Andrea Lazaro Ben Little Emily Szamier John Boulton Stryker Farrar Abortion Case Study 1.

Team approach Our team decided to look for most of our information in books from the library. We met at the library, picked out our books and divided our information between us based on different subtopics such as history, perspectives, and medical facts. After gathering all of our information we shared it with each other and decided what information was accurate and what wasnt. Introduction The problem we are facing today with the topic of abortion is whether or not it should be legal. It is a problem because of the different views of the morality and justice of abortion. Some argue it is womens rights, but others argue its immoral. Case Background A. Abortions before quickening were permitted in the US by traditional common law until 1845 . (Sachdev, 1988) 1. By the turn of the century almost all states had passed laws restricting abortion, which lasted until the middle of the 1900s. (Sachdev, 1988) 2. In 1930, abortion accounted for 18% of all maternal deaths in the US. (Sachdev, 1988) 3. Respondents to Kinseys nationwide survey in the 1940s reported that 22% of married women had had one or more abortions between the time they were married and age 45, and about 10 who reported premarital pregnancies had been terminated by abortion. (Sachdev, 1988) 4. In the 1960s, 44 states only allowed abortions if the womans life or physical health was in jeopardy and in one state if the pregnancy was in result of rape. (Sachdev, 1988) a. Estimates of illegal abortions: (Sachdev, 1988) 20% of all deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth were due to illegal abortions b. In 1967, Colorado was the first state to reform its antiabortion law, permitting abortion if Womans life was endangered Womans physical or mental health imperiled by pregnancy Child would be born with severe physical or mental defects Pregnancy had occurred from rape or incest (Sachdev, 1988) c. By 1972, 16 other states had adopted such laws including four states who allowed abortion if the woman and physician felt it was necessary. (Sachdev, 1988) Women from throughout the country would travel to these states to get legal abortions In 1972, 1/3 of the 600,000 legal abortions were to women who traveled d. In 1973, the Supreme Court invalidated all state antiabortion laws by holding that the constitutional right to privacy included a womans decision to terminate a pregnancy in consultation with her physician. (Sachdev, 1988) This decision declared the decision to terminate a pregnancy during the first trimester of pregnancy is primarily a medical one and must rest with a physician States may regulate the conditions under which abortions are performed After fetus is capable of sustained independent existence, states may restrict all abortions except the necessary ones to preserve a womans life. B. Attitudes towards abortion (Sachdev, 1988) 1. Since 1972, about 2/3 of US adults have approved the legalization of abortion a. 1984 percentages of approval 90% if womans health is seriously endangered by pregnancy 80% if pregnancy resulted from rape or if baby would be born with serious defect 43-46% if family is too poor and could not afford children, if the woman were unmarried, or if a married woman did not want any more children 39% for any reason

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2. The demographic profile of women having abortions in the US had not changed dramatically since 1973. (Sachdev, 1988) a. 62-66% under 25 b. 67-74% white c. 71-81% unmarried d. 55-58% childless 4. Key issues and key stakeholders . Long term physical and physiological health consequences (Bachiochi, 2004) ~Approximately 25% of all pregnancies (between 1.2 and 1.6 million per year) are terminated in the United States A. Breast Cancer (Bachiochi, 2004) 1. Inducted abortion causes an increased risk of breast cancer in two different ways: a. When the first full term pregnancy is delayed to a later time in a womans life, the protective effect of a first full-term pregnancy is lost b. Apart from the effect of this delay, inducted abortion may separately (independently) increase the risk of breast cancer 2. Full term delivery early in ones reproductive life reduces the chance of subsequent breast cancer development. a. This is called the protective effect of a first full term pregnancy. b. The Gail Equation is used to help women in making decisions regarding breast cancer prevention measures. 3. Abortion as an independent risk factor for breast cancer, apart from the delay of first full-term pregnancy, has been controversial because of the complexities in this type of epidemiological research. a. A 1996 meta-analysis (by Brind et al.) reported an odds ratio for breast cancer of 1.3, meaning that for every ten women who developed breast cancer and had not had an abortion, 13 women who developed breast cancer had had an abortion. A further finding of this study was that the risk of breast cancer is increased if the abortion is performed before a first full-term pregnancy. 4. The risk of breast cancer increases with inducted abortion when a. The inducted abortion precedes a first full term pregnancy b. The woman is a teenager All the pregnant teenagers in one study who had family history of breast cancer and aborted their first pregnancy developed breast cancer c. The woman is over the age of 30 d. The pregnancy is terminated at more than 12 weeks gestation e. The woman has a family history of breast cancer B. Placenta Previa (Bachiochi, 2004) 1. Placenta previa is a medical condition of pregnancy where the placenta covers the cervix, making a cesarean section medically necessary to deliver the child. 2. This condition puts women at a higher risk, not just because of the surgery needed when making a cesarean section, but also because blood loss is greater and blood transfusions may be needed 3. Placenta previa also creates a higher risk of hysterectomy, which is the loss of the uterus, which would require more extensive surgery 4. Inducted abortion increases the risk of placenta previa by 50% C. Pre-Term Birth (Bachiochi, 2004) 1. 24 studies explored associations between abortion and pre-term birth (PTB) or low birth weight (a surrogate marker for pre-term birth) in subsequent delivered children. 2. 12 studies found an association that almost doubled the risk of pre-term birth. a. A dose response effect was identified by 7 of the 12 A higher risk exists for women who have had more abortions D. Suicide (Bachiochi, 2004) 1. Two studies, one from Finland and one from United States, have shown increased rates of suicide after inducted abortion. a. The Finnish study reported that for every woman who had a baby and committed suicide, 6 women who had an abortion committed suicide during the same time period. 2. Self-harm is more common in women who have had induced abortion.

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a. In England, psychiatric admission as a result of suicide attempts is three times more likely for women after induced abortion. Pro-life v Pro-choice debate A. Pro-life (McBride, 2008) 1. Claim that abortion is bad for women because it involves unnecessary health risks and often results in mental health problems. 2. Claim that women who have abortions later regret their decision and cite studies indicating that women who terminate their pregnancies have high rates of depression, drug abuse, suicide attempts, and mental illnesses. 3. Claim that abortion is risky procedure performed at poor quality facilities by unskilled technicians with a high incident of injury. B. Pro-choice (McBride, 2008) 1. Argue that ban on abortion will lead to more unsafe back alley abortions. Abortions that are undeniably gruesome. Key Stakeholders o Women They are directly affected by it. They are the ones who carry the baby and usually the one who take care of them when in the situation of single parenting. o Children They dont have the choice of being born and deciding the outcome of their lives. What we learned from investigating this topic A. Top 6 reasons why women 18 and under have abortions (Schwarz, 1990) 1. Concerned about how having a baby could change their life 2. Not mature enough 3. Cant afford having a baby 4. Doesnt want others to know she is pregnant 5. Relationship problems and doesnt want to be a single parent 6. Unready for the responsibility B. Can congenital defects justify an abortion? 1. Many families decide to get an abortion once they realize there child might be born with birth defects. Having a child with Down syndrome can require a lot of energy, patience, and money. Some parents believe that there child will not live a normal life if born with a birth defect and would rather have an abortion. (Schwarz, 1990) C. Can rape justify an abortion? 1. If a woman gets pregnant from a rape then most women feel the need to abort the baby because they feel as if the baby will just remind her of the horrible assault (Messer, 1988) D. Child development before birth 1. If a woman has sexual intercourse during the time when an egg has been released from the ovary, the sperm cells released from the man may fertilize the egg. When fertilization is completed, a new being exists and is capable of further development. (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) -Fertilization marks the beginning of the human lifespan (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 2. The body starts developing 25 days after fertilization (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 3. After 21 to 25 days, the heart starts beating (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 4. "By 30 days, just two weeks past mother's first missed period, the baby - one quarter of an inch long has a brain of unmistakable human proportions, eyes, ears, mouth, kidneys, liver, an umbilical cord and a heart pumping blood he has made himself." (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 5. They increase from 5mm at four weeks to 4Omm by the end of the eighth week. (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 6. Their fingers appear after 6 weeks, and have finger prints by the 7 th (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 7. The lens and retina of the eyes start developing at 6 weeks (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 8. They start to move at 7 weeks. (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children)

9. After 5 weeks, the embryo has been seen to move away from objects near the mouth area. (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) 10. After 8 weeks the babys cartilage starts to turn into bone. (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) E. Abortion in the United States 1. Abortion law is determined at state level 2. Special cases leading to laws about abortion a. Roe v Wade: Does the Constitution embrace a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion? ("Roe v. wade," 2013) - Conclusion: A woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision gave women total autonomy over the pregnancy during the first trimester and defined different levels of state interest for the second and third trimesters. ("Roe v. wade," 2013) b. Planned Parenthood v Casey: Can a state require women who want an abortion to obtain informed consent, wait 24 hours, and, if minors, obtain parental consent, without violating their right to abortions as guaranteed by Roe v. Wade? ("Planned parenthood v.," 2013) - Conclusion: Court affirmed ruling in Roe v Wade ("Planned parenthood v.," 2013) F. What are the consequences of abortion and/or abortion policies? (Bender, 1997) 1. Centers for Disease Control statistics find that pregnancy is significantly riskier than abortion. 2. A panel for the American medical association concluded from vast studies on the issue that first trimester abortions pose no significant health hazards for most women. (Bender, 1997) a. 97% of women report no complications b. 2.5% have minor complications that can be handled at the medical facility c. only .5% have serious complications that require additional surgical procedure (Bender, 1997) 3. In addition to the length of the pregnancy, other significant factors that can affect possibilities of complications include: a. kind of anesthesia used b. womans overall health c. abortion method used d. skill and training of provider (Bender, 1997) G. Complications (Bender, 1997) 1. From surgical abortion: a. blood clots accumulating in uterus b. infections c. tear of the uterus d. missed abortion resulting in repeated abortion e. incomplete abortion where tissue remains in the uterus and requires a repeat suction procedure f. excessive bleeding requiring a blood transfusion (Bender, 1997) 2. From medical abortion: a. failure of the medications to terminate the pregnancy b. Incomplete expulsion of the products of conception requiring suction procedure c. death secondary to toxic shock following infection (Bender, 1997) 6. Conclusion In general we all agreed that abortion should be a choice a woman should make with certain limitations and conditions. We agreed that a woman may have the choice of having an abortion if her pregnancy was a result of rape and we agreed that abortions should not be done if the baby would have any kind of harmless defect. We disagreed on conditions with age. Some thought if under 18 they should have the choice; however, others argued that if a woman is under 18, it has to be with the consent of a parent because theyre still considered a minor. We also disagreed on whether the father has a say. Some argued that its the womans body and she has the right to choose whether or not she will have the baby; however, others argued that it is the fathers child too and if the mother doesnt want the child, maybe the father does and will take care of it. 6. References Bachiochi, E. (Ed.). (2004). The Cost of Choice. San Francisco, California: Encounter Books.

Bender, D., Leone, B., & Roleff, T. L. (Eds.). (1997). Abortion Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Green haven Press, Inc. McBride, D. E. (2008). Abortion in the United States. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. Messer, E., & May, K. E. (1988). Back Rooms. Buffalo, New York: St. Martins Press. Planned Parenthood v. Casey. (2013, September 08). Retrieved from http://www.oyez.org/cases/19901999/1991/1991_91_744 Roe v. Wade. (2013, September 08). Retrieved from http://www.oyez.org/cases/19701979/1971/1971_70_18 Sachdev, P. (Ed.). (1988). International Handbook on Abortion. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, Inc. Schwarz, S. D. (1990). The Moral Question of Abortion. Chicago, Illinois: Loyola University Press. Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.spuc.org.uk/education/abortion/human-development