ABORTION LEGAL OR ILLEGAL

                                                      

IS ABORTION REALLY MURDER?

       Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or foetus as a spontaneous expulsion
of a human foetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation. In other words, Abortion is killing an embryo or a foetus anytime during the first trimester of (in most cases) an unwanted pregnancy. It can also be defined as "the termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a foetus that is incapable of survival.  

      Reasons for procuring induced abortions are typically characterized as either therapeutic or elective. An abortion is medically referred to as a therapeutic abortion when it is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman; prevent harm to the woman's physical or mental health; terminate a pregnancy where indications are that the child will have a significantly increased chance of premature morbidity or mortality or be otherwise disabled; or to selectively reduce the number of foetuses to lessen health risks associated with multiple pregnancy. An abortion is referred to as an elective or voluntary abortion when it is performed at the request of the woman for non-medical reasons.

Approximately 205 million pregnancies occur each year worldwide. Over a third are unintended and about a fifth end in induced abortion. Most abortions result from unintended pregnancies. In the United Kingdom, 1 to 2% of abortions are done due to genetic problems in the foetus. Abortion rates are high in the following country’s Greenland, Russia, Guadeloupe, Cuba ,magorno- karbakh, Romania, Estonia, Martinique, Hungary, Bulgaria and china(mainly because of the population control).

      

 Why an abortion may be needed.

There are many reasons or conditions that may lead to a woman contemplating to carry out abortion why a woman might decide to have an abortion, including:

·         Personal circumstances – including risk to the wellbeing of existing children.

·         A health risk to the mother

·         A high chance the baby will have a serious abnormality – either genetic or physical.              

The bone of contention.

Since ancient times, abortions have been done using herbal medicines, sharp tools, with force, or through other traditional methods. Abortion laws and cultural or religious views of abortions are different around the world. In some areas abortion is legal only in specific cases such as rape, problems with the foetus, poverty, risk to a woman's health, or incest. In many places there is much debate over the moral, ethical, and legal issues of abortion. Those who oppose abortion often maintain that an embryo or foetus is a human with a right to life and may compare abortion to murder. Those who favour the legality of abortion often hold that a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body.

 Some of the most common reasons are to postpone childbearing to a more suitable time or to focus energies and resources on existing children. Others include being unable to afford a child either in terms of the direct costs of raising a child or the loss of income while caring for the child, lack of support from the father, inability to afford additional children, desire to provide schooling for existing children, disruption of one's own education, relationship problems with their partner, a perception of being too young to have a child, unemployment, and not being willing to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest, among others

             However, if only the debate over the abortion issue was as simple as the definition provided above. Much like every aspect of human life, a statement is neither right nor wrong, but simply left open for interpretation. There is no black and white in life, only grey areas. Some issues tend to provide us more grey areas than others. Abortion is a prime example of that.

There has always been a dispute about killing these babies and not giving them a chance at life. It has been called a legal form of murder and protestors against Abortion have voiced their disgust loud and clear. Those who refute abortion claim that it is the murder of a helpless baby who has not yet had the chance to live and function as a human being. However, the debate opposite it is just as fervent: it is a woman's right to choose what happens  to her body, and if she decides that she is not capable of bringing a child  into this world, than she shouldn't be forced to out of nature. Where do we draw the line between humane and inhumane, necessitated death and murder? When does a woman's right over her internal reproductive organs become that of the government's? Is abortion wrong or is it right? Are rape, incest, and potential fatality to the mother exceptions when abortion is "okay"? Are there truly any at all? So many questions are raised by such a fervent debate, that we must look at both sides of the issue to better understand it in a general, but yet thorough approach. 

         

A main argument is that one is killing an unborn baby, murdering an unsuspecting life, in their decision to have an abortion. They are trying to "play God" by killing someone. However, they also feel that abortion is a dangerous procedure, and puts the mother at risk as well. Pro-life advocates feel that there are other options other than abortion.                                       In this day in age, girls can be irresponsible and have sex without using a contraceptive and when they get pregnant, they murder the baby! That is just unacceptable. However it's not as simple as that 'you choose to have sex, and now you must face the consequences of your actions.' The aspect of "playing God" has surfaced in recent years. 

         A mother kills her baby because it is unwanted, yet she is not charged with murder. Is this right? Believe it or not, this has happened more than twenty-million times in the past twenty years. The problem is that they have been killed legally because of abortion. Many people approve of abortion because they consider that a foetus is not an individual human until birth.

             Abortion is wrong and it shouldn't be legal. If a doctor killed a baby one minute after it was born, they would be charged with murder. But if they were to kill a baby one minute before it was born, and a minute before that and so on, they would not be considered a murderer. At what minute can one consider life worthless and the next precious?  Some people will say that abortion is not a matter of life and death, but medical research proves that the foetus is a living organism. People also argue that a woman has the right to control her body and has the right to an abortion, but the foetus is a completely different life. Just because the unborn is dependent on the mother for nine months does not give anyone the right to end its life.

          Secondly, some people believe that an embryo or foetus is not a life; well others believe that it is. Some believe human life does not begin until the moment the child is delivered, when the baby takes its first independent breath. Some believe that the moment of conception is the beginning of life, that the embryo is already distinct from its mother. Still others believe that it is only a piece of tissue, unable to feel until well into the pregnancy. The problem arises on all sides to provide evidence to support what they believe. Supporting evidence shows abortion is murder and should be illegal. The most convincing evidence is, at six weeks, an unborn child is able to experience pain. An unborn foetus of eight weeks has established its own set of specific fingerprints, the exact set that, if born, the baby will carry into adulthood. Additionally, three months into a normal pregnancy, all of the unborn foetus’s organ systems are intact and working. The foetus sleeps, wakes, tastes, hears, senses, and continues to grow until birth.

     All of these distinct human traits prove the foetus is real flesh, blood, bone, and life, infants, still in the womb can be viewed, monitored, have surgery, and receive blood transfusions. Even those who contend that a foetus is not a person must at the very least, admit that a foetus is human life and is a potential human being. When an abortion occurs, that human life, however small, is eliminated. This is a biological fact, not a moral judgment. How is it possible to consider it murder if a baby is killed one moment outside of the womb, but not one moment before, while it remains in the womb? There is absolutely no logic behind this reasoning.

                 Thirdly, how would you feel if someone took away your ability to live? Imagine not having any say in whether or not you want to have a life. Well babies don't have a choice in their mother’s womb. If a woman decides to abort her baby, they can't do anything about their life being taken away from them. Their whole future is demolished; I believe abortion is wrong when committing it for a selfish reason, because there are many other safer solutions, Why Do More People Choose Abortion over Adoption? , after birth putting him/her (the outcome of the developing foetus) up for adoption will give them a better chance at a happier life rather than abortion. The solution for a baby should not be death. If it was for a selfish solution, you're sacrificing a life many other families would love to raise as their own.

           Another reason why we as a group don't support abortion is because it can harm the mother as well. You are highly risking the mother's life by opting for abortion. Statistics has shown that "Sixty five per cent of women who abort suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome after undergoing the procedure." Many women are regretting that choice around the world making it a controversial issue. Abortion can also result into not being able to conceive later in future, guilt, sickness and even death, Women with a lower income can participate in going through the procedure of an illegal abortion or a ‘black-market’ abortion. Getting an abortion illegally can cause much more harm to the mother and baby than giving birth. The health risks of abortion depend on whether the procedure is performed safely or unsafely.  The World Health Organization defines unsafe abortions as those performed by unskilled individuals, with hazardous equipment, or in unsanitary facilities. Legal abortions performed in the developed world are among the safest procedures in medicine.  

In the US, the risk of maternal death from abortion is 0.7 per 100,000 procedures, making abortion about 13 times safer for women than childbirth (8.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births).

The risk of abortion-related mortality increases with gestational age, but remains lower than that of childbirth through at least 21 weeks' gestation. In the United States from 2000 to 2009, abortion had a lower mortality rate than plastic surgery.  We believe that it is not worth risking your life over.

 Effects of abortion.          

 Some bad after effects of abortion include: haemorrhage (excessive bleeding) – occurs in about one in every 1,000 abortions, damage to the cervix (the entrance of the womb) – occurs in no more than 10 in every 1,000 abortions, damage to the womb – occurs in up to four in every 1,000 abortions during surgical abortion, and less than one in 1,000 medical abortions that are carried out at 12-24 weeks Abortion affects both victims in dangerous and physical ways. You are taking a life and killing a human being. The baby is alive and not just some 'group of cells' abortion doctors call them.

Women seeking to terminate their pregnancies sometimes resort to unsafe methods, particularly when access to legal abortion is restricted. They may attempt to self-abort or rely on another person who does not have proper medical training or access to proper facilities. This has a tendency to lead to severe complications, such as incomplete abortion, sepsis, haemorrhage, and damage to internal organs.

Unsafe abortions are a major cause of injury and death among women worldwide. Although data are imprecise, it is estimated that approximately 20 million unsafe abortions are performed annually, with 97% taking place in developing countries. Unsafe abortions are believed to result in millions of injuries. Estimates of deaths vary according to methodology, and have ranged from 37,000 to 70,000 in the past decade; deaths from unsafe abortion account for around 13% of all maternal deaths. The World Health Organization believes that mortality has fallen since the 1990s. To reduce the number of unsafe abortions, public health abortion, training of medical personnel, and ensuring access to reproductive-health services. However, the Dublin Declaration on Maternal Health, signed in 2012, notes that "the prohibition of abortion does not affect, in any way, the availability of optimal care to pregnant women".

 Complications of unsafe abortion account for approximately an eighth of maternal mortalities worldwide, though this varies by region. Secondary infertility caused by an unsafe abortion affects an estimated 24 million women. The rate of unsafe abortions has increased from 44% to 49% between 1995 and 2008.  Health education, access to family planning, and improvements in health care during and after abortion have been proposed to address this phenomenon. An American study in 2002 concluded that about half of women having abortions were using a form of contraception at the time of becoming pregnant.

Inconsistent use was reported by half of those using condoms and three-quarters of those using the birth-control pill; 42% of those using condoms reported failure through slipping or breakage. The Guttmacher Institute estimated that "most abortions in the United States are obtained by minority women" because minority women "have much higher rates of unintended pregnancy. You are painfully putting a child to death. It is wrong to think someone has the power to end a life so harmfully.

Alternatives to abortion.

Abortion is morally and religiously wrong, the bible clearly holds the life of the unborn as supremely  important (scriptures to back up point) psalm 139 v 13: ‘for you(GOD) created my inmost being ; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, exodus 20 v 13: says ‘THOU SHALL NOT KILL’, Jeremiah 1 v 5:´before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctioned thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

            Abortion laws and cultural or religious views of abortions are different around the world. In some areas abortion is legal only in specific cases such as rape, population control, problems with the foetus, poverty, risk to a woman's health, or incest. In many places there is much debate over the moral, ethical, and legal issues of abortion. Those who oppose abortion often maintain that an embryo or foetus is a human with a right to life and may compare abortion to murder. Those who favour the legality of abortion often hold that a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body.

                In Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) the law (Abortion Act 1967, as amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990) allows a woman to have an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, if two doctors agree that it is less likely to cause harm to her physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy.

              People support abortion rights for certain “occasions”. Examples of this are rape, teen pregnancy, or a sickness the mother may have. People find it alright to abort the baby in some ways. Fact of not harming the baby from your sickness but another option is adoption! You’ll still be able to let the baby live. For teen pregnancies, there are some religious beliefs as to where you shouldn’t have premarital sex. If you don’t want a child, you shouldn’t have sex at a young age because it’s not always safe. Also, abortions can result into a risk of getting ill, physical damage, stopping you from having a child again or even death. Not only will the baby die, but the mother will as well.            

          

The only thing preventing abortion from being included in the definition of murder is that it’s currently not “unlawful.” But basic science proves that an unborn child is a “human being.” No mention of “personhood” is necessary for basic murder definitions. Killing a “human being” or a “fellow creature,” even, is enough. Why, as a society, do we pick and choose human beings whom we can deliberately kill? These human beings are fully human, entirely innocent, and helpless and voiceless. Yet we purposely target them, setting very few restrictions on their killings.

Is there any other class of human beings that our society will make it “lawful” to kill? Belgium is already on the path to extending legal murder through its legalization of euthanasia – even child euthanasia. History shows that Nazi Germany, once it began to legalize the murder of human beings, simply continued down the path – the elderly, the sick, the disabled, gypsies, homosexuals, the Jews, those who defended the Jews. Where would it have stopped?

This is why abortion must be illegal if murder is illegal. It should never be “lawful” to kill any innocent human being.

If abortion must be carried out there are laws protecting abortion in advanced countries for example:

Under UK law, an abortion can usually only be carried out during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy as long as certain criteria are met:

·         Abortions must be carried out in a hospital or a specialist licensed clinic

·         Two doctors must agree that an abortion would cause less damage to a woman's physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy

There are also a number of rarer situations when the law states an abortion may be carried out after 24 weeks. These include:

·         If it's necessary to save the woman's life

·         To prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman

·         If there is substantial risk that the child would be born with serious physical or mental disabilities

Generally, an abortion should be carried out as early in the pregnancy as possible, usually before 12 weeks and ideally before 9 weeks where possible.

           In conclusion, most opposition to abortion relies on the premise that the foetus is a human being, a person, from the moment of conception. The premise is argued for, but, as I think, not well.  I am inclined to think also that we shall probably have to agree that the foetus has already become a human person well before birth. Indeed, it comes as a surprise when one first learns how early in its life it begins to acquire human characteristics.  We propose, then, that we grant that the foetus is a person from the moment of conception. Every person has a right to life. So the foetus has a right to life. No doubt the mother has a right to decide what shall happen in and to her body; everyone would grant that. But surely a person's right to life is stronger and more stringent than the mother's right to decide what happens in and to her body, and so outweighs it. So the foetus may not be killed; an abortion may not be performed. 

 I hope that with this point of ours we have at least brought you to some understanding that a human foetus is a living individual. It should be remembered that a death occurs every time an abortion is performed it brings about the death of an unborn child.

Abortion is a very sensitive issue, Many people are constantly debating whether or not abortion should be allowed or not. Some people think abortion is very bad and that it should not be allowed at all while some think the parent bringing forth the fetus should decide the fate of the unborn child. We are supporting the motion that the practice of abortion is illegal and should be made so.

 Reference.

·         Wikipedia

·         Nhs choice

·         Ask.com

·         www.http/wikipedia abortion