Abortion Is Wrong

Abortion Is Wrong There are several decisions one has to make on a daily basis. For example, what they’re going to wear that day, if they’re going to take the bus or the train or if they want to serve steak or chicken. But sometimes people have to make an even greater decision, such as whether or not to have an abortion. Millions of women in this world have been faced with this heart cringing decision that has made them really sit down and decide if abortion is the right choice for them. Throughout this paper toipcs will be discussed concerning abortion statistics, the moral beliefs behind it and the begining of life for the fetus. This is such a sensitive subject that is argued from every stand point.

There are a number of women that struggle with making the right decision when it comes to unexpected pregnancies (Durrett 9). The collected statistics range from race to economic status. The research shows that there are at least 1.37 million abortions a year and approximately 3,700 a day. This means that every year, about 2 percent of American women between the ages of fifteen and forty-four have abortions (“Abortion Facts”). These women come from all races and ethnic groups. They represent all income levels and most religious backgrounds. Two percent of them are teenagers. About a million teenagers become pregnant every year and the number is greatly increasing. Although 54 percent of these teenagers decide to carry their pregnancies through full term, 40 percent decide to have abortions, and 6 percent have unexpected miscarriages (Durrett 9). Of these women white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women such as Blacks and Hispanics. Statistics show that black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely (“Abortion Facts”). If the law of abortion changed today, stating that is was illegal to abort an unborn child; millions of women would have to make up their minds up about what their final decision would be before taking part in any sexual intercourse. If abortion was illegal, it wouldn’t give people that outlet of rescue their looking for. It would force people to be more cautious when it came to their sexual actions or consider adoption if keeping the unborn child wasn’t an option.

While deciding whether to be pro-life or pro-choice, many people still have to consider the moral aspect of aborting a child. Some say that life begins when the baby is born; therefore, aborting it is not murder. Aborting a child is murder (Bader and Windle 8). It is a human being and it should have the same opportunities as everyone else. Abortion is one conflict, among many but religion is one of the biggest dividers of this topic. Among Christianity, Catholics, Southern Baptist, and Mormon churches officially oppose abortion. They all feel that God is the giver and taker of life, not man. Who are we to decide whether or not a child should have a chance at life (Bader and Windle 117)? The debate between pro-life, pro-choice and morally, immoral decisions are no where near close to being over. Many people in the pro-choice community believe that the battle for reproductive freedom has been won now that abortion is available. They believe that women have gained control over their reproductive capacities and have been “liberated from repressive rulings of patriarchal governments” (Morgentaler 111). This is not true. There are still women in other areas of the world that are held to their religious and family’s beliefs. They are reminded each and everyday that the decision of life does not lie in their hands but in the hands of their creator. So with that being said, abortion is morally unethical in the eyes of God and his followers; there is no denying it.

Little was known about the development of the fetus in the 1970’s (Lowenstein 34). Activity inside the womb remained a secret until the invention of modern imaging equipment. Today, however, doctors and researchers can see inside the womb. With ultrasound technology, they can view an embryo as early as five weeks from the woman’s last menstrual period. A few weeks later, they can watch the image of a moving fetus on a television screen. For many years now, they have studied the fetus in the womb. Conception is when the egg has been fertilized by a male’s sperm. This usually takes place about fourteen days after the woman’s last menstrual period. In the next few days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus and begins to grow (Lowenstein 41). As it develops, the fertilized egg becomes an embryo and then a fetus. This is determined by the length of the pregnancy. A fetus delivered after the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy could survive on it own (Riddle 12). This goes to show that life begins as soon as the baby is conceived.

Even if everyone were to agree that life begins at a certain time, the conflict would continue over whose rights count the most, the mother or the child? Those on the pro-choice side of the issue focus more so on the woman’s right. They believe that every woman has the right to decide whether she will have children, and when and how many she will have. They also believe that every child has the right to be wanted and loved. In their view, legal abortion protects these rights when an unwanted pregnancy occurs. Although abortion has been made legal since 1973, they see the pro-life movement as a threat. They worry that the Court might someday overturn the Roe v. Wade decision (“Abortion is Wrong”). This could happen if another case came before a more conservative Supreme Court. Pro-life supporters believe that the life of the unborn child is no less valuable than that of the mother. They also believe that a woman should take full responsibility for their actions. First, a woman should not conceive is she does not want a child. Second, she should be prepared to deal with the consequences of her own actions (“Abortion is Wrong”). This would include carrying the pregnancy to term, and parenting the child or placing him or her up for adoption. She should do this at her own emotional and financial expense. In the pro-life view, an abortion ends the life of an innocent, unborn child. Both sides of the debate make strong arguments that naturally defend both the mother and child, but the child’s needs should be placed in the forefront. Children are our future, point blank. Women need to take control of their decisions and actions.

The Best Choice
Using birth control reduces the risk if unintended pregnancy. However, it may give unmarried women and teens a false sense of security. No contraception method is hundred percent effective. In the mid-1990’s, 60 percent of woman who had abortions became pregnant because their birth control method failed (Herring 78). Although teenagers may think that abstinence is too difficult and unfair, the risks that accompany premarital sex are extremely unfair to women but in the eyes of our God, it is morally unethical. Men can walk away from a woman that is claiming to carry his child, and many do. It is the woman who gets pregnant and must face the tough choices of life ahead. Once a woman becomes pregnant, her entire thought process has to change. Honestly, the best choice for every woman, from puberty on, is to avoid the possibility of unwanted pregnancies with abstinence because if you think that the debate against pro-life and pro-choice is hard, try having that struggle within yourself; to live or to die. Abortion is wrong.

Work Cited

“Abortion Facts”, July 9, 2009, Web. Oct 8, 2010.

Bader, Eleanor J. and Patricia Baird- Windle, Target of Hatred: Anti Abortion Terrorism. New York: Palgrave, 2001 Print. Oct 9, 2010.

Durrett, Deanne, The Abortion Conflict: A Pro Con Issue. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
Publishers Inc, 2000 Print. Oct 4, 2010.

Hall, Jason, “Abortion Is Wrong”, August 16, 2008, Web. Sept, 18, 2010.

Herring Youngblood, Mark, The Pro-Life/Con Choice Debate. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2003 Print. Sept 30, 2010.

Lowenstein, Felicia, The Abortion Battle: Looking at Both Sides. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1996 Print. Sept 23, 2010.

Morgentaler, Henry, The Moral Case For Abortion. Washington, DC: Harper-Collins, 1993 Print. Oct 5, 2010

Riddle, John, Eve’s Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. Oct 9 2010.

Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow

Publishers Inc, 2000 Print. Oct 4, 2010.

Hall, Jason, “Abortion Is Wrong”, August 16, 2008, Web. Sept, 18, 2010.

Herring Youngblood, Mark, The Pro-Life/Con Choice Debate. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2003 Print. Sept 30, 2010.

Lowenstein, Felicia, The Abortion Battle: Looking at Both Sides. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1996 Print. Sept 23, 2010.

Morgentaler, Henry, The Moral Case For Abortion. Washington, DC: Harper-Collins, 1993 Print. Oct 5, 2010

Riddle, John, Eve’s Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. Oct 9 2010.