Analysis of the Abortion Dilemma - Research Paper Example

ABORTION Abortion is a procedure which has become very common ever since the US Supreme court declared it legal. It is an act which has given right to every pregnant woman to abort her pregnancy if she is not willing to give birth to a child for financial, social, cultural or any other reasons. Most people are of the view that abortion should be legalized and most believe that it is an act of murder protected by law. Most Christians oppose the act under any circumstances and most are of the view that it is a woman’s right to have access to abortion. I support pro life group and for that matter I intend to present my arguments against abortion. In this paper I aim to discuss what abortion is. I intend to study the statistics to understand the current trend towards the issue. At the same time I intend to discuss the pros and cons of abortion. Towards the end I intend to make a constructive conclusion based on my studies. I shall explore the journal articles and relevant books to reach a conclusion. Before proceeding with the discussion on abortion it would be pertinent to define abortion. Grisanti (2000) defines abortion in his article “The Abortion Dilemma” in the following words: “Abortion is the expulsion of the human fetus ... before it is capable of surviving outside the womb." Abortion is further divided into two categories which are spontaneous and induced. Spontaneous abortion is a natural process in which a mother has no control over the situation and which takes place without any external intervention. It could occur due to miscarriage in which a fetus is expelled out of the mother’s body naturally or due to a situation in which the fertilized egg never got implanted in the womb. Induced abortion, on the other hand, is carried out willfully and with medical intervention. With the Supreme Court legalizing abortions in 1973 the statistics of induced abortions have gone up to its peak height of 1.6 million abortions annually between1980 to 1992. From 1992 to 1996 the number of abortions dropped to 1.4 million annually (Grisanti, 2000). According to Jones (2008) the rate of abortions done annually has gone down since 1996. In 2000, 1.31 million abortions were performed annually and in 2005, 1.21 million abortions were carried out. Grisanti (2000) further states that approximately 52% of women opting for abortion in the United States are younger than 25 years of age. Globally half of the unplanned pregnancies end up with induced abortions. At this rate, in the United States, abortion is believed to be the second most common surgical procedure practiced. Marquis (2003) is of the view that the decision to abort pregnancy depends on the view of people towards the fetus. Is it a legal right of a woman to take whatever decision for her body or is it her responsibility to protect life under any circumstances? Most believe that a fetus is a fully fledged human life and to abort it would be to kill a life. This is evident from the verdict of the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973 in which the Supreme Court stated that the government was under no legal obligation to protect an unborn child and hence the abortion could take place at any stage before the birth of a child (Grisanti, 2000). On the contrary most people consider this notion to be ridiculous and for that matter opting for an abortion becomes not a big issue for them. Most pro abortionists are of the view that the decision to abort should take place before the beginning of the third trimester. The following points are raised by pro abortionists which according to them makes abortion a legal right of any woman: Therapeutic Abortion: It is a situation in which the life of the pregnant woman is at risk if she continues with her pregnancy. Eugenic Abortion: It is a situation in which the unborn child is declared retarded, handicapped or disabled and hence the decision to abort pregnancy is taken. Psychiatric Abortion: A condition where the mother’s mental health does not allow the continuation of the pregnancy. Socio- economic: A situation in which the socio economic conditions of the family or an individual does not allow an addition in the family. Violation: A situation in which the pregnancy is due to rape or incest. On demand: It includes any situation in which a mother is not prepared for a child and as such is not willing to continue with her pregnancy. The above mentioned points have been subject to debates in the parliament as well as in the general discussion. Those who oppose abortion are of the view that abortion must not be legalized except in case where a mother’s health is at risk or where a pregnancy is due to rape or incest. At this point Marques (2003) makes a very strong comment and states that: “Abortion is, except possibly in rare cases, seriously immoral…..it is in the same moral category as killing an innocent adult human being.” Marquis does not discuss situations such as abortion before implantation, to save a mother’s life and in case of rape. I, being a pro life supporter, would like to discuss the issue from the point where abortion is carried out on therapeutic, psychiatric, on demand, due to socio economic condition of the family or an individual and even eugenic condition. I personally believe that abortion is not only immoral but also the arguments raised by the supporters are not convincing. First of all let us consider what Bible has to say about aborting an unborn child. Grisanti (2000) states that, in Bible, there is no difference between a life in the womb of a woman and the life after birth. He quotes from the Bible to support his argument. According to Genesis 4:1 “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the LORD.” According to Grisanti (2000) the passage clearly shows that Eve has made no distinction between Cain’s conception, birth and life. Eve considers conception as a part of life and a work of God. On another occasion Job is quoted saying “"May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.” Grisanti explains the point that Job has linked his existence to the time he was conceived. There have been occasions in the Bible which give us an indication that God knew people even before they were born. This suggests that God regarded them as people even before their birth. An example of David’s contentment over God’s careful watch over him has been mentioned in the following lines: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them (139:13-16) (quoted by Grisanti, 2000).” These lines suggest that God treated David as a living being and took care of him even before he was born. Taking about abortion the Bible has issued fine on the person who is responsible for the miscarriage of a pregnant woman. Exodus 21:22-25 states: “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury), the offender must be fined whatever the womans husband demands and the court allows. (23) But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (quoted by Grisanti, 2000)”. The above points make it very clear that Bible does not support abortion and considers the fetus a living being inside a mother’s womb. Now let us evaluate the points raised by pro choice advocates. Therapeutic Abortion: As mentioned above therapeutic abortion takes place when a mother’s physical health is at risk. Grisanti (2000) states that there are conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, which if not aborted, puts the life of the baby and the mother at risk. Medical history has proven the point that no ectopic pregnancy ends up with a live birth. Under such conditions doctors opt to abort pregnancy in order to save a mother’s life. Several opponents of abortions do not allow abortions even at such a condition. Even in such extreme cases the doctors are advised to take maximum care to save the baby’s life. If that is not possible then abortion becomes inevitable. Eugenic Abortion: There are certain medical conditions in which abortion becomes inevitable. These conditions include anencephaly (a condition in which part or whole of the brain is missing), Tay-Sachs (a condition in which severe enzyme deficiency causes blindness or paralysis), spina bifida and Down’s syndrome. Most doctors such as Dr. Gareth Jones believe anencephaly to be a legitimate reason for abortion since what is inside the womb does not resemble remotely to anything living. He at the same time rejects the idea of Down’s syndrome as a legitimate reason for abortion because this condition does not rob a fetus of his qualities of being a person (Grisanti, 2000). Any other condition that shows disability in an unborn child does not allows abortion. A disabled child has an equal right to live as a normal child. Psychiatric Abortion: In this situation abortion is allowed when a mother’s psychiatric condition is not supporting her health. This condition however has been rejected by most researchers who state that abortion is only acceptable when a woman’s physical health is at risk. However several psychiatric consequences of abortion have been highlighted by the researchers. According to the article “Abortion Hurts Women psychologically and emotionally” (1997) the psychological consequences of abortion include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that includes hyper arousal, intrusion and constriction, sexual dysfunction, suicidal ideation and attempts, increased smoking that leads to negative health effects, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, child abuse or neglect, divorce and chronic relationship problems and repeated abortions. Pregnancies Caused by Rape/ Incest: Rape or incest is undoubtedly a great trauma which haunts the lives of those who become its victim. At the same time pregnancy caused due to rape or incest becomes equally painful and as such the child born out of this pain become a victim of the sufferer’s wrath since it reminds her of the horrific act. Usually young girls become a victim of rape and incest and likewise the physical and psychological changes associated with pregnancy become intolerable. Under such conditions the supporters of abortions suggest that it is better to end the life of the child rather than bearing the pain. While it cannot be denied that it is unfair to force the victim of rape to go through the demands that pregnancy and motherhood require it would be a greater injustice to kill an unborn child and depriving him of his chance to live a happy life (Grisanti, 2000). I personally believe that there are millions of childless couple who are willing to adopt a child. Therefore it would be better to give such childless couples an opportunity to fill their lives with happiness than to commit a sin of killing an unborn child. Socio- economic reasons for abortion: Cerling (1971) states that children are a gift of God and to reject them is to reject the gift given by God. Most abortions in the modern world are carried out on selfish reasons. Issues such as economic limitations, unable to accept the responsibility of the new born and having no time for child rearing are considered selfish motives and do not make a legal base for abortion. Critchlow (1996) has mentioned several selfish motives that have been supported by pro abortion people in the past. People have been carrying out abortions to plan their perfect family. The eugenic movement in the progressive era allowed abortion and birth control to minimize the deviant population and strengthening the Native Americans. It was thought that the movement will help minimize crime, prostitution and illegitimate population. Lastly it was believed that it will help in controlling the ever increasing population. To think that the right to abortion will liberate a woman from the “drudgery of domesticity” is unjustified. Nonetheless, in the United States, the rate of abortions among women living below poverty line is four times greater than the rate of abortion among women living above poverty line (Finer et al, 2005). On demand Abortion: Although the United States Supreme Court has declared abortion to be the constitutional right of a woman since there is no law that protects the life of an unborn child. Advocates of pro life are of the view that in rare cases that have been mentioned above, abortion is legal but in cases where a woman chooses to abort her pregnancy on the point that she is unprepared for a responsibility is not acceptable. Medical Reasons: Towards the end I would like to comment upon the medical complications associated with abortion. David Reardon (1997, quoted by Lee, 2003) states: “Abortion is inherently unsafe. Over a hundred significant physical and psychological complications have been linked to abortion….The psychological effects of abortion have been pretty devastating, literally crippling a woman’s ability to function in normal relationships with family or friends, and even at work.” Several studies have also indicated that abortion is linked to breast cancer. Dew (1993) states that women opting for abortion have greater chances of having breast cancer than carrying the fetus till the end. Dew states that a teenager woman giving birth to a child has 7% chances of getting breast cancer but a woman who aborts her first pregnancy has double the chances i.e. 15%. Other complications may include damage to the uterus which can create problems for future pregnancies. This is most common in the abortions done in the first trimester. Uterine perforation can cause internal bleeding which could be life threatening to the patient. The greatest of all the risks is that sometimes abortion can lead to the death of the patient if the job is done poorly and unhygenically or due to the negligence or incompetence of the abortion provider. Pelvic infection is very common in cases of induced abortion and has a 30% presence in all cases of induced abortions (Abortion Risks, 2009). These medical complications make the case against abortion much stronger. Conclusion: To conclude it can be stated that the issue of abortion till this date remains divided between the pro choice and pro life. If abortion is declared legal then it gives the legal right to murder an unborn child. If it is declared illegal then there are a number of back door abortion providers who are willing to mint money. Through the above discussion I have observed that the decision to abort or not does not depend one’s inclination towards pro life or pro choice group. It depends on an individual’s thinking towards the act and towards the unborn child. One has to respect life whether born or unborn. Abortion is an easy solution and choosing to continue with pregnancy and accepting the responsibility of your act is a bold decision. In my opinion the government can play an important role in overcoming the issue of abortion. The government can support the mother and child financially and by giving other concessions. Secondly there are a million of childless couples who are willing to adopt a child to fill their lives with happiness. The government can encourage women to give birth to a child who can late be given to a childless couple. Handling over a child to a well off family is a far better solution to prevent deviant population growth than to kill the child in the beginning. A proper vision and sound government policy can save millions of lives prevent women from the trauma of abortion and can give childless couples an opportunity to relive their lives. References “Abortion Hurts Woman Psychologically and Emotionally,” Heartbeat International, (1997). Retrieved on April 24th 2010 from http://www.pregnancycenters.org/Fact%20Sheet%20on%20abortion-emotional%20risks.pdf “Abortion Risks,” Updated September 2, 2009. Retrieved on April 24th 2010 from http://www.abort73.com/abortion/abortion_risks Cerling, C.E. “Abortion and Contraception in Scripture,” Christian Scholars Review, (Fall, 1971). Pg. 42-58. Critchlow, D.T. “Birth Control, Population Control and Family Planning, An Overview”, The Politics of Abortion and Birth Control in Historical Perspectives, (1996). The Pennsylvania State University Press. USA. Pg. 1-21. Dew, D. S. “Abortion Increases Cancer Risk,” Retrieved on April 24th 2010 from http://www.dianedew.com/aborcanc.htm Finer, L.B. et al., “Reasons U.S. women have abortions: quantitative and qualitative Perspectives”, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005, 37(3): Pg. 110–118. Grisanti, M.A. “The Abortion Dilemma,” The Master’s Seminary Journal, 11/2. (Fall 2000). Pg. 169-190. Jones, R.K. et al., “Abortion in the United States: Incidence and Access to Services, 2005”, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, (2008), 40(1): Pg. 6–16. Lee, E. “Introduction,” Abortion, Motherhood and Mental Health. Walter de Gruyter Inc. (2003). Pg. 1. Marques, D. “A Non Religious Anti Abortion Argument,” (2003). Retrieved on April 24th 2010 from http://brindedcow.umd.edu/140/marquis.html Read More