Jessica Barrett

Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

Abortion is an extremely controversial issue because while some people are completely against
wit, others believe that a woman should have the right to choose. I believe that abortion is
morally and ethically wrong.
In my opinion, when a woman chooses to have sex, she is taking a chance. She does this of her
own free will, and is in control over what she is doing. If a person decides to have sex, whether it
is done with protection or not, the result is her responsibility and she must be willing to deal with
the consequences. One such consequence is getting pregnant. When a woman gets pregnant, it is
usually a result of her own choices, even if the pregnancy is unwanted or unplanned.
The most obvious reason why I think that abortion is immoral is because it is the intentional
killing of a human being. It is a well-known fact that life begins at the moment of conception. If
it is murder to kill a human being in any stage of life, then abortion, the murder of the fetus, is
obviously wrong, because murder is one of the ethical absolutes. When we perform an abortion,
we take the life of an innocent child. We deny the unborn child its right to live and experience
the world. No one has thee right to take the life of another person, even an unborn child.
Furthermore, abortion denies the mother the joy and opportunity to raise the baby, and in the
long run, usually ends up hurting the mother as the emotional effects become worse and worse.
This problem is even more common when there is pressure by others on the woman to have the
abortion, and she does so reluctantly.
Another reason why I do not believe abortions should be done is because of the many risks
involved for the woman undergoing the abortion. No civilized society permits one human to

Jessica Barrett
Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

intentionally harm or take the life of another human without punishment. I believe abortion is
wrong when used for narcissistic reasons. There are many other things you can do to prevent
abortion. There are reasons why I don't support it. You can use adoption as a solution, it can harm
the mother as well, and you are a taking an innocent life. Teenagers can rise awareness and either
speak or show how strongly they believe about this topic. Abortion should not be legalized.
Having a child is often looked upon as a wonderful experience with endless rewards, but not
everyone thinks this way. More and more females are having a procedure done called an
abortion. In this process the pregnancy is terminated. Many women are not ready for a baby and
see this as a way out. Although one can be sympathetic when a woman becomes pregnant
unexpectedly, having an abortion performed is not the right answer. This procedure was
legalized in the 1973 Supreme Court cases of Roe vs. Wade, and Doe vs. Boston. An average or
4,000 babies are killed by abortions each day, which amounts to 1.4 million babies a
year(Bilmore,1). In this paper, it will be proven that abortions are unethical procedures that
should be outlawed by discussing the actual performance down, facts and numbers of the
abortions, and the alternatives and preventions.

Many people are not fully aware of what is actually involved when having an abortion.
In a first trimester abortion, (during the first three months of pregnancy) the woman must go to a
special clinic for the abortion. The doctor then does a thorough examination on the woman to
see how far along the pregnancy is. The woman is then put under a form of anesthesia and a

Jessica Barrett
Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

long cylindrical instrument called the dilator dilates the cervix. A cannula, which is attached to a
suctioning machine is moved around the uterus which removes the fetal tissue and uterine lining.
When a woman is in the second trimester of pregnancy, the abortion procedure is basically the
same as the first trimester abortion. The only difference is the cervix must be dilated more which
is known as a Dilation and Cutterage. Between 16-24 weeks, the procedure is more severe and
painstaking. A saline or prostaglandin abortion is performed. A hollow needle is inserted though
the abdominal wall, and some of !

the abdominal fluid is withdrawn. This induces labor and the woman is given pitocin to begin
the contractions, which will continue until the fetus and placenta are out of the vagina. After the
abortion has been performed the woman will experience cramps, drowsiness, and a heavy feeling
of nausea. With repeated abortions the cervix may become too stretched. If the woman
eventually wants to keep a child in the future, it may result in a miscarriage or premature birth
because of how stretched the cervix has become. Not only is the abortion painful and has bad
after effects, the procedure is very costly. To have an abortion performed in a clinic the cost can
be anywhere from $300-$1000, depending on the trimester the woman is in when the abortion
takes place (Witt, 25). When people learn exactly what occurs during an abortion, the after
effects, and the cost, many become discouraged to have an abortion.

Many arguments exist concerning the issue of abortions remaining legal, but they are

Jessica Barrett
Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

easily proven to be false. A main argument that many pro-choice activists pose is this: why
should mothers give birth to babies when they are raped or if the pregnancy causes health
problem? The try to focus on this issue, but the fact is that only 1% of all abortions are
performed on rape or incest victims; 1% for fetal abnormalities; and 3% because of mothers
health problems. Abortions should not remain legal simply for this small percent of babies who
are conceived with these circumstances (Urishko,1). The most popular argument for keeping
abortions legal is that an abortion is not really killing the baby because the baby is not really
alive. This is untrue. Eighteen days after conception, the babies heart is beating; at six weeks,
brain waves can be measured; at eight weeks, the stomach, liver, kidneys, and brain are
operative, and fingerprints have formed; and at nine weeks, the child is able to feel pain. It cant
be said that the baby is not really alive. Its heart is beating; organs are functioning, and most of
all it can feel the pain of the procedure being performed. Federal law states that anyone who
kills, damages, or transports a bald eagle, or nest is subject to up to a $5,000.00 fine or
imprisonment for up to one year, or both. But federal law does not protect the unborn child (O
Bannon,1). The baby is alive, and the rights that protect eve other human should protect the
innocent and helpless child.

Many females who are having abortions are teenagers who use this procedure to act as a
way to take responsibility for their own actions. In fact teenage girls between the ages of 14 and
19 have 95,699 more abortions a year than other women, between the ages of 22 and

Jessica Barrett
Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

40( OBannon, 1). In a recent study done by the center for disease control and Prevention, it was
reported that just below 50% of high school students have sex. Of this 50%, only 46% use
condoms. This lack of condom use puts teenage girls at a much higher risk of becoming
pregnant. Dr. Michael Resnick, Ph.D. believes that, with the simple task of teaching teenagers
about sex and its risks, the teenagers will in turn act more carefully. He also believe thats
communication skills can be taught, a process that may result in less risky sexual behavior for
adolescents, which will ultimately result in less pregnancies and abortions

There are alternatives for abortion. Adoption is a very positive option because the
outcomes are great.

If a woman is not ready to have an support a baby yet, then she can give

the baby to a woman or family who desires to love this child. The average wait for adoption
ranges from 2-10 years. There are currently 2,000,000 couples in the US waiting to adopt a
child. There are many women who would love to have a child, but can not (Bilmore,4).Giving
the child up for adoption will not only allow women who are unable to have children experience
the joy, but it will also give an innocent child the opportunity to live. The other alternative is to
not have sex. If a woman has sex and does not use a condom, or other form of birth control, then
she is at fault, and does not have the right to punish a baby for her actions.

Although most people look upon childbirth as a wonderful thing, some people do not feel
this way. As has been discussed in this paper, abortion has become a popular alternative to

Jessica Barrett
Ms Sanchez
English IV
April 2, 2015

unwanted births. It has also been proven that abortion is a painful and expensive procedure that
violates a human beings rights. Because of the many ways to prevent pregnancy, and the option
of adoption, abortion is simply killing an innocent human being, even if they arent born yet.
When the issue of abortion is looked upon factually and objectively, it is clearly not the best
option in any situation, and should be outlawed under all circumstances.
throughout the world because it is cruelty and mean for killing an unborn child it is unnecessary
for an adult to do such a cruel thing. An abortion is a issue affecting our society. Many people
feel that abortion's is a situation that should be done because they have been raped, or health
issues that will hurt the mother's life. Killing innocent children is unethical especially the way
the procedures are done.
Abortions are often considered "the easy was out." I feel that abortions are just selfish. There is
no easy way out. I could not imagine living with the guilt of taking another's life, especially the
life of something that I created.