Abortions Law in America

Abortion Law in America Rodney Davis 0141 4-26-12 Bethel University Mr. Rick Vaughn Jr.

Abortions Law in America

The debate over the choice to have an abortion and the timeline used to say when an abortion should be allowed is one that has caused much divide in society and in the courtroom. There are varying views and opinions from the moment of conception being a soul and when a fetus is considered human. There are also those who suggest that babies are not actually human until they are completely formed. A third group and the one that I choose to side with is that a woman has the right to their body and that they should have the ability to have an abortion in cases where they see fit or when it is deemed medically necessary. I believe that abortion should be up to each individual woman to decide if it best suits their individual needs when the possibility of life and death is at stake. The problem with abortion is there are many that hold the opinion that abortion is never justified and in my opinion that is absurd. I believe that every woman should have the ability or at the least the possibility of her choice in aborting an unwanted child as long as it is justifiable; since she will be the one responsible for this creation not the law or even those in society that feel abortion is wrong. Therefore, she herself should dictate her choices and not others. This responsibility is not something that should be taken lightly as there are many needs of not only the mother but the fetus itself once it is born. The parent must be able to care nurture and provide for this individual for a very long time and the mother should be able to determine if she has the capabilities of doing so. If any of these circumstances were to present themselves by the pregnancy and birth of a child then in my opinion abortion should not only be justifiable but in some cases mandatory. The woman should have the utmost control over her body especially

Abortion Law in America

when negative consequences are at stake. Another area of inconsistency that would have to be considered here is that we all have certain constitutional rights and the freedom of choice gives each of us the power over our choices. These rights are not restricted to certain individuals nor should they be. In this way a woman should be given choices in her healthcare and personal well being and undergoing abortion would definitely qualify here. I believe that there are certain aspects of our constitutional freedoms that would be lost such as the right of choice if abortions were not able to be performed. There are also other times when a female would choose to have an abortion and I feel that should be her choice. This often occurs in young teenage girls and although I feel there are much safer methods of birth control than abortion young girls often do not have their own lives on track and thus should not be raising children of their own. Another instance where an abortion would be a critical decision is in the case of a rape or violent crime which ends up in a pregnancy as there are issues that can come from this that could dramatically impact the life of the pregnant woman. In this instance even the president of the United States agrees which he addressed in saying that funding should not be used for abortions except in the case of a rape or violent crime or when the woman’s life is in danger (Annas, 2010). Finally and maybe most importantly would be when there is health issues of the unborn fetus as some of these issues could be extremely debilitating. There are variations of issues to discuss when we all look at a topic such as abortion that should be considered before anyone takes away a woman’s ability to choose abortion.

Abortion Law in America

Anti-Thesis
The opposition to the issue of abortion has a number of opinions as well starting from the basic notion that women do not use contraceptive devices because of the wide availability of abortions. This is one of those areas where the pro-lifers stick to firm ground because they believe that woman use abortion as a means to an end of life, instead of careful planning and use of alternative methods of birth control or even abstinence in general. They also conclude that these other devices are safer and much more effective then the use of abortion as a preventative device. Another argument used by those strictly against abortion is that there should be a national referendum on the topic of abortion so that the people as a whole can decide. This comes from the way of the (Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortions, 2005) which states that “since the majority rule is a democracy there should be a national referendum on abortion so that the people can decide.” This referendum would allow for the majority to decide on this sensitive issue and could possibly give more power to those who are of the anti-abortion stance. A national referendum could be used by anti-abortionists as a way to take control and give the power to the majority thus giving benefit to those who are against abortion. Those against adoption also take the stance that instead of abortion woman should choose to have their baby and offer it for adoption instead. This indeed is a viable alternative and the opposition does present many reasons for why abortion is the best suited plan of action when a child is not wanted at a particular time. Adoption they believe is the best alternative because it not only allows the baby to thrive and grow, but it allows the woman to continue on with her life as well. Unfortunately in recent times woman are now choosing abortion more frequently over adoption which is verified Abortion Law in America

by the (National Council for Adoption , 2000); which argues that the reason the number of infants placed for adoption has been decreasing for the last 30 years is because of the almost exclusive focus on abortion as the preferred option when an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy occurs (Newsweek, 2006). Adoption can often be the best case scenario for those who are pregnant but are not prepared to raise a child. The opposition for abortion also states that even legal abortions are not a very safe practice and can cause further implications in the future. They also say that abortion is by no means a “quick fix” and complications in the future such as pelvic inflammatory disease, subsequent infertility, miscarriage, and future premature births which is 7-15 times more common among women who have had an abortion than among those who have not (Barrett, 2004). It is also important to note that an abortion is an invasive procedure and with any procedure of this type there are risks that are associated that could be extremely harmful for the woman. It is often said that the practice of abortion is not a very safe one; however, as time goes by pro-lifers are giving more profound means of justifying not only the safeness or risks associated with the procedure, but the complications that could arise during and after the procedure has occurred. Among the most important things is that a women can feel the unborn baby is a human being at a very early age, and in this way stopping its existence is a crime. The pro- lifers feel that since the heart begins beating at about 25 days that fetuses are as human as you and I. In addition, the fact that all of the major organs are fully formed and working give those against abortion even more power in their fight to limit or terminate the rights of abortion. Lastly and maybe most prominent is that these fetuses at the young age of about 8 weeks can perform such activities as sucking their thumbs, having the ability to be awake as well as have Abortion Law in America

periods of sleep in the womb, and in a general sense begin to act like a regular baby. They further give proof of such evidence through the introduction and use of senate bill 158 “the human life” which states” physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being- a being that is alive and a member of the human species. There is overwhelming agreement on this point in countless, medical, biological, and scientific writings (US Senate Committee, 1981). The pro-life movement offers many reasons why a baby is as much alive in the wound as it is when it reaches the outside world.

Synthesis We have noticed that there are many that oppose this critical issue, but I would have to say there are equally as many arguments for a woman’s ability to choose abortion. I would first like to consider the oppositions stance that a national referendum is needed to allow for a better vote on a woman’s choice to have an abortion. Right from the start I have an issue with this, because through such a policy people that know nothing about women should not try and take away our wives, mother and daughters individual right to choose what is best for them. This policy would take away the individuals rights and allow others to determine what is in someone else best interests. This would undermine women and make them feel they have no control in their health and well being; which and can promote a feeling of helplessness. A national referendum is a policy that would be detrimental to women as it would take away the ability for each individual to determine what is best for that person. Abortion Law in America

Conclusion
One important thing I mentioned above is a woman’s rights and that is where I would like to go next with my final argument for abortion. When we look at rights or freedoms one of the things we frequently observe is the United States Constitution and under this Constitution we all have the freedom of choice. This is a wonderful freedom to have, but what happens when you are given a freedom and then told you can use it with certain exceptions. That is definitely the case here. Although we all have freedom of choice when abortion comes into play that freedom seems to be diminished or taken away. So why then are any of us said to have a choice, but then when we try to act on our choices others views seem to triumph over them. Furthermore, the Supreme Court itself based a woman’s rights to an abortion on the right of privacy, or the right of people to make choices about their personal and reproductive life without interference from outside parties (McDonagh, 1996). I personally think in a critical issue like this there are sensitive feelings that are evoked and people forget that the ability to choose abortion is something granted to women and although each should have their own opinion so should each have their own choice. The freedom of choice is one of those tricky things that others often overlook, but is imperative to consider when we view a topic such as abortion. When speaking of abortion many often forget that there is another side to consider that is of the baby itself. We often here about what age or time after conception an embryo becomes viable, but what is not as frequently mentioned is the status and the underlying health concerns of the fetus. The opposition is quick to say that abortion can hurt the baby but I do not often hear them say what the feelings of the Abortion Law in America

baby may be if they have lifelong handicaps or deformities. These deformities could be slight in nature or could carry serious detrimental effects on the fetus ending in an unacceptable quality of life. This is why there is currently variety of pregnancy related tests allowing for the parents to know any negative health conditions. If such a condition is to be found the woman should have the ability to speak for her child since the child cannot speak for itself. One very important aspect to consider when choosing abortion is whether or not the baby itself will have any handicaps or disabilities. When speaking of abortion we must also take into consideration those who are young and immature such as the teenage girl. Now by no means am I saying that abortion should be a cop out for safe sex and sex education, but unfortunately girls are having sexual relations very early in today’s society which means a greater probability that some of them may become pregnant. There are also those teenagers that do the right thing but still end up pregnant. In a recent article by (Katha Pollit, 2006) she states: “The fact is there will never be zero abortions. Half of the women who abort are using birth control already and that there are no perfect methods or perfect people.” This is an interesting stance because we do not often see an individual offering an opinion that would alleviate some of the guilt and bad representation that abortion often brings about. There are also other circumstances to have an abortion that could have serious consequences not only on the mother but on the child as well. This in mainly because at this early of an age many if not most are not mature enough to care for a baby which is why we see so many hiding their pregnancies or getting rid of the baby after birth. In addition there are not many teenage girls who have steady employment which means that unless getting help from their parents or the government they will not be able to support a baby. There is Abortion Law in America

however a glimmer of hope as statistics have shown the there are actually a drop to around forty percent of teenagers are choosing abortion (Douglas & Walbert. 1992). There are many reasons why woman especially teenage girls should at the least be given the option of abortion.
Adoption can also be seen as an alternative for many women; however there are those that would prefer not to have to go through a nine month pregnancy and then have to give their child away. The opposition says that this is a best case scenario, but I would have to disagree on this point. First and foremost, a pregnancy is for some not an easy thing to go through. There is often varying levels of sickness and other complications that could arise. They say that abortion is risky but anyone that has a high risk pregnancy could possibly say that the risks of being pregnant are often just as unsafe as the risks of having an abortion. In addition, when choosing adoption the woman must carry this baby for nine months and then have to give it away. Even for those who may not have wanted the child in the beginning would not want to be forced to have a baby and then give it away. There are many aspects of the adoption process that must be considered before this option is chosen.

References

Bethel University. (2011). Ethical and Legal Environment. Constitutional Law p.24-25. Annas, G.D. (2010, March, 9). The Real Life Stance-Health Care Reform and Abortion. The New England Journal of Medicine P. 362.

National Council for Adoption (2000, Febuary, 4). Adoption Fact Book. Retrieved from http://www.adoption fact book.com/quote/CFC.

The Westchester Coalition for Abortion (2010, June, 9). The Conservative Case for Abortion. Retrieved from www.choicematters.org/articles/legal-abortion.

Barrett, J.M. (2005). Induced Abortion. A Risk Factor For Babies. Retrieved from www. American Journal.com/baby-health.

Subcommittee on Separation to Senate Judiciary Committee (2004). 1st session of the 97th Congress s-158. The Freedom of Choice.

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I was not at all trying to suggest that it is better for employers to simply go online and hire employees solely based on their resume. I was only making the point that because of the emergence of the internet that a vast majority of employers has their computer programmed to delete potential employees resumes from their system based on the fact that database doesn’t recognize key words and phrase. Also I was trying to imply that while I don’t agree that employers can tell if someone is being honest by simply looking at their resume, sometimes they will delete your file because of a possible error on your online resume causing you to possibly loose a chance for a face-to-face interview. I agree with you that because of the internet and technology, the chances of having a face-to-face interview has diminished which has made it a lot harder for salespeople to get an interview

References: Bethel University. (2011). Ethical and Legal Environment. Constitutional Law p.24-25. National Council for Adoption (2000, Febuary, 4). Adoption Fact Book. Retrieved from http://www.adoption fact book.com/quote/CFC. The Westchester Coalition for Abortion (2010, June, 9). The Conservative Case for Abortion. Retrieved from www.choicematters.org/articles/legal-abortion. Barrett, J.M. (2005). Induced Abortion. A Risk Factor For Babies. Retrieved from www. American Journal.com/baby-health. Subcommittee on Separation to Senate Judiciary Committee (2004). 1st session of the 97th Congress s-158. The Freedom of Choice.