In today’s society, one of the most highly debated topics is whether or not abortion should be allowed throughout the country, and to what extent. Various pro-life and pro-choice groups have voiced their opinions on the topic, with pro-life asserting a fetus in the womb is living and pro-choice saying there should be an option available to abort it. It seems there are more people choosing the latter option, chanting slogans such as “Pro-Choice or no choice” and “My body, my choice.” Although some argue it should be a woman’s choice to decide what to do with her body, the act of abortion does end an innocent, defenseless child’s life, and should not be something that a woman does without a thorough analysis of the long term effects following the procedure. The process of an abortion does not take into consideration the potential physical and psychological effects that could be detrimental to a woman’s life. While pro-choice supporters make a compelling argument, those who are pro-life also have a lot of useful information that can aid a woman in making one of the hardest decisions of her life ─ to kill or keep the baby.
Because of this, people need to be more open to hearing the unpopular opinion: pro-life. In a perfect world, women would not be impregnated when they do not want to become a mother, and they would keep a child if they were to become pregnant. Since perfect does not exist, all we can do is try our best to make the right decisions. Sometimes, it is not always obvious, and of course there will be some situations that are more difficult than others, for example, rape. To me, a baby in the womb should not ever be aborted. Despite my viewpoint, I am aware of the repercussions of getting rid of abortion entirely, including the illegal procedures that would take place. Abolishing it completely would make it even more dangerous to women. For these reasons, women need to be educated more on the topic so that they know exactly what they are doing to themselves and their unborn child during the procedure.
An imperative point often discussed when debating whether or not abortion is an option is if a fetus in the womb is considered to be a living human being. This point plays a major role in the dispute over abortion rights because pro-choice adherents argue that a fetus is not human, thus providing a justification for abortion. They believe that if the fetus is not human, then there is no harm done since no life is being taken away. Unfortunately, this contention is not very accurate.
For a woman to become pregnant, the process of fertilization must occur. As soon as a sperm makes its way into the fallopian tubes and comes into contact with a human egg, said process has been carried out. Pro-choice supporters claim that this is not the beginning of human life, but rather the start of a non-human fetus. According to Dr. Irving of Princeton University: “the fusion of the sperm (with 23 chromosomes) and the oocyte (with 23 chromosomes) at fertilization results in a human being, a single-cell human zygote, with 46 chromosomes, the number of chromosomes characteristic of an individual member of the human species” (Irving). Likewise, the chromosomes in the zygote that are formed during conception determine many of the baby’s traits; attributes include hair color, eye color, and gender. The qualities of the zygote elucidate that fertilization is the start of life. Saying a fetus in the womb is not human, despite the scientific evidence and factual information that exist regarding the topic, is unreasonable.
Once one accepts the fact that a fetus is a human being, it can be said with reason that abortion is a form of murder. Various doctors and clinic workers have admitted that abortion procedures kill the baby that is inside the womb, seen when they make statements such as “I know it’s murder…” and “I’m in the business of death” (Terzo). In an interview conducted by pro-choice author Magda Denes, a doctor mentioned how abortion “goes against all things that are natural” and terminates a life, no matter how it is looked at (Terzo). If even doctors are acknowledging the fact that human life is being taken away with abortion procedures, those in favor of abortion should do the same rather than support their argument by saying the fetus is not considered to be living.
In addition, those who are pro-choice argue that because abortion is a procedure that occurs in a woman’s body, it should be her choice as to whether or not she will have it done. This type of thinking is nonsensical when looking at what abortion really does. It is not solely the body of a woman that is being affected; it is the body of another human being growing inside of the womb. An unborn child does not even have the opportunity to live because a woman does not want to be held accountable for her actions. Women should not take away someone else’s right to life without a second thought.
People are taught from a very young age to take responsibility for their actions and accept any punishment they deserve; this is known as one’s moral responsibility. For example, if a student plagiarizes an essay and gets caught, he or she will receive a zero on the assignment. Because of this, students are encouraged to do their own work and are aware of the consequences that will come their way if they copy their work from someone else. If the student does not stick to basic morals and ethics in the classroom, such as handing in original work written by himself or herself, he or she has gone against the moral responsibility students need to possess. Outside of the classroom, this same idea of moral responsibility is relevant. Abortion procedures violate this idea and give people the opportunity to avoid holding themselves accountable for their actions.
There are many methods of contraception available to a man and a woman so they can bypass pregnancy. Even when used, there is the known possibility that it may not be effective. Moreover, there is no valid excuse for not using birth control. Various health clinics with free or reduced rates of birth control exist nationwide; for instance, clinics established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offer discounted contraceptives, with prices determined by household income (“HRSA Data Warehouse”). For those with health insurance, the cost of FDA-approved contraceptive methods is entirely covered if the birth control is prescribed by a doctor; this is all under the protection of the Affordable Care Act (“Birth Control”). With this said, if a man and a woman decide to not use one of the many birth control options available to them, or a woman still becomes impregnated with the use of one, they must take responsibility for their actions, whether that be through keeping the baby or putting it up for adoption.
Evidently, people who want abortions do not wish to have a child of their own. Sometimes women fear that their child will live an unstable, unhappy life since they cannot be an adequate parent to their baby, so they think abortion is best for the unborn baby. This could be for a number of reasons including a lack of money, becoming pregnant at a young age, or simply because one does not have the desire to be a parent. While these are all appropriate reasons to not want to raise a child, this does not mean that the child should be disregarded. Adoption is an alternative available to anyone and should be considered when one is deciding whether or not they are going to get an abortion. While there are women frustrated over the fact they are pregnant, there are many who are infertile that would do anything to have the ability to bear their own child.
Approximately one million married women in the United States aged 15 to 44 are infertile, accounting for 6.1 percent of the population (“Infertility”). Clearly, all of these women are physically incapable of having their own child. To further exacerbate the situation, 6.9 million women have used infertility services in an attempt to become pregnant, making up 11.3 percent of the female population. Most are unsuccessful when using these services, so they turn to adoption; even then, they struggle with parenting a child.
In the United States, there are approximately two million infertile couples trying to adopt a child (Rinehart). These couples experience great difficulty because the process of adoption is extremely long and does not guarantee that a couple will be successful in their goal of adopting. Adoption agencies can cost as much as $45,000 to an adoptive couple thiat will go through a two to three year process. In an article by The Federalist it states: “For every eligible baby, an invisible queue of 36 couples waits for the chance to take that baby home” (Rinehart). This means that every couple who is seeking adoption is competing with 35 others who desire the same thing. If there is such a huge amount of people nationwide trying to adopt, does it not make sense for a woman who wants to abort her child to give her child up for adoption instead since there are so many couples who want to start their own family? By giving up a baby for adoption, the lives of a couple longing for a child of their own could be changed drastically in the best way possible, and the baby would most likely grow up with a loving, happy family. Morals and ethics aside, abortion should be eschewed because it can be very traumatic for women, causing them to experience psychological side effects.
Mental illnesses are not always avoidable, but there are circumstances that can provoke them. Abortion procedures tend to increase the likelihood of a woman having a mental health disorder. In a meta-analysis study published by Britain’s Royal College of Psychiatrists, women who had abortions were 81 percent more susceptible to mental health disorders ("Study Finds Increased Risk"). In addition, the meta-analysis concluded that women who have a history of abortion face higher rates of detrimental side effects: anxiety with 34 percent, depression with 37 percent, heavier alcohol use with 110 percent, suicidal behavior with 155 percent, and marijuana use with 230 percent ("Study Finds Increased Risk"). This study is one of over 20 different ones that have made a correlation between abortion and increased rates of alcohol and drug use (“Abortion Risks”). At times, the psychological effects of abortion procedures are more extreme than the aforementioned ones.
There have been instances where women have had symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following abortion (“Abortion Risks”). It is common to see this referred to as Post-Abortion Syndrome (“After Abortion Grief”). Various abortion clinics do not recognize Post-Abortion Syndrome as a valid condition, but many doctors and psychologists have acknowledged it as a true syndrome that requires medical attention. In a report by the Elliot Institute for Social Science Research, it was concluded that about 50 percent of women report some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after an abortion and 20 percent experience all of the symptoms (Burke). In total, this accounts for 70 percent of women in the United States who have had an abortion. If abortion is a woman’s right, then why is it acceptable to perform procedures on women that cause them so much emotional turmoil? Furthermore, terminating a pregnancy alters women psychologically while negatively impacting them physically.
Aside from taking away the life of an unborn child, abortion procedures affect the life of the woman carrying the child. Ten percent of women undergo immediate complications post-abortion, with one-fifth of them being considered major (“Abortion Risks”). Complications that are not considered to be major are: “minor infections, bleeding, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, gastro-intestinal disturbances, vomiting, and Rh sensitization” (“Abortion Complications”). These complications alone are enough to hinder a woman’s lifestyle, and they are not even the worst ones. The gravest physical complications of abortion include, but are not limited to, “infection, excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock” (“Abortion Complications”). Another post-abortion risk is endometritis. Although endometritis is a possibility for all women, teenagers are 2.5 times more likely to acquire it after an abortion (“Abortion Risks”). Through all of the possible immediate complications of abortion procedures, it can be seen how detrimental said procedures are to a woman’s body. These immediate complications have the ability to lead to even bigger consequences, such as infertility.
As previously stated, a likely complication of abortion is an infection; this can result in sterility. Approximately three to five percent of women are reported to be sterile “as a result of the operation’s latent morbidity,” and women can be at a greater risk of infertility if they already have a venereal disease at the time an abortion takes place (“Abortion Complications”). Additionally, postabortal infections make women five to eight times more susceptible to life-threatening ectopic pregnancies. A mere infection that results from an abortion procedure can take away a woman’s ability to bear children or cause her to have a fatal pregnancy in the future. Not only are there instantaneous consequences a woman’s body may experience because of an abortion procedure, there are also long term effects and dangers that can result from the termination of a pregnancy.
One of the consequences of abortion is a greater likelihood of a woman being diagnosed with cancer. This is due to the fact that there is a direct link between abortion and breast cancer. During pregnancy, a woman’s body is constantly changing; when an abortion takes place, it gets in the way of the changes that are happening in her body, creating a life-threatening problem (“Abortion-Breast Cancer Link”). A significant change that occurs in a woman’s body is an increase in estrogen and other hormones; this is because the body is preparing itself for breastfeeding. The increase creates clusters of breast tissue, known as lobules, which continuously grow in number. When this occurs, the breast tissue goes from a basic state to a stable, mature one. Although the breast tissue is now mature, it is still vulnerable to the “harmful, and potentially cancer-causing effects of estrogen” (“The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link”).
Abortion interrupts the maturing of the breast tissue, resulting in partially developed breasts and more of the unstable breast tissue present in a woman’s body. The unstable tissue is now even more vulnerable to cancer. Thereafter, the tissue is exposed to estrogen during a woman’s monthly cycle or if a woman is taking a hormonal contraceptive. This is dangerous since it “leaves a woman at considerably heightened risk of breast cancer” (“The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link”). The risk a woman has of getting breast cancer increases even more if she has never had a child at the time of her first abortion because: “When a woman is nulliparous, an induced abortion has a greater carcinogenic effect because it leaves breast cells in a state of interrupted hormonal development in which they are more susceptible” (Carroll). Moreover, when women have a history of abortion, their risk of cervical cancer is 2.3 times higher than women with no history of abortion (“Abortion Risks”). Although a woman will not always be diagnosed with cancer following an abortion, the chances of her life coming to an end are still increased.
The most serious repercussion of abortion is death. A government funded study in Finland concluded that “women who abort are approximately four times more likely to die in the following year than women who carry their pregnancies to term” (“Abortion Risks”). In addition, it found that women who aborted the year before their deaths were 60 percent more likely to die of natural causes, seven times more likely to die of suicide, and four times more likely to die of accident-related injuries. Another study, conducted in Denmark, showed that the risk of death is increased with each abortion: 45 percent after one, 114 percent after two, and 192 percent after three or more (“Abortion Risks”). These studies are exemplifications of how abortions can take away the life of a baby in the womb, as well as the life of the woman carrying the child.
The consequences that come with abortion are far greater than what women are told by society. Women are at a higher risk of psychological and physical complications that can alter their lifestyles drastically if they go through with an abortion, simply because they do not want to take responsibility for their actions. Supporters of abortion advertise that a woman should be able to have a choice as to whether or not her pregnancy is terminated because it is viewed as her right; they advocate this while overlooking the rights of the unborn. When a woman goes through with an abortion procedure, she must acknowledge that this is what she is doing. Those who are pro-choice believe that a fetus is not considered to be alive and refuse to accept the scientific evidence which proves that the start of life is at fertilization. This creates an inaccurate argument on their part, but alas, they still claim they are correct. Through the harsh realities of abortion procedures, it is seen how unscrupulous the termination of a pregnancy is. Abortions result in the removal of human life and destruction to a woman’s body and well-being. For the aforementioned reasons, abortion must be abrogated and made illegal.