Abortion is a topic everyone has an opinion on. Abortion, as defined on Wisped (http://en. Wielded. Org/wok/Abortion), a free online Encyclopedia;, is the termination of a pregnancy from the uterus of a fetus or an embryo before viability (Independent survival). Pregnancy Is the fertilization of an ovum and a sperm, and Its development in the uterus throughout the gestational period. An abortion Is the intentional termination as oppose to a miscarriage, which is the spontaneous termination of a pregnancy.
Abortion is and will always be a controversial issue in which everyone will to agree upon. Two main groups that have been derived throughout the controversy are Pro-Life and Pre;-Choice. According to Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Pro- Life supports the claim that life starts at conception; and abortion at any stage of a pregnancy is murder. Life is valuable to them; therefore the unborn child has the same rights as the mother. Pro-Choice, on the other hand, supports the claim that it is the woman’s right to choose what she does with her body.
Pro-Life and Pro-Choice advocates differ In many of their opinions, for example, when life begins, effects of abortion on the mother, and how politics and religion play a role in abortion. A complete explanation Is required In order to fully understand a topic. The different procedures and history of abortion are no different. Grounds on which abortion Is permitted in Belize are, to save the life of the woman, to preserve physical health, to preserve mental health, fetal impairment and economic or social reasons.
Abortion is not permissible in the case of rape or incest, and availability. These permissible abortions must be performed by a registered medical practitioner only if authorized by two other medical practitioners. In spite of circumstances under which abortions can be legally performed, penalties imposed in cases of illegal abortions are severe. The person performing the abortion, including a pregnant woman who performs an abortion on herself, Is liable to imprisonment for life. Abortion in Belize is governed by sections 108-110 of the Criminal Code, Ordinance No. 3 of 18 December 1980. According to the Criminal Code (Ordinance No. 33 of 18 December 1980), Section 108- No-I, Every person who Intentionally and unlawfully causes abortion or miscarriage shall be liable to imprisonment for fourteen years. Therefore any woman that terminates a pregnancy or is associated with the termination of a pregnancy, whom is not a licensed medical practitioner, is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years. There are different ways in which a woman can terminate a pregnancy, this is dependent on how far along into the pregnancy the woman is.
A woman can choose between a medical abortion within the first nine weeks, or a surgical procedure. Dilation and curettage is a first trimester abortion procedure that involves the widening of the cervix, scraping and scooping contents from the lining of the uterus; t is mainly used as a therapeutic procedure than an abortion method. Hysterectomy abortion Is a procedure requiring a small abdominal Inclusion to remove the fetus; method Is used between the 1 12th to the 24th week of pregnancy. Instillation abortion Is a rarely used method that Is used In the second trimester.
The cervix Is dilated before, then a solution consisting of either urea or saline is injected into the uterus abortion is the most popular method used; it is a non-surgical procedure, whereby abreaction pharmaceutical drugs are used to induce the termination. The Menstrual extraction is a technique to help women have control over their menstrual cycle and can be used as an early abortion method. Impostor is a synthetic drug used is generally used to prevent stomach ulcers but can be used to induce abortion.
The opinion concerning when life begins has a heavy effect on a person’s view regarding whether or not they are for or against abortion. Pro-Choice supporters who are for abortion, considers a fetus to be alive when it can sustain life on its own. They believe that viability is around the 13th week or 24th week because at that point the rain has developed to a point where it can control certain parts of the body. However, others believe that viability does not occur until after birth when the child is able to supply its own needs, such as oxygen, without its mother supplying the nutrients directly, such as in the womb.
On the other hand, Pro-Life supporters and I believe that life starts at conception. As a sperm and ovum comes in contact, life has begun. A child will not look like a typical human being from conception because every living thing grow and develop. A tool scientist uses to determine the species of any animal is the amount of chromosomes they have. Humans are the only animals that have 46 chromosomes, which an embryo possesses from conception to birth. Hence, chromosomes are more than blueprints for a future human, it’s what makes us human in the first place.
Therefore, an embryo is a living baby and not pre-human as a Pre-Choice advocate would believe. To prove a fetus is living, I support the mandatory ultrasound required prior to having an abortion. Abortion is a serious procedure, hence the doctor and the mother has to be informed before obtaining one. The ultrasound will allow the mother and her unborn child to bond, seeing it and hearing its heartbeat; it is very hard to deny something is alive when it is moving and has a heart pumping blood throughout its body.
The ultrasound will provide the doctor with necessary information on how far along the pregnancy is, and what abortion procedure will be safest for the mother (If she still insist on abortion). Pro- Life supporters and Pro-Choice supporters do not see eye-to-eye when it comes to the effects of abortion on the mothers. Pro-life supporters and I believe that abortions causes depression, regret, they’re dangerous and later causes complications in other pregnancy. Surgical abortions cause the cervix to become weak and leave scar tissues in the uterus.
These factors will make it very difficult for a woman to conceive and carry the baby to full-term. A doctor by the name of Robert van Opinionate stated research has shown that a woman who has had an abortion is twenty percent likely to have a premature birth in her next pregnancy, and women who have two or more abortion has a ninety percent chance to premature birth in future pregnancies. Preterm birth has a devastating effect on the child, the earlier a child is born the greater the chances of cerebral palsy.