Pro Abortion

Before we amble off into a land where serious is the only emotion, I would like to provide you with the definitions to the following words: Fetus and Embryo:

From Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, we have the definition of “fetus”

    “The unborn offspring in the post embryonic period, after major structures have been outlined, not occurring in humans until nine weeks after fertilization and continuing until birth.”

And from Merriam Webster’s online dictionary, we have the definition of “embryo”

     “ a vertebrate, something that has not yet developed”

On Christmas Day, 1984, three abortion clinics were bombed, and those convicted called the bombings "a birthday gift for Jesus." One of the main reasons against abortion is that you are “killing another person” and that God said that was bad, but the US Constitution states “Freedom of Religion” which means that religious reasoning cannot be used in an official argument because not everyone believes in the Bible (i.e. their reasoning is flawed and cannot be used in court). The anti-abortion position is usually a religious belief and threatens the vital separation of church and state. Religious ideology should not be a foundation for law in the United States. Within the churches and other groups opposing abortion, the issue of clinic protests has become increasingly controversial, as many who oppose abortions move to separate themselves from those who propose violence as an acceptable solution. Why, when the Bible (and not just the bible) don’t support violence, do religious peoples think that violence is an acceptable solution for their moral issues?

Technically, during the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is still a single cell, or just a group of cells that are still formed in a hollow ball, so how can you be killing a person if it’s just a single cell? What defines a person? A fetus is not a human being. Abortion is terminating a pregnancy, not a baby. Personhood at conception is not a proven biological fact. According to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham (England), fetuses are incapable of feeling pain when an abortion is performed. The biological development necessary to support pain experience does not occur until birth.

Modern abortion procedures are safe. The risk of a woman’s death from abortion is less than one in 100,000. Whereas, the risk of a woman dying from giving birth is 13.3 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies. Furthermore, a 1993 fertility investigation of 10,767 women by the Joint Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that women who had at least two abortions experienced the same future fertility as those who had at least two natural pregnancies. Also, the science behind the theory that abortion increases the likelihood that women will develop breast cancer is unsubstantiated. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have all refuted the reliability of studies claiming an association between breast cancer and abortion.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes abortion as a medical procedure if performed by a licensed physician in conformance with good medical practice standards. There are about 1,800 licensed physicians who provide abortions in the United States. These doctors, not politicians, should have the authority to make medical decisions regarding abortion. Just as well, abortion should be legal because it is an effective tool in population control. Malnutrition, starvation, poverty, lack of medical and educational services, pollution, underdevelopment, and conflict over resources are all consequences of overpopulation. Now, this isn’t to be taken as “we should kill everyone” it’s simply stating that a woman who does not wish a child, should not have to carry one, especially in places where these consequences hold true.

Motherhood must never be a punishment for having sexual intercourse. President Barack Obama said in a Mar. 29, 2008 campaign speech in Johnston, Pennsylvania, "I have two daughters... I'm going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." Also, abortion lowers crime. Some estimates claim that legalized abortion accounted for as much as 50% of the drop in murder, property crime, and violent crime between 1973 and 2001. Teenage girls, unmarried women, and poor women are more likely to have unintended pregnancies. Unwanted babies are often raised poor, increasing their chances of leading criminal lives in adulthood.

A baby should not come into this world unwanted. 48% of all pregnancies among American women are unintended. Birthing children is an important lifelong decision that requires responsible consideration, preparation, and planning. Just as well, a lot of abortions happen because of rape cases. If a woman has been raped and defiled, and she does not want to keep the baby (that will most likely look like it’s father) that is the offspring of a horrible and traumatizing affair, should she be forced to keep it? Abortion also gives couples the option to choose not to birth babies with severe and life-threatening medical conditions. Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic form of mental retardation, affects about 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females. One in 800 babies have Down Syndrome, and one in 3,500 babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis. Parents should have a choice in whether or not they want to have a child that will be sentenced with a mental illness their entire life.

-Susan Peevy and Mercedes Thorne