Abortion: No Different Than Murder By Emily Dedert English 102 John Wood Community College Professor Fodor 11/16/2008 There are approximately 3,700 unborn children that die a day in the United States. These deaths are not due miscarriages or stillbirths because they are no accidents. These deaths are intentional and deliberate due to abortions. Abortion is the unnatural and premature, forced expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is able to survive on its own, ending an innocent life; this act is no difference than murder and should therefore be illegalized.
At the moment of conception, a new life is formed and there is no justification for ending an innocent life. There are alternatives to abortion so the value of human life does not be degraded and sacrificed for the life of another, so why not illegalize abortion and prevent over 1,000,000 babies from being murdered every year? At the moment of conception, a human life with its own unique DNA comes into being (B. A. Robinson). All inherited traits and features of this new life are set and the plan is present or all that this new life will ever live up to be.
Those who are pro-life and pro-choice believe that once human personhood starts, that human life must be protected (B. A. Robinson). The problem, however, is that a common decision cannot be made as to when human personhood begins. Pro-lifers believe that life begins at conception when unique DNA becomes present. According the Bible, however, personhood begins when blood first appears in the pre-embryo around 18 days after conception. Pro-choicers believe that life becomes person a long time after conception when the fetus can survive on its own, breathing as an independent and separate person.
They argue that a pre-embryo has no human shape, skin, brain, or other organs and is not conscious therefore not a person (B. A. Robinson). By the 21st day of pregnancy the unborn child’s heart begins to beat; this is around the same time the mother misses her period and begins to wonder if she could be pregnant. A day later the eyes begin to develop and the earliest stages of ears are present. By the 27th day the lungs begin to form and by 8 weeks every organ is present.
For the woman who learns that she is pregnant, her life changes dramatically and her actions have been affecting the child inside of her without her even knowing it. There should be no argument as to when life begins; life begins at the moment of conception when everything changes for the woman carrying that child. October 5-Today my life began. My parents do not know it yet, I am as small as a seed of an apple, but it is I already. And I am to be a girl. I shall have blonde hair and blue eyes. Just about everything is settled though, even the fact that I shall love flowers.
October 19-Some say I am not a real person yet, that only my mother exists. But I am a real person, just as a small crumb of beard is yet truly bread. My mother is. And I am. October 23-My mouth is just beginning to open now. Just think, in a year or so I shall be laughing and later talking. I know what my first work will be: MAMA. October 25-My heart began to beat today… November 12- Tiny fingers are beginning to form on my hands. Funny how small they are! I’ll be able to stroke my mother’s hair with them.
November 20-It wasn’t until today that the doctor told mom that I am living here under her heart. Oh, how happy she must be! Are you happy, mom? November 25-My mom and dad are probably thinking about a name for me… December 10-My hair is growing… December 13-I am just about able to see. It is dark around me. When mom brings me into the world it will be full of sunshine and flowers. But what I want more than anything is to see my mom… December 24-I wonder if mom hears the whispering of my heart?… December 28-Today my mother killed me (Laurie Shrage, Pg 136).
There is no great enough reason or excuse that justifies ending an innocent life. God is the only being that can create life and take it away but unfortunately that does not stop free will or our government from legalizing abortion. 90% of abortions are sought for personal reasons including lack of financial resources, not being ready for the responsibility of raising a child, fear of life changing too much, and not being mature enough. However, if you are not mature enough or responsible enough to have a baby, then why should you be having sex knowing what could come of it?
Only 6% of abortions are sought because of medical reasons such as being pregnant at too young of an age, the fetus having a genetic defect or other health problem, or the woman may develop eclampsia which involves a sudden increase in blood pressure and onset of seizures which can have fatal results to both the woman and fetus. Just 1% of abortions are sought because of an abusive sexual act either being rape or an incestuous relationship (B. A. Robinson). Most abortions are performed during the 7th through 10th weeks of pregnancy when the baby’s face is recognizably human.
There are two types of surgical abortions performed during the first trimester of pregnancy. One type is suction-aspiration, in which the abortionist must first paralyze the cervical muscle and then stretch it open. He then inserts a hollow plastic tube that has a knife-like edge on the tip into the uterus. The suction is 29 times more powerful than a home vacuum cleaner and tears the baby’s body into pieces. The second type is dilation and curettage. It is much like the suction procedure except that a curette, a loop-shaped steel knife, is inserted into the uterus.
The placenta and the baby are cut into pieces and scraped out into a basin; this procedure is known to cause profuse bleeding. There are also two types of second trimester abortions that are performed. Saline amniocentesis is also called induction abortion and is known as salt poisoning abortions. A large needle is inserted through the mother’s abdominal wall and into the baby’s amniotic sac. A concentrated salt solution is then injected into the amniotic fluid and a hour long process of poisoning begins to kill the baby. Once injected, the baby breathes in and swallows the poison which leads to struggle and convulsions.
The mother goes into labor a day later and delivers her dead baby. The dilation and evacuation method of abortion involves live dismemberment of the baby. A pliers-like instrument is used because the baby’s bones and skull are already calcified. The instrument is inserted into the uterus, seizes a part of the baby’s body, and with a twisting motion tears the baby’s body into pieces. The twisting and tearing is repeated over and over again with no anesthetic used for the baby. The spine is then snapped and the skull is crushed in order to be removed from the so-called mother’s body (Abortionfacts. om). Abortions may seem like a solution to a problem for many women, but the truth of the matter is that abortions cause many physical and emotional problems down the road. Some common physical side effects of abortion are cramping, nausea, sweating, feeling faint, heaving bleeding, blood clots, damage to the uterine lining or cervix, perforations of the uterus, and infection. The more serious emotion effects of abortion include Post Abortion Syndrome which includes having feelings of guilt, anxiety, depression, loss, anger, and even suicide (Lawlor 2. 1).
Abortion is not the only answer to an unwanted pregnancy. Although it may seem like the easiest solution, the preceding paragraph proves otherwise. The only 100% effective way to not get pregnant is to not have sex; abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent pregnancy. If one chooses to have sex then one should also choose to use contraceptives. There is a wide range of contraceptives offered from male condoms to female condoms, and there are numerous forms of birth control for women. Using one type of contraceptive can be effective but using two types increases your chances of not getting pregnant.
Adoption is an alternative to abortion that many people seem to forget. Instead of having an abortion and killing an innocent life, go through with the pregnancy and then place the baby up for adoption. There are many people that would love to have a baby but cannot get pregnant so there only option is to adopt. Some women who have been raped say it would be too hard to go through with the pregnancy but they forget about the morning after pill. Women know their bodies and one would know if they had been raped; if that is the case then go to your local hospital or call your doctor and get the morning after pill.
The morning after pill works up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse and prevents a pregnancy from ever even occurring. With all of these alternatives it is hard to believe that ending an innocent life can be considered right and just. “The real question today is not when human life begins, but, ‘What is the value of human life? ‘ The abortionist who reassembles the arms and legs of a tiny baby to make sure all its parts have been torn from its mother’s body can hardly doubt whether it is a human being. ” President Ronald Reagan, (1983).
A fetus is living at every stage of pregnancy and no reason is justification for ending and innocent life. Laws are now being passed in several states to illegalize abortion and anyone can help prevent abortions. Go to a local church and ask what services they support that are pro-life or simply be aware of the consequences abortions have on the mother and share that information. The truth about abortion is that it is no different from murder except it was made legal by liberals who believe the woman’s life is more important than the innocent one growing inside of her. Works Cited
American Pregnancy Association 2000-2008. “Surgical Abortion Procedures. ” 16 Nov. 2008. http://www. americanpregnancy. org/unplannedpregnancy/surgicalabortions. html Robinson, B. A. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 2002-2007. 17 Oct. 2008. http://www. religioustolerance. org/abofund. htm Shrage, Laurie. Abortion and Social Responsibility: Depolarizing the Debate. Oxford University Press 2003. Willke, Dr. and Mrs. J. C. “What Kind and How. ” Heritage House ’76, Inc 2006. 17 Oct. 2008. http://www. abortionfacts. com/parsing_the_arguments/parsing_the_arguments. asp