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Courtney Adams
Professor Rachele Dalton
English 1010 Proposal Paper
April 23, 2016
Abortion
Are you Pro-Life or Pro-Choice? No matter which way you see abortion,
it is and continues to be a big debate in the U.S. There are some who think
that abortion is escaping responsibility, escaping the consequences of your
actions while others think it is a womans choice with what she does with her
own body. There are many reasons on both ends on the argument of
abortion, some reasonable.
Abortion is removing a fetus or embryo before it has the ability to
sustain life outside of the womb. A fetus can be removed either by surgery or
with an abortion medication in the first two trimesters. With the medical
technology and modern methods used in abortions, they are known to be
one of the safest procedures when done correctly and legally. Abortion is a
safe medical procedure. The vast majority of women - 88% - who have an
abortion do so in their first trimester. Medical abortions have less than 0.5%
risk of serious complications and do not affect a woman's health or future
ability to become pregnant or give birth. (About)
Abortion is controlled at the state level. The states get to pick and
choose their regulations when it comes to abortion. There are currently 43

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states that prohibit abortion except in the case that it is needed to protect
the womans life or health. One of the big debates of abortion is funding, how
abortions are paid for. 17 states use tax money to cover the costs of
abortions and many who are anti-abortion have a huge problem with that.
They dont want to be paying for something they dont support without a
choice. However, 32 states and the District of Columbia prohibit the use of
state money to fun abortions unless medically needed. Some states dont
even allow private insurance companies to pay for a patients abortion.
Those against abortion compare it with murder. Some believe that an
embryo is alive once a seed is fertilized. Being alive means that its a human
being with feelings, its own body and a life to live. These people see abortion
as taking away a life and making choices for a person who didnt even get a
chance. Since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is
the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly
accepted idea of the sanctity of human life. No civilized society permits one
human to intentionally harm or take the life of another human without
punishment, and abortion is no different. (About) In the same article it was
argued that if an abortion is considered murder by some then why is vitro
fertilization seen as okay? The concept of personhood is different from the
concept of human life. Human life occurs at conception, but fertilized eggs
used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives and those not implanted
are routinely thrown away. Is this murder, and if not, then how is abortion
murder?

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Adoption is commonly argued to be a good alternative to abortion.

Sure, there are many people out there looking to adopt a child because they
may have infertility issues or some other reason. However, if a woman
mistakenly gets pregnant and knows she doesnt want the child, why would
she want to go through the pregnancy and have the possibility of suffering
from post-partum? Yes, there are some out there that would go through the
pregnancy and all issues to be able to give a couple the child theyve been
waiting for, but not all women would be willing or even able to do that. It is
the womans choice to give her baby up for adoption or to abort the
pregnancy. Adoption shouldnt be seen as an alternative, but rather just
another option.
Abortions are actually more common than most realize. 3 out of 10
women have an abortion by the age of 45. Abortions happen for many
reasons. Some of the top reasons include rape, incest, adolescence, poverty
and a threatening pregnancy to the woman. Other reasons woman get
abortions may be because they arent ready, or they dont want to be a
single parent. Women dont want to bring a child into the world when they
know they cant give the child the life it deserves, which is completely
understandable.
Pro-lifers would argue that in the case of rape or incest, its the
perpetrator who should be punished not the unborn child who did no harm.
There are medical procedures that can prevent a woman from getting

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pregnant in these cases. In reality, most women who end up in this situation
are too scared to speak up and let someone know what happened until they
find out theyre pregnant and its too late.
Many are against abortion because they believe that it is mostly
younger women, such as teenagers, getting abortions. Teen pregnancy rates
have been rising lately, which is what leads many to believe that abortions
are mostly teenagers. 60% of woman obtaining abortions are already
mothers. These are woman who already have at least 1 child and either her
body cant bear another pregnancy or she cant afford another child. There
are teenagers who get abortions, but with the world we live in today where
abortions are shamed, many younger woman are scared to get an abortion
for the fear of being judged by peers. Thats how it would have been for me if
I happened to get pregnant while in High School.
I propose that people mind their own business. Abortion is between a
woman, her fetus and her doctor. If a woman decides to abort her child and
end its life then so be it. ITS HER LIFE. I can promise that what a woman
decides to do with her body has absolutely no effect on you. There are
woman making choices concerning their bodies every second and I bet none
of these choices are affecting your life. Let woman make their choices and
stop shaming them for something you may not agree with. Every person is
their own, unique person with their own beliefs and views.

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Funding wise, I think that abortions should be like any other medical
procedure. Insurances can choose to cover it, leaving the patient with either
a co-pay or a co-insurance. Tax dollars should not be going towards abortions
or any medical procedures unless it is absolutely needed for the safety of the
woman/patient.
To get to the bottom of it, truthfully I dont think any states should
prohibit abortion. I think that abortion should be regulated federally. It should
be legal in all 50 states to woman of all ages. Minors would be required to
have parental consent, of course. Those who want or need an abortion
should be able to get it without problems. I do, however, think that there
should be a time limit on abortions. They should only be done in the first 4
months or unless medically necessary. Yes, a fetus is a human being and the
further along it gets the more it develops, including senses such as touch or
pain.
Abortion can definitely be argued from either side. But I think its time
that people worry about themselves than what others are doing with their
lives. Just tell me, how does a woman getting an abortion 4 states away from
you personally affect your life? Exactly, it doesnt. You meet people every
day and dont know their story. The girl that checked you out at the grocery
store today, the sweet cute one that seems like she has it all going on, well
she got an abortion last year. You never would have known if I didnt tell you,

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so why does it matter? Abortion doesnt change who a person is. So, are you
pro-life or pro-choice?

Works Cited

"Abortion Information | What Are Your Options?" Abortion | What Are Your

Options? Planned Parenthood, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

"Abortion." Guttmacher Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Lowen, Linda. "10 Common Arguments For and Against Abortion." About.com
News & Issues. About News, 06 Mar. 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

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"An Overview of Abortion Laws." Guttmacher Institute. N.p., 09 Mar. 2016.

Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Anderson, Carl A. "The Surprising New Normal in the Abortion Debate."
National Review Online. N.p., 01 Jan. 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.