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Abortion Essay, Research Paper AbstractAbortion, the ending

Abortion Essay, Research Paper

Abstract

Abortion, the ending of pregnancy, has been a very controversial topic for decades.
Is abortion moral or immoral? People all over the world have different opinions.
There are different ways that abortion can be performed: surgically or medicinally.
The 1973 Supreme Court decision known as Roe vs. Wade marked an important
turning point in abortion. This decision made it legal to have abortions. Different
states have various laws on abortion. Abortion continues to be debated worldwide.

Abortion Controversy

Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy. It is the removal of a fetus from the uterus
before the fetus is mature enough to live on its own. Abortion has been around for
decades. Each year, more than 50% of all pregnancies among young woman are
unintended. Half of the unintended pregnancies will end in abortion, which is 1.5
million each year. There are no specifications on who will have an abortion. Women
who have abortions come from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious
backgrounds. Calculating abortion rates, older teenagers and young adults have the
highest abortion rates. Young women between the ages of 11 and 19 account for
about 21% of all abortions; women 20 to 24 account for another 34 %; and about
22% of abortions are brought about by women who are 30 or older. Over half of all
abortions are obtained within the first eight weeks (Women who?, 1995).

Is abortion moral or immoral? People who favor abortion most invoke the ?right to
choose? of woman who conceived the child. The people who oppose abortion focus
on the ?right to life? of the fetus. John Paul II, the pope of the Roman Catholic
Church, contends that abortion is a particularly heinous crime because it kills an
innocent human being who has yet to be born. He feels that every human being has
a sacred and inviolable right to life. New York Archbishop John J. O?Connor linked
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abortion with the Nazi Holocaust. He stated ?Now Hitler tried to solve a problem, the
Jewish question. So kill them, shove them in the ovens, burn them. Well, we claim
that unborn babies are a problem, so kill them. To me it really precisely the same?
(Roleff, 1997, p.. 33).

There are two ways to obtain an abortion: surgically and medicinally. A medical
abortion is brought about by taking medications that will end pregnancy; it?s done
without entering the uterus. There are two well known medications that will end
pregnancy: Methotrexate and Mifepristone also known as the RU 486 Pill. An
alternative to this method is surgical abortion. This ends the pregnancy by emptying
the uterus (or womb) with special instruments (What is medical abortion, 1995).

Methotrexate has been used in the United States since 1953, which is when it was
approved by the FDA to treat certain kinds of cancer. The FDA did not intend for this
drug to be used to end pregnancies. There are some clinicians prescribing
Methotrexate for early abortion. This drug is given to pregnant women in the form of
an injection, or shot. Methotrexate stops embryonic or fetal cells from dividing. The
pregnancy stops once these cells can no longer divide (What is medical abortion,
1995). This procedure involves three visits to the doctor for complete process and
the woman will abort the baby at home ( How abortions?, 1998).

Another medication that might be used is Mifepristone, also known as RU 486. It is

a newer medication that was developed and tested specifically as an
abortion-inducing agent. RU 486 was invented in 1980 by Dr. Etienne-Emile
Baulieu. It is the first of a new generation of birth control drugs called
?antiprogestins,? which is considered to be a breakthrough in birth control
technology. RU 486 works by binding to the progesterone receptors in a women?s
uterus and blocking the progesterone. The lining of the woman?s body breaks down
and sheds (like normal period) without progesterone. RU 486 also opens up the
cervix and leads to contractions that help dislodge and expel the embryo. This
procedure will only work during the first 9 weeks of pregnancy, or up to 63 days of
last menstrual cycle. Apparently, the women?s own progesterone level is too high to
be affected by the drug if it?s done later. It is administered through several clinic
visits; it is not a do-it-yourself pill (RU 486, 1996). This method takes place over a
span of several days.
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There are two methods that can be used to induce surgical abortion. The most
common method is to open the cervix slightly (entrance to uterus) and remove the
contents of the uterus (this includes the placenta and fetus). They may use a small
suction machine to empty contents of uterus or dilation. . A woman is considered to
be in her first trimester if less than 13 to 15 weeks have passed since her last
menstrual period, this is when this method takes place. The second method is used
less frequently, mainly when pregnancies are over 22 weeks. This method involves
inducing labor so that the fetus and placenta are expelled as in childbirth. The entire
surgical procedure of emptying uterus takes 5 to 10 minutes. There are some
women that experience pain, sort of like the menstrual-type cramping, but nothing
that is that painful (What is surgical abortion, 1995).

The Roe vs. Wade court case arose out of a Texas law that prohibited legal abortion
except to save a woman?s life. Jane Roe, a 21-year-old pregnant woman,
represented all women who wanted abortions but couldn?t obtain them legally and
safely. The Texas Attorney General, Henry Wade, defended the law that made
abortions illegal. The Supreme Court made their decision to make abortion legal.
This ruling on January 22, 1973 opened the way to more than thirty-one million legal
abortions. The Supreme Court ruled that American?s right to privacy included the
right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference, at
least in the first trimester of pregnancy. They wanted to balance a woman?s rights
and the states? interest to protect the woman and the life of the fetus. They did this
in the following way: (a) For about the first 13 weeks, state laws and regulations
may not interfere with woman?s right to end pregnancy through abortion. (b) For 14
to 24 weeks, state laws may regulate abortion procedures in order to protect
woman?s health. (c) After 24 weeks, when fetus is viable, state laws may prohibit
abortion except when it is necessary to preserve the health or life of a woman
(Celebrating 25 years, 1995).

The Roe vs. Wade had a deep impact on the daily lives of women. Without legal
abortion, all women?s health was threatened. Thousands of women died in back
alleys from illegal abortion, and thousands more suffered serious medical
complications. After Roe, access to legal abortion turned a dangerous experience
into a safe and legitimate health care option (Cozic & Petrikin, 1995). American Civil
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Liberties Union stated that ?The movement to newly restrict reproductive choice
is?.a grave threat to all Americans? cherished right to privacy, bodily integrity and
religious liberty? (Roleff, 1997, p. 66)

In the early 1970?s many women had to travel outside their states of residence to
obtain abortion. Traveling outside the state hurt the women who were poor. Before
Roe vs. Wade there were 3 states that prohibited all abortions, and there were 4
states that permitted abortion for any reason (Craig & O?Briem, 1993).

Today, abortion is legal but the states have put restrictions on abortions such as:
mandatory waiting periods, ?informed consent? requirements, parental consent
regulations, and weakening the standard which further constraints will be judged.
These restrictions hit the low-income women hardest, along with any women who
depend on the state for their health care (Cozic & Petrikin, 1995).

In. conclusion, the decision made in the case Roe vs. Wade launched the debate
that modern society still deals with everyday. The House, Senate, and even the
President are face with bills and laws pertaining to abortion almost everyday. These
people have helped set standards in this issue such as parental notification,
parental consent, and they have made late-term abortions illegal unless the
mother?s physical or emotional health are at risk. They have also approved some
standards in some states such as a mandatory waiting period and two visitations to
the clinic before having the abortion. There are many different types of abortion
ranging from a simple pill to sucking out the contents of the uterus. In my own
personal opinion, I think abortion is murder. Whether the fetus can live outside of its
mother or not, it is still a human being; taking its life is no different than taking an
adults life. I do agree, however, that there are extenuating circumstances such as
the risk of the mothers health or high risk of birth defects in which abortion is one of
the options. I do not honestly think the debate of abortion will ever die down
because if they make it illegal, they punish some that haven?t done anything wrong.
On the other hand, if they keep it legal they stir up a lot of anger in people who think
it is murder.
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Bibliography

References

Celebrating 25 years of reproductive choice. (1995). National Abortion Federation

[online] available: Http://www.prochoice.org/facts/historyfs.htm (11/2/99).

Craig, B., & O?Brien, D. (1993). Abortion and american politics. New Jersey:
Chatham House Publishers, Inc.

Cozic, C., & Petrikin, J. (Eds.). (1995). The abortion controversy. San Diego:
Greenhaven Press, Inc.

How abortions are done. (1998). [online] available:

Http://w-cpc.org/abortion/methods.html (11/11/99).

Roleff, T. (Ed.). (1997). Abortion: opposing viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven

Press, Inc.

RU-486 the abortion pill. (1996). Childbirth by Choice Trust [online] available:
Http://www.cbctrust.com/ru486.html (11/2/99).
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What is medical abortion. (1995). National Abortion Federation [online] available:

Http://www.prochoice.org/facts/medab.htm (11/2/99).

What is surgical abortion. (1995). National Abortion Federation [online] available:

Http://procoice.org/facts/whatis.htm (11/2/99).

Women who have abortions. (1995). National Abortion Federation [online] available:
Http://www/prochoice.org/facts/womenwho.htm (11/2/99).