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Austin Haire Professor Ott English 1A/ Essay 2 22 February 2012 A Killer Subject: Abortion In his essay, What I Saw at the Abortion, Dr. Richard Selzer writes about his experience witnessing an abortion for the first time. He seems to simply state the process of an abortion, giving a step-by-step operation of how it is performed. He doesnt seem to be trying to persuade us about abortion, but more of telling us what it is like to see life end before it even begins. Selzer is fair and balanced when he writes because as a surgeon, he does not really seem to have a side to take or bias to choose. He just explains it medically to make it fair for both sides. Since Selzers tone seems to be like someone telling a story, it feels like it is not persuasive, but more of a narrative instead. In his essay, Selzer says What I am saying is that I have seen and I am used to seeing. It is as if Selzer is just doing his job and does not care about one side or the other. In this essay, Selzer watches an abortion yet his feelings do not interfere with his ability to go through with the operation. As stated before, it would seem as if he has no preference on abortion. As a surgeon, Selzer just does what he is told to do (in this case watch the operation). As he is listening to the woman during the operation, Selzer sees that she is quite comfortable, making her feel more easy about going through this operation. When it comes to abortion, arguments can come from everywhere and from the most extreme sides. One person might say that abortion is murder, whereas someone

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else might say that its every womans choice to do what she wants with her body. But who is to say that abortion should be illegal? In Sandra Kays essay A Pro Choice Perspective, she explains the experience of being a pregnant teen at the age of fifteen and how traumatic it is emotionally as well as physically. It is so traumatizing, in fact, that some pregnant teens will commit suicide in order to avoid confrontation and ridicule from their parents. Kay says without access to legal abortions, suicides will increase and women will resort to dangerous, life-threatening, self-inflicted abortions. I have zero doubt to the truth of this. Without any possible treatment or options, a pregnant teen may feel they have no choice but to take their life. Is that what we want for our daughters? Let us take a look at another scenario: what are we to do about a woman who is raped by a complete stranger? According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 million abortions have been performed since 1973, and one percent of those have been because of rape or incest. Studies also show that approximately only about a quarter of rape or incest victims actually get an abortion, the remaining three quarters too traumatized to say anything. If we do the math, that comes out to about 160,000 rape pregnancies in 35 years. If she is forced to go through the entire pregnancy, then do we want this baby to live a life with no supporting father, especially if he is a rapist? Many would argue that we are not a society that would want a traumatized woman to live through this. A woman has every right to do what she wants with her body. If she can choose the way she dresses, what she eats, or how much she exercises, than why not let her choose to have an abortion? It is her body, and she has every say in what she does.

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Nobody else should tell her what to do. Nobody tells men what to do with their bodies, so what makes women the exception? For ages, women have had little say in what affects them the most including child laws, abortion, and other important programs. As politics tries to overtake certain programs, many people are devastated, women being a big group. Their choices seem to no longer be their opinion anymore, just what the government feels is right. A womans body is her own, not someone elses. If she feels like an abortion is in need, then she has every right to do so. To add, some women become less depressed and have less anxiety after an abortion because of the weight lifted off their shoulders. As we move into a society where sex is more and more recreational, women aging from their teens up to their mid-forties are getting pregnant and sometimes must be forced to abort their pregnancy and have an abortion. As such, the battle between pro-life and pro-choice is being waged every day trying to determine which should be law and which should be banned. As medicine and medical safety also improves, women have easier surgeries with abortion, leading to fewer fatalities on the operating table. If this is the case, why not make it allowed for everyone? If we are advancing technologically, then we should take advantage of it and use it to the best of our ability. Abortion is the most popular surgery in the country, and as it is safer more and more women will be relying on its efficiency. If the price was raised just a small amount, everyone would be in a good situation. More money for the doctors, safer results for the patients, and less worry for everyone is exactly what we need. Pro-choice is a definite boost to the medical field, as well as our economy. Yes, it may seem wrong extracting a fetus from the inside of its mother, but that is the circle of life these days. Sometimes,

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the fetus might not even be fully developed or have a growth defect, leaving abortion as the only option. As debates grow between choice and life, a question is being asked by women all around the world: Do I get a say in any of this, and what are my options? Give a woman options. Give her a chance to decide what she wants to do with her body. After all, its hers and hers alone. People need to respect that.