Abortion Debate

Opening statement: Abortion should not be legal after the first trimester of a
pregnancy. We present this statement for many reasons which will be addressed later,
but before I start heres a story written by a 23 year old woman on September 27th,
2016. I had an abortion a few weeks ago, and I regret it so badly!! I've been dating this
guy for two years, and he and my mom convinced me to abort. Now I don't know what
to do; I can't sleep at night. I have to take pills to fall asleep because all I think about is
how I took my babys life! I thought everything would go back to normal because I've
had a miscarriage before and felt fine afterwards. I never felt too sad about it, but this
time is so much differentI guess because this is my fault. I don't know where to go
from here. If anybody is considering having an abortion, please don't!! You will regret it,
and it will affect you! Abortion is not the answer. Therefore, abortion should not be legal
after the first trimester.

Statement 1:
Topic sentence: There are other options besides abortion.
Evidence: Adoption is a great alternative. Pregnancy related expenses are paid for by
the adoptive family which may include medical care and living expenses like rent,
utilities, maternity clothing, food, prenatal vitamins and any other medical expenses not
covered by the mother's insurance or medicaid. On the other hand depending on how
far along the mother is in the pregnancy, an abortion ranges between costing about
$500 - $2000. That doesn't even include the additional cost of the ultrasound, morning
after pill, birth control or any further medical treatments should an infection occur.
Abortion is not the solution. When women are faced with an unplanned pregnancy most
are scared and want the problem to disappear. In fact, in a 2005 study by the
Guttmacher Institute, women were asked to provide the main reasons why they chose
abortion and 74% said it was because they felt having a baby would dramatically
change their life. This issue could have easily been solved by putting the baby up for
adoption rather than terminating it. Abortion has many psychological consequences
since it ends with a death instead of giving a life. It causes them to feel shame and guilt
about their choice. They will remember taking away a life and not ever getting the
chance to go back because abortion is final.

Statement 2:
Topic sentence: If the baby has a heartbeat, then abortion would be considered
murder.
Evidence: Abortion is basically killing an innocent baby that is alive in its mothers
womb. Pro-abortionist would say that the baby isn't alive and not even aware but in
reality it's heart and brain are the first to develop. The earliest reactions to painful stimuli
motor reflexes can be detected at 7.5 weeks of gestations. MK, a student nurse in
France tells a story about a baby born alive after an abortion , The child was born alive
and to prevent it from crying, the doctor quickly covered his face. He was still breathing
and was fully formed. Five minutes later the doctor came back and grabbed a syringe ,
then pierced the baby in the heart. The child during the injection, moved all its
members. If a women didn't want to get pregnant she should have been on birth control
or used the correct protection. Why should abortion be legal if it causes an innocent
human their life?

Statement 3:
Topic sentence: Abortion can result in medical complications later in life.
Evidence: Abortion can have major medical impacts on the mother of the child. When a
woman gets an abortion, she puts herself at risk for pelvic infection, blood clots, a cut or
torn cervix, a puncture or tear in the wall of the uterus, and also an increased risk of
being unable to bear a child in the future. Aside from physical complications, abortion
can also be a very emotionally and psychologically draining process that can differ from
each woman. The affirmative side may argue that abortions, in some cases, are
necessary in saving a womans life, but former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino, who
has committed over 1200 abortions in his life, testifies that abortions never have to be
committed to save the mother. During his time at Albany Medical Center, he managed
hundreds of such cases by terminating pregnancies via delivery by c-section, to save
the mothers life. In all those cases the number of unborn babies he had to kill was zero.
Although this procedure may result in the death of the child, not being able to save the
baby because of lack of technology is entirely different than directly killing them through
the process of abortion.

Statement 4:
Topic sentence: For the women who demand complete control over their body, control
should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy.
Evidence: Often times, an argument for abortion includes the fact that woman should
have complete control over their bodies- which is absolutely true and should not be
taken away under any circumstance. However, if a woman doesn't want a child, she
should take the proper precautions to ensure she doesn't get pregnant in the first place.
Pro-abortionists may say that women may not have enough money to pay for protection
against pregnancy, but birth control pills cost between $5 to $50 a month depending on
the type and these are available at nearly every drug store. Also, if a women isn't able to
afford birth control pills how would she be able to pay for an abortion which can cost
over $500? If a woman doesn't want a child so bad that she is willing to have an
abortion to rid of it, she should do whatever she needs to prevent the risk of unwanted
pregnancy first and foremost.

Rebuttal #1:
You said The risk for pregnancy after rape is approximately 6%-7%. There is an
estimated 25,000 rape-related pregnancies per year in the United States; if every
woman who was raped took emergency contraceptive pills, which work by delaying and
preventing ovulation, these pregnancies would decrease by 90% and these pills can be
effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex. You may say that EC isn't available to all
woman, but it is. EC is now commonly available over the counter and is available to
women of all ages without identification and is a much easier and safer solution than
abortion.

Rebuttal #2
A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that 10 percent of
mental health problems among women, including 35 percent of suicidal behaviors, may
be attributable to abortion. The study also found that women who had abortions were
81% more likely to experience mental health issues and 6 times more likely to commit
suicide than a women who did not have an abortion.

Closing statement:
We believe that abortion should not be legal after the first trimester. Why would should
we allow abortion when there are other options like adoption which are more beneficial
and cost effective? Additionally, babies that aborted in the 3rd trimester are fully grown
and have a heartbeat, abortion would be considered murder. However, the baby is not
the only one affected, women are also put at risk for health complications including
miscarriages later in life. If a woman doesn't want a baby so bad that she is willing to
directly kill it, why wouldn't she take the proper precautions before to ensure she doesn't
have an unwanted pregnancy? Because of abortion babies will never get to see the
world in its true beauty, experience happiness and laughter as you and I do. They will
never get the chance to find love have friendship and know that they are important. Let
that sink in. Abortion takes away an innocent baby's ability to live. Imagine not having a
say in whether or not you get to have a life.

Notes: