Abortion The Ultimate Decision Essay Research Paper

Abortion: The Ultimate Decision Essay, Research Paper

Abortion is a subject of perception; to find a clear cut solution would be to commit suicide. Doctors say that candy is not bad, so long as there is not a consumption of it at one time. All things in life must be viewed through a reasonable, clear mind. To say abortion is good or bad is to look at it blindly. Abortion is not like racism or oppression where to look at one incident is to miss the point. Or if we look at the big picture we see the crime, and abuse.

Abortion is by far a twentieth century invention or discovery, the only thing modern about abortions is the procedure. During the time of ancient Greece and Rome there have been writings of abortions. Abortions may be dangerous no, but back then “women used herbs to create contractions and speed up labor when giving birth. They discovered these same herbs could be used early in pregnancy to abort a fetus” (Lowenstein, 24-26). So abortions have been performed since about 1000 B.C. “However, it was hard to mix the same concentrations of herbs each time, and so some women died from an overdose, or did not drink enough to abort the fetus.” (Lowenstein, 26).

Women have used several different methods to induce an abortion, whether abortions were legal in their society or not. In the seventeen hundreds women used “ergot” (Lowenstein, 26), or “parsley” (Lowenstein, 26). In the eighteen hundreds women would drink poisons such as “arsenic, lead, and phosphorus” (Lowenstein, 26). After five decades surgery was introduced for women to have abortions. In the nineteen hundreds women used more drugs which sometimes killed them, but later in he century a suction instrument was created to suck the baby out of the subject. “Throughout history, women have had abortions, whether legal or not-even if it meant risking their lives with unsafe methods.” (Lowenstein, 27). In September year two thousand “The FDA approves RU 486.” (Gibbs, 41) the pill, RU 486 also known in the Unites States as Mifepristone, will “cause the uterus to shed its lining, dislodging the embryo.”(Gibbs, 44) if taken within seven weeks of pregnancy. c is taken two days after Mifepristone inducing “contractions that expel the embryo in about 95% of cases.” (Gibbs, 44).

The arguments for pro-life advocates may vary a little but there is a general consensus that abortion is not allowed, “unless perhaps the mother’s life is in danger.” (Lowenstein, 42). The main concern for pro-life advocates is that women may use abortion as another form of birth control. They feel that women instead of using condoms or birth control pills will use abortions. Their concern is also that women or parents will use abortions until they get the sex of the child that they wish. According to pro-lifer’s “It is not uncommon, say pro-lifers, for women to become upset they have killed their unborn baby, and start a ‘replacement’ pregnancy. Therefore, the cycle just continues with no end insight.” (Lowenstein, 44).

Pro-life arguments do not just remain stagnant with society, but the religious world also has their belief heard. In terms of organizations the “Catholics know the Catholic church forbids abortion” This may be true but the Catholic church has a history of dealing with the issue of abortion, “Church teaching on abortion has varied continually over the course of its history. There has been constant general agreement that abortion is almost always evil and sinful, the church has had difficulty in defining the nature of that evil. Members of the Catholic hierarchy have opposed abortion consistently as evidence of sexual sin, but they have not always seen early abortion as homicide.”

Abortion being a subject of perception allows itself to belief. Just as religion people believe either abortion is right or it is wrong. Abortion is by some people and some groups, both religious and not, as an act of murder, but then arises a question, when does life being. In what trimester does life begin. What constitutes life. Is it legs, feet, hands some human form, or is it knowledge, reason, wisdom. According to Merriam-Webster OnLine life is “the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body.” With such a vague definition of life then how can we say that abortion is wrong, and that it is murder. It is here where the views of the pro-choice advocates take precedence.

Pro-choice advocates “quote United States and state law, both of which do not consider the fetus a person. The pro-choice position is based on the belief that it is a woman’s fundamental human right to decide when or whether to have a child. They also believe that women should have the right to the most statistically and scientifically accurate comprehensive and unbiased information” (Lowenstein, 52). The pro-choice argument can be extended farther, “that a woman’s right to control her body overrides any claim made by the fetus.” (Cannold, 21). The pro-choice argument is more liberal in that it is not judging a woman for the choice that she will make, and is allowing a woman, or a family, decide whether it is a good time or a bad time to have a child, which is the fear of pro-life advocates.

The pro-choice approach to abortion is that the fetus is no a human being or a citizen of the world and as such has no rights. The only being that has right is the woman. There are some religions that incorporate the