The Statistics on Abortion in California - Term Paper Example

Abortion Introduction Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy before the child is born or before the child canbe in a position to live independently outside the mother’s womb (Lanier 14). An abortion that occurs naturally before a pregnancy reaches 24 weeks is referred to as a miscarriage. However, abortion can also be induced. Induced abortion can be prescribed by the doctor in case there is a medical risk to the mother, or it can be a decision by the mother due to their own reasons (Lanier 17). There are different laws of abortion depending on the country or state that one lives in. This paper will focus on abortion in California. The paper will use the statistics on abortion in California to prove that abortion is not a good act. Laws of abortion in California The laws of abortion in California are less restrictive as compared to those of other states in USA (Californians for Life retrieved from http://www.californiansforlife.org/education/abortion-facts-for-california/). This is the primary reason as to why there are many cases of abortion that take place each day in California. It is unfortunate that the law on abortion imposes long waiting periods and statutory obstacles that make many cases of illegal abortions go unpunished. The law has given the mandate to midwives and other non-physician medical specialists to carry out the abortion. This makes it easy for people willing to perform abortion an easy way to get someone to do it for them. The law requires that the minors should seek parental consent before carrying an abortion. This shows that the law is in support of abortion which is a procedure that can risk the life and health of the pregnant woman. The law states that an illegal abortion is that which is performed by an unauthorized person and an unprofessional person. Therefore, the law agrees that abortion should be performed if the person is willing and has a professional person to do it. However, the law does not specify any conditions which mind the health of the pregnant woman or the life of the unborn child. The law imposes a fine of $1000 and a 30 days imprisonment to a person who carries out an abortion outside the above set regulation (Californians for Life retrieved from http://www.californiansforlife.org/education/abortion-facts-for-california/). The penalty is little and affordable to most Americans. Therefore, the law is not strict enough to prevent people from performing unlawful abortions. The fines are not hefty and hence do not help in preventing people from performing abortions. The law in California permits abortion during the early stages of the pregnancy and restricts it during the later stages of pregnancy. However, it is clear that the law contributes to increased abortion cases since it is not strict. The law on abortion should contain certain clauses that mind the health of the patient regardless the stage of the pregnancy. Statistics of abortion in California In the year 2008, the number of abortion done in California were 214, 190. In the previous year, cases of abortion were 8760 (Hoye retrieved from http://www.toomanyaborted.com/california/). Based on this figures, the abortion rate increased rapidly. Out of the 214, 190 abortions 98% were due to personal choice while only 2% were due to medical reasons, rape or incest. This indicates that people are using the abortion law to kill unborn babies at their own will. There are 522 abortion clinics in California. This number is exceedingly high as compared to the 249 clinic available in New York, which is much larger in size (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, and Division of Reproductive Health retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5808a1.htm?s_cid=ss5808a1_e). This contributes to the increased numbers of abortion cases. People intending to perform abortions can easily get facilities to have it done. The licenses to run these services are offered by the state medical department. The medical department, therefore, contributes to the increased number of abortion cases since they allow many professional to perform it legally. They should reduce the number of abortion clinics so that the state can control the number of abortion cases. The figure below is a bar graph showing the number of abortions done in different states in USA in the year 2005 and 2008. (Image retrieved from http://www.toomanyaborted.com/california/) (Image retrieved from http://www.toomanyaborted.com/california/) Discussion and analysis The California state supports abortion using the Medi-cal services. The Medi-cal funds fund any woman willing to perform an abortion but do not have the financial capacity to perform the abortion (Californians for Life retrieved from http://www.californiansforlife.org/education/abortion-facts-for-california/). By doing this, the state contributes to increasing the number of abortion cases. Such funds should be used to sensitize the dangers of moral and health risks of committing abortion rather than supporting abortion. The law allows public schools to organize for an abortion for minors. Moreover, the school can allow the minor to perform the abortion without parental consent. This contributes to encouraging children to perform abortions. Moreover, it encourages the young minors to engage in unprotected sex since doing an abortion will be easy. Besides exposing them to the side effects of abortion, it exposes them to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The California law on abortion has not put in place lengthy waiting periods that allow for proper analysis before deciding to take on the abortion (Guttmacher Institute retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/california.html). This has led to many abortions being done in California than in any other state. There is little considerateness for the life of the child in the womb of the woman. The laws available only consider the willingness of the woman to carry out abortion but forget the infant’s right to live. Currently, every seventeen out of every one thousand women in the childbearing age bracket perform an abortion. It has become a usual thing despite being morally inappropriate. Negative Effects of Abortion Besides being against the human rights, abortion exposes the woman to diverse negative effects. The immediate risk of committing an abortion is the damage of the woman’s reproductive organs and her capacity to bear children in the future. These effects have been overlooked since people believe that they effects are null if the abortion is carried out by medical professionals. However, this is not the case. With the increased number of abortion clinics, the probability of abortion being carried out by non-professional has also increased. After abortion, the woman goes through a period known as Post-Abortion Syndrome (Lanier 81). The woman undergoes psychological torture in the form of shock, horror and guilt of murder. The social behavior of the woman is damaged and they emotional stability is unbalanced. The woman is bound to experience sleep problems, back pain, sexual difficulties, eating disorders and depression. In worst cases, the woman can even commit suicide. However, these effects differ from person to person and also depend on the situation. For example, a person who commits abortion due to a rape case will experience lesser effects as compared to a person who aborts after unprotected sex. Abortion exposes the woman to the risk of contracting cervical cancer. A woman who has aborted at least once faces a 2.3 times higher risk of having cervical cancer as compared to a woman who has never done an abortion (Lanier 129). Abortion may also lead to perforation of the uterus. Uterus perforation is not easily identified unless the expensive laparoscopic visualization is performed. Uterus perforation results in pregnancy complication in later pregnancies. Abortion may lead to preterm deliveries. Preterm deliveries in turn lead to neonatal deaths or birth of handicap children. In most cases, women who have done many abortions have a risk of having life-threatening ectopic pregnancies. After an abortion, the woman is emotional and mentally stressed up. To overcome this situation most aborters result into drug abuse. Consequently, drug abuse leads to other effects such as violent behaviors, divorce and relationship breakups. Women tend to experience sexual dysfunction since they experience reduced sexual pleasure due to pain during sexual intercourse. The woman will have little maternal bonding to children born in later pregnancies. Discussion and Conclusion The laws of abortion in California have played a part in increasing the number of abortion cases. The less restrictive rules have allowed women to carry out abortions freely. Many abortions clinics have been set up. There is little consideration for the health and emotional effects that women go through after they abort. The woman is left to suffer emotionally and expose their health to risk hazards. Besides, the woman is also dragged into other activities such as drug abuse, family neglection, and divorces. The minors risk their ability to bear children later in life. Abortion is necessary in cases where the woman is exposed to medical risk. It is also important when the woman has suffered from rape or coercion. Considering such scenarios, legal abortion benefits the people of California. However, making it legal for any woman to perform an abortion as long as they are willing is not right. Socially, aborting is equal to murder and hence it should not be performed. The rights of the unborn child should be respected. The infants start their life immediately after conception in the woman’s womb. There is a need for this life to be respected if at all there is no risk to the health of the mother. In conclusion, abortion laws should be changed so that better restrictions are created. These restrictions should mind the life of the unborn child and the numerous health and psychological effects that the woman undergoes after abortion is done. Works Cited Californians for Life. "More Abortion Facts for California." Californians for Life. N.p., 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. Guttmacher Institute. "State Facts About Abortion: California." Guttmacher Institute, Feb. 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. Hoye, Walter. "CALIFORNIAS IMPACT | TooManyAborted.com." TOO MANY ABORTED. N.p., Feb. 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. Lanier, Wendy. Abortion. Detroit: Lucent Books, 2009. Print. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, and Division of Reproductive Health. "Abortion Surveillance --- United States, 2006."Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., 2006. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. Read More