Essay: Debated issue of abortion

There is another school of thought where people land on this hotly debated issue of abortion in the world. The pro-life stance strictly believes that any life, is just that – life – upon conception. This means that there is no room or excuse for abortion, and that there are ways to allow the child to live a life fully and completely without the need to abort the pregnancy. Abortion as a whole is viewed as taking the life of an individual with the pro-life stance. The first argument is that the mother’s life should not be more valued than the life of the fetus. The belief is that life starts at the moment of conception. There is a big issue of the sanctity of human life that is put into jeopardy when abortion is considered. If life begins at the moment of conception, then killing the fetus is a massive moral injustice. There are ongoing arguments about the place where you draw the line in considering whether or not a fetus is “viable.” Viable means that the fetus has the potential to survive outside the uterus after birth. The commonly help position of pro-choice advocates is that an abortion is okay up until 3 months after conception (Beckwith, 89). This is when a baby begins to develop a brain. Up until then, it is seen as a cluster of cells and not “viable.” The commonly held argument against this is that this is wrought with double standards. The line is continuously moved further and further back. Life is life and it pro-life advocates believe this life starts at conception. This position also points out that abortion is normally looked at as a clean and harmless procedure, but in reality, the baby is cut into pieces and removed. The next moral argument is that Planned Parenthood Centers, the organizations that conduct abortions are publicly funded. The dilemma here is that many taxpayers are starkly against abortion. To use these tax dollars for something that these payers are against is wrong. Planned Parenthood receives half a billion dollars annually to operate. This organization wants taxpayers to believe that most of this money doesn’t come from taxpayers. The reality is, however, that taxpayers subsidize roughly 25% of all abortions. A recent report into California’s Medi-Cal program found that more than 83,000 abortions were funded with public money. As long as abortion is made legal, the issue of using taxpayer’s dollars to fund the terminating of pregnancies will be hotly debated. Obviously, the moral dilemma is very real because there is lying going on within the Planned Parenthood organization. More funds than are being reported are going from the pockets of those against abortion to the funding of abortions. This is done much to the chagrin of people who are against this issue. The final argument I will present is the fact that there is an option to not terminate the pregnancy, thereby ending a potential child’s life. This option is to put the child up for adoption. In the nation today, there is about one adoption for every 149 abortions. Something that many people don’t take into account is the experience of post-partum depression and post-abortion stress syndrome. These affect the mother in depressive ways and last for a very long time. Post-abortion stress syndrome has been known to last for several years and in some cases even longer. Women can experience bouts of extreme sadness, anxiety, flashbacks and even suicidal thoughts in extreme cases. Many women see abortion as a quick fix for an unplanned pregnancy. It truly is anything but that in a lot of cases. Many women also see it as the most confidential way of getting rid of an unwanted child. Many abortions can be completed in secret without people knowing, which is why its so attractive to so many. Adoption, however is seen as a much more shameful thing and difficult, but this is not true either. Yes, you must go through with the pregnancy and birth, which may not be as confidential as abortion but there are many adoption agencies that help you purchase baggier clothing or help you with finding a place to live out of town for a little while. Another difference is that an abortion can cost thousands of dollars while adoption is free. Some adoptions can help with living expenses and pregnancy expenses for the mother. The most important thing, however, is that a mother that goes through with abortion has to live with the fact that a life has been terminated at her choice. If a mother chooses to put the child up for adoption, she is able to see her child down the road and have very hands-on involvement in choosing the family of your child.