Abortion Argument

The constant conflict over abortion in America has been a major social problem that started as an issue in our nation over two centuries ago. In the 1960’s and 70’s with the coinciding civil rights movement and women’s rights movement, abortion became the new national issue we still see today between two opposing sides. It is this struggle over whose deep rooted morals and beliefs are appropriate for our society that make the abortion issue such so controversial. First it is important to understand abortion and its history. Then to understand each side, their beliefs, the organizations tied to them, and their wishes for policies in our nation. We must look at the effects that both the mother and child must endure through the process. Then we must look at and understand the laws directed at abortion and why they were set in place. It is then with this information that we can acknowledge the effects and harm that abortion causes, and conclude an answer to this problem.

On August 13th 2012 it was late term abortion day at Orlando Women’s Center. A woman arrived at the OWC to abort her twin baby girls. Her excuse was that she already had daughters and didn’t want have anymore. She was about twenty weeks along, but because it was twins, she was more than showing her progress. It only took a couple of hours for social media took hold of the situation. A man named John who original posted a photo of the woman began to get phone calls and emails from friends who had no idea abortions like these happen. Many offered financial help and many offered to adopt her babies.

The woman ended up aborting the twin girls in her womb despite the generous help that was offered to her. She admitted that she didn’t want girls and that she had no compassion for the babies she was carrying. Through a two day process, she had to go into labor and deliver her babies into a toilet. Abortion like these happen all over the country every day, and it’s because of stories like this and a complete disregard for human life that abortion should be, in a sense, aborted itself. This essay considers whether the purpose of abortion is a solution by answering the following questions:

1. What is abortion and who is involved?
2. How is the baby affected during the process?
3. How is the mother affected throughout the process?
4. What is our government doing about it?

Understanding the history behind abortion, its process, and the effects of abortion to our women and children as well as our nation are very important. It highlights the complexity of abortion in the United States and the need for physicians, advocacy groups, and policymakers to implement the other choices woman can make to save lives, as well as enrich those around them. What is abortion and who is involved?

It is important to know and understand abortion for what it is, to fully grasp the influence it can have on a woman. An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus. There are several types of abortions: spontaneous, induced, therapeutic, elective or voluntary, unsafe, and medical abortion. Spontaneous abortion is the body naturally expelling the fetus because of complications produced in the stages of the egg needing to attach to the uterine wall. Induced abortion is a direct involvement by use of medical or surgical methods.

Therapeutic abortion is considered necessary because of fetal anomalies, rape, or to protect the health of the mother whether it is physically or psychologically damaging to her. Elective or voluntary abortion which is the termination of the embryo by request for reasons other than physical or psychological damage, which is the same abortion that was described in the story at the beginning of this essay. Unsafe abortion is the termination of an unintended pregnancy by a person incapable of successfully continuing the pregnancy without harmful effects to the mother. Medical abortion is a non-surgical abortion that uses drugs to terminate the pregnancy. (“Abortion,” 2013) There are several organizations that make it their goal to prove which side of the abortion argument is true.