Essay on Abortion: A Complex Issue

Is a developing fetus a living human? Is a fetus not considered a human until the second trimester? Does poverty, rape and disability justify an abortion? Is the abortion dilemma truly black and white? Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed in the United States each year. Nearly one in four of all pregnancies end in abortion equalling 42% of all yearly deaths around the world. For pro-life supporters, they say that life begins at conception; the instant when a sperm cell unites with a egg cell. For pro-choice supporters, they say at birth, a baby is a living human. At conception, they know it is something but they don't consider it a human life. Since 1973, the number of abortions has spiked drastically from over 700,000

In “A Defense of Abortion” by Judith Jarvis Thomson, her key implication is that if a fetus is a person with a right to life, then abortion would still be morally permissible in cases of rape or contraceptive failure. She mentions that all of the arguments she makes are implying the fetus being a person from the moment of conception. If the fetus is not a person from the moment of conception, but only a “fertilized ovum or a clump of cells,” then abortion is okay. First, she brings up the slippery slope argument about when to determine the fetus as being a person or not. It’s tough to say exactly when a fetus becomes a person thus the opposite side says “a fetus is a person from the moment of conception.” Thomson compares this to an acorn turning into an oak tree. Nobody would necessarily say that the acorn is an oak tree as soon as it’s planted in the ground, therefore she believes a fetus in not a person at the moment of conception. Although she does agree that the fetus becomes a person throughout a point

In the article, “Should Abortion be Legal,” [U.S Government Publishing Office] Pro life supporters argue that, Abortion in the United States should be illegal because it is murder because the baby is still a person maybe they are not fully formed but they are human. “The federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which was enacted "to protect unborn children from assault and murder," states that under federal law, anybody intentionally killing or attempting to kill an unborn child should "be punished... for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being."[U.S Government Publishing Office,Unborn Victims of Violence ]. In his essay he writes that,”life begins at conception when the egg is fertilized” (ProCon second point on debate)

Gianna Jessen who is now thirty-six, survived an abortion. At seventeen years old, her mother attempted to abort her using the saline procedure. Eventually, Gianna forced a birth after being in the solution for eighteen hours. She was put up for adoption after she was born and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at an early age due to the saline burning. Around the world, abortion takes place on the daily basis and the government considers this form of murder legal. This brutal act of legal murder is at an all-time high. Nearly 125,000 babies around the world are being killed each day (Real Time World Statistics, “Abortions in the World”). Most of the babies aren’t fortunate enough to survive like Gianna. Many people minimize the inhumanity of abortion because they believe the baby isn't a human being yet or the mother puts her life before the child without seeking another option. While it is believed that abortion can prevent many unwanted pregnancies, however, it can leave extreme physical and emotional trauma on the mother and sometimes father. Some research claims that during the first few weeks of a pregnancy the embryo isn’t considered a human being, but in fact, an unborn baby does have a life. Dr. Robert George claimed that embryos are distinguished from other cells by their autonomous intrinsic functioning. Consequently, human embryos are living individuals at the earliest stage of development. (George, “Why is Abortion Wrong?”) Therefore, they are considered human

“After the first blush of sin comes it's indifference; and from immoral it becomes, as it were, unmoral, and not quite unnecessary to that life which we have made.” (Thoreau, paragraph 14, line 20). Abortion is an injustice. It is the rationalized “removal” of a human life from existence, and it is wrong. Arguably reminiscent of the dreaded extermination camps of the second world war, deciding the death of millions has become a matter of routine for the world today. Abortion has ceased to be considered as wrong by many, and the majority would argue that it is instead quite necessary for their lifestyle. Several scenarios which argue their point include teen pregnancy, rape, and finding out the unborn child is mentally retarded.

But anything before the end of the first trimester is still just an embryo so it is the women's choice to get rid of the unborn child because it is not dependent on its own. "Since premature infants can live outside of the womb, they argue, abortions of six or seven-month-old fetuses should be illegal." (Williams 12). What this is saying is, no baby after six or seven months should be aborted because that baby has already reached more than half of their natural body and cannot just be aborted. After that many months is when the law should fit in to say that abortion should be illegal because around six or seven months is when the premature baby can live on its own without needing the mother to live off of. Therefore, people who are against abortion should look at the statistics of an embryo and realize that when a mother has an abortion what is inside of her is not really a full developed

There is a never ending debate on whether a fetus's personhood begins at conception or at the moment they are born. Depending on religion or specific beliefs the answer is always different. The argument on personhood may be infinite but the moment that life begins is not a question. Life is evident through the swift development of a fetus. During the first three weeks the baby's brain, spinal cord, and most important, the heart form. After four weeks facial features form and the heart begins to pump blood. These features are seen in humans, therefore how can one argue that the growing baby is not a person but merely a fetus or group of cells. Abortion on demand makes abortion available not just in the early stages of pregnancy but all throughout the pregnancy. If an abortion is carried out during the first one to twelve

At what point is the fetus considered human? To some it is as soon as the child is conceived. To others it is when he is out of the womb breathing on its own, and to the rest it’s when the fetus starts developing. A person’s definition of whether a fetus is a human or not depends upon the individual and their definition determines their view on abortion (Goldberg, 22). If everyone had the same belief that a fetus is a human and abortion should be illegal then there would be no problem. However there are many views and “what neither the pro-choice nor pro-life advocates wish to face is the fact that the abortion question is inherently and eternally unanswerable, though it can be settled by force or its modern equivalent, dramatic vote (22).”

Pro-lifers feel that the baby is automatically a person as soon as the baby is conceived, and the pro-choicer's think that the fetus isn’t actually a person until the second to third trimester. “ The issue of abortion hinges on the question of personhood. Nearly everyone believes that persons have a special moral status: Taking the life of another person, barring extreme circumstances, is a grievous sin. Pro-lifers argue that the same is true of abortion, because fetuses are persons—hence the term “pro-life.” Most pro-choicer's, on the other hand, would argue that fetuses are not persons until they reach a certain late stage of development, either at the moment of birth or some time prior to

Fetus is a human being from the moment of conception making abortion the immoral killing of an innocent human being. Many have argued that no one knows when life begins. However, science has informed and provides evidence that

Abortion is defined as “the expulsion or removal from the womb of a developing embryo or fetus in the period before it is capable of independent survival”. Definitions of abortion vary within countries as well as among different institutions. Often societal and political opinions of abortion are reflected in the language used to refer to the procedure.

Abortion is one of the most highly debated issues in our country today, and this debate between those who support abortion and those against it has been going on since the 1973 court case, Roe v. Wade. To have an abortion or not to is solely the woman’s choice and her right. Keeping abortion legal is a wiser decision than outlawing it for multiple reasons.

The development of the fetus also helps declare not only it’s personhood but also how the abortion process is inhumane. A fetus is a person. Within five weeks of development, the baby already has a heart, and its circulatory system has begun to grow. Most women do not find out until this time that they are pregnant and therefore, the abortion decision is not placed within their mind. The abortion process can take up to weeks to happen, and in those weeks the baby is developing rapidly. Brain development begins at six weeks, and by the seventh, the fetus is developing human characteristic such hands, feet, nose, mouth, and ears. In the seventh week of development, the nerve endings within the spinal cord are produced. By the eleventh week

Abortion is a highly-debated topic of whether it is ethical for a woman to decide to have one. Abortion is any of various surgical methods for deliberately terminating a pregnancy. When we speak of abortion today, we mean induced abortion performed by trained doctors, not including miscarriage (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2015). Some current methods of abortion are morning-after pill, mifepristone, uterine or vacuum aspiration, dilation and curettage, saline solution, prostaglandin drugs, hysterotomy, and partial birth abortion. Abortion involves questions about rights, happiness, and well-being, as well as the status and value of human life. The people who think it is ethical to have an abortion stand on the Pro-choice side and the people who think it is unethical stand on the Pro-life side. The liberal view of abortion supports abortions and the conservative view opposes abortion. There are many legal, religious, and medical conflicts that are included in the debate over abortion. The arguments made from both sides help us better understand whether a woman should have an abortion.

In the germinal period which includes the creation of the fertilized egg, called a zygote, cell division, and the attachment of the zygote to the uterine wall (Santrock, J., 2008). To me, I believe that the germinal period is the only prenatal stage that you would not completely consider the fetus as a human being because, though it is a living organism, it shows no indication of being a human. Once in the embryonic period and fetal period, I believe the fetus should have complete human rights. The embryonic stage is the stage when the embryo begins to develop organs which are the first characteristics of a human being. This is why I would consider the embryo to be a human and having human rights from two weeks till birth. According to the law (in most states), it is said that women may not have an abortion after twenty-three weeks and at twenty-three weeks a child is able to live outside of the womb. I have learned this because my, now 3 year old niece, was born at twenty-three weeks and is a perfectly healthy child today with no problems. This means that a fetus can be aborted when viable to live outside of the womb. Regrettably, though, the seeming clarity of the viability rule