Abortion 16 Essay Research Paper On January

Abortion 16 Essay, Research Paper

On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court had ruled in the case of Roe VS. Wade that women have the constitutional right to choose whether or not to have an abortion in the first three months of their pregnancy (Fiorina & Peterson, 1998). Until this point each state basically had their own abortion laws, and if one engaged in an abortion it was up to the state to decide if it was legal or illegal. Today still, abortion plays a large part in the world, and they are still legal. I have to agree with the decision of the Supreme Court, I feel that along with our freedom of speech, our freedom of choice in any matter should be available to everyone as well.

First of all lets discus exactly what abortion is, according to the Grolier encyclopedia , an abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable, or capable of living outside the womb( )There are two types of abortions a spontaneous abortion, or also known as a miscarriage, occurs when the embryo fails to develop and dies. The second type is induced, which is a procedure intended to terminate a suspected or known pregnancy. Most of induced abortions occur in the first 12 weeks, after which involves a much more complicated procedure. More than three-fourths of conceptions are spontaneously aborted.

There are a lot of complications that come along with having an abortion some of these include, complications with future pregnancies, increased risk of breast cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, placenta previa, and excessive bleeding in other pregnancies(risks and complications, March 24, 1999). These are just some risks that need to be thought about when deciding whether to choose to have an abortion. There are also high risk groups that are involved, first being-women under 20 which have 2 times higher risk of medical complications and 150 percent greater risk of cervical injury. Second, are women who have had a previous abortion, 200 percent increased risk of miscarriages with future pregnancies, 160 percent risk of tubal pregnancy(risks and complications, March 24,1999). There are definitely a lot of things to ponder, this is not an easy nor painless both physically and emotionally procedure to with go. I feel that this choice should be left up to the woman though, not the government, it is her body not theirs.

There are a many different methods for obtaining an abortion, I will be discussing a few of them. There are three methods that exist for women who have engaged in unprotected intercourse and who wish to terminate a pregnancy. Administration of DES, which is a highly potent synthetic estrogen, this is taken the morning after. In general DES is recommended only in emergencies such as rape, it is highly effective but has many side effects which make it uncomfortable for women to take. RU-486 is the second method, which is taken orally and blocks the action of progesterone. RU-486 also holds promise for treating breast cancer, and perhaps AIDS. The third early-abortion method, menstrual extraction, involves the removal of the menstrual blood and tissue from the uterus with a cannula and sometimes a suction machine. This method is usually used when a woman s period is late by a week or two.

More than 90 percent of the abortions performed in the United States occur during the first trimester(Terkel, 1988). The methods are suction abortion, removal of the contents of the uterus through the use of a suction machine. Suction abortion accounts for most of first trimester abortions, and is more effective than the others. The dilation and curettage, dilation of the cervix followed by the scraping of the interior of the uterus. This method is mostly used closer to the end of the first trimester. Methods used during the second trimester include, dilation and evacuation, the fetus is crushed within the uterus, and the contents of the uterus are then extracted through a vacuum curette. Until approximately the 16th week, this method is the safest of the second trimester methods and takes the shortest time to perform. Intra-amnionic Injection, the replacement of amniotic fluid either with prostaglandins or with salt solution, causing fetal circulatory arrest. Major complications occur most frequently with this method choice. The third method hysterotomy, is used when the pregnancy threatens the woman s life, the fetus is removed through an incision.

Over the past twenty five years of changing laws, and finding reasons to make abortion illegal has not really had a lot of effects on the world as a whole. Still everytime this issue is brought about, it stirs up many non-resolved feelings. Abortion is a very touchy issue and probably will be forever, similarily like with slavery or racism. Laws allow women to legally have abortions, but yet each state makes it pretty hard to get the procedure started.

In most states a woman seeking an abortion must have the consent of the spouse, or father, or if she is a minor, the consent of her parents. In some states she must also consult a doctor and have their consent as well. I feel that these may be trivial regulations to try to prevent a woman from having an abortion, but if it was me, I wouldn t be able to tell my parents, especially because my mom would not permit me to have an abortion. I can guarantee that other young women also feel this way, therefore these laws are useful. I believe that a w