child born without these handicaps. Pro-life doctors encourage the birth of the baby, however, and will help the mother with options. Some of these options include financial resources, support groups, and adoption if the mother wishes to give up the child entirely.

There are several different ways to have an abortion, the main process resting on how far along the mother is. For the first trimester, the mother is typically going to have either a medical abortion or a methotrexate and misoprostol abortion. Medical abortion is medication in a pill form that blocks the hormone that the embryo needs to grow. This is the most effective way to have an abortion in the first trimester. The abortion is typically over within four to five hours, and completely over within two days. Since there is no procedure for this method, it can be done either at a clinic or at home. The second method for the first trimester is methotrexate and misoprostol. This is a cancer drug that stops embryonic cells from multiplying, just like it stops cancer cells from multiplying. Another way for an abortion to occur is vacuum aspiration. This is one of the most common ways to have an abortion, and sometimes the preferred method. This procedure takes place at the end of the first trimester and at the beginning of the second trimester. Vacuum aspiration is done by extracting the placenta and fetus from the womb. Although it seems complex, it only takes five to ten minutes to complete. This can be done at a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. There are many risks with each of these options for abortion. One of the scariest possibilities of the abortion going wrong is that the baby may not die. That baby will most likely live with the consequences of the decision gone bad for the entirety of its life. Some other probable issues are excessive bleeding, infection, and possibly an incomplete abortion, which would result in surgery to finish the abortion. Abortions are typically done in clinics or hospitals, but they can also be done at home if it is during the first trimester. Many prefer to have an in-clinic abortion because there is the security of the doctors and the nurses around until the procedure is over. Having an in-clinic abortion usually lasts five to ten minutes while taking a pill at home could take twenty-four hours.

Contrary to popular belief, abortion is traumatizing to the baby. During an abortion, the baby undergoes large amounts of pain. It is said that a baby can feel pain at twenty weeks. The methods that are used to abort a baby “The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn from limb from limb,” Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote of D&E abortions. “The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off”.

Stem cells are a large part of abortion. Stem cells are a special kind of cell that can develop into many different cell types while they are young. Because of their unique capabilities, they are extremely valuable and sought after. They can divide indefinitely to replace importantly damaged or dead cells. Stem cells are different from other cells in two aspects. The first difference is that stem cells are unspecialized. When a cell is unspecialized, it can change itself to become a specific functioning cell. The second distinction is that they can divide and become organ-specific cells to help out the entire organ instead of a specific part.

The major controversy with this subject involves how to obtain stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are considered some of the most valuable and useful because of their age and versatility. Many people believe that the best way to get these stem cells is to have an abortion. Unspecialized young stem cells are found in the newborn, and by killing the baby the stem cells can be used for older people to cure the dead and damaged cells. The opposite side of this argument is to collect stem cells from the placenta. This way is the most humane choice. By gathering those cells from the placenta, the baby can live, and the elderly can be helped.

The stem cell issue is a very controversial subject in the world today and there are also many different opinions on this. James Thomson argued, “The bottom line is that there are 400,000 frozen embryos in the United States, and a large percentage of those are going to be thrown out. Regardless of what you think the moral status of those embryos is, it makes sense to me that it's a better moral decision to use them to help people than just to throw them out. It's a very complex issue, but to me, it boils down to that one thing. If you really explain what's happening -- that these frozen embryos are ultimately going to be thrown out -- almost everybody except those that have to keep some kind of party line will say, 'What's the problem with this? We should go forward with this.' There are more good points for pro-life than there are for pro-choice on this subject.

In conclusion in our abortion pro choice essay, abortion is not an ethical or a smart decision. There are many risks that the mother takes when she decides to murder her child in the womb. Mother Theresa said, “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion' because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion?”.

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