First Draft of Abortion Essay

Kara Hutchinson

Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in this country and has been for many years. The actual definition of abortion is “The termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” ("Abortion - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary.") People have always had very different views and opinions on this issue and it has resulted in many heated debates as to whether or not abortion is immoral and whether or not it should be illegal. In this paper I am going to discuss everything about abortion, from what it is, how it began, people’s views, abortion procedures, laws about it and much more.
Abortion has been an ongoing issue in the United States since the 1820’s, when some of the first laws were established against it. The first law prohibited abortion after the fourth month of pregnancy. By the year 1900, abortion was banned altogether, mostly due to the American Medical Association and lawmakers who were against it. Feminist’s also played a big role in the outlaw of abortion in the early 1900’s. During this time period, abortion was an extremely unsafe procedure for women, and most of the time it greatly affected their health and life. “Feminists believed that only the achievement of women's equality and freedom would end the need for abortion” (“Abortion - History of Abortion in the United States“) By the 1960’s, all states in the U.S. had outlawed abortion. However some states did include a few exceptions, like if the woman had been raped, it was a case of incest, if the baby was already deformed, or if the process of labor would potentially endanger the mother’s life. Other than those few exceptions, abortion was completely illegal. One major event that dealt with the issue of abortion was the 1973 Supreme Court case of Roe vs. Wade. Roe vs. Wade was a choice the Supreme Court made which allowed the legalization of abortion in the United States. “The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without restriction, and with restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy.” ("Roe v. Wade - Overview.") This case was based on a woman named Jane Roe, who argued in court that the abortion laws violated the constitutional rights of women. The court decided that abortion laws did go against the ninth amendment of the constitution, which states that "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people," ("Roe v. Wade - Overview.")and therefore said that women had the right to abortion in their first trimester of pregnancy and that no one else could interfere with that woman’s decision. While many were very happy over this decision, others weren’t quite so enthusiastic, especially people in the Roman Catholic Church and other conservative religious groups. These groups believed this completely went against God and most were very outraged by this new decision. This was the beginning of the formation of the two groups known as pro-life and pro-choice.
People with consider themselves to be pro-life and people who consider themselves to be pro-choice are two very different groups of people and their opinions on abortion are greatly different from one another. They each have numerous arguments and good points to both sides. Pro-life believers believe that abortion should be totally illegal, usually no matter what the circumstance. They believe it is immoral and defies the baby’s right to live and become a human being. Pro-life believe that life starts as soon as the pregnancy begins. They claim that since this is so, abortion is an act of murder since it is taking a human life, and since murder is illegal everywhere, abortion should be as well. (“10 Abortion Arguments“) They also believe abortion should not be used as a form of contraception, the woman should be responsible for her actions and she is able to make her own choices and now she has to deal with the consequences. And for women who have been raped, if they really don’t want the child due to bad memories and trauma associated with the rape, they should give it up for adoption to a loving family who would gladly take care of the child. The innocent baby shouldn’t have to be killed when it committed no crime at all. Pro life people also argue that abortion leads to negative long-term effects and has long lasting consequences. It can result in numerous medical complications, which can hurt the woman or even potentially kill her. Abortion can also involve psychological problems, some being a lot of pain, grief, stress, and regret over the decision.
The other group, pro-choice, believers think that it is a woman’s right to decide whether or not she wants to go through labor and have a baby. They often times argue that until a certain point in the pregnancy the baby isn’t really a person yet, just a fetus, and it doesn’t have rights yet. The mother does though, and it should be her decision. To them, laws against abortion defy the ninth amendment of the constitution. Unlike pro life believers who say that life starts immediately after pregnancy has occurred, pro choice people argue that “Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb.” (“10 Abortion Arguments”)They claim that abortion is a safe medical procedure, and that there really isn’t a risk of serious complications from having one. Abortions may cause stress, but so will any other difficult situation one is put through. Abortion activists say that in the cases where a woman has been raped, if a woman wants an abortion and is not allowed to receive one, this could cause a lot of psychological damage and even more stress to the woman by forcing her to go through with having a child she didn’t want and reminding her constantly of the traumatic experience of being raped. One of the main points that people who are for abortion argue about is how a woman should be able to have control of her whole entire body. This is a very important part a woman’s rights as a citizen in the United States. If the government can force someone to go through with an unwanted pregnancy and take away their other options, they are basically taking away a main part of that woman’s freedom. Some Pro Choice followers have been attacked for their views. Beginning in the 1970’s but occurring mostly in the 1980’s,some Anti-Abortion organizations bombed abortion clinics. In one year alone there were twenty-four bombings and arsons. “Although bombings and other forms of violence have been disavowed by most anti-abortion movement organizations, they have helped spur pro-choice activities in defense of abortion clinics.” (“The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict.”)
Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed in the United States each year. Over 40% of women will terminate a pregnancy by means of abortion at some point in their life. (“Abortion - Types, Preparation and Procedure Information on EMedicineHealth.com.“) Abortions are typically performed in a doctor’s office or a special clinic. There are two different methods of abortion. The first one, known as Medical Abortion, is an abortion that terminates pregnancy through use of medicine. It can be one single pill or a whole prescription of pills. This type of abortion has a pretty high success rate, ranging from about 75-95%. It is also known to be the easiest and least dangerous form of abortion. The other method is surgical. These procedures are performed from around nine to twenty weeks after pregnancy has occurred. They involve using anesthesia either with or without sedation. (“Abortion - Types, Preparation and Procedure Information on EMedicineHealth.com”)Abortions happen less frequently within married women as compared to single women. Statistics show that the total number of abortions in one year for married women was 97,844 whereas unmarried women totaled up to 394,405. White women undergo abortions more than any other race in the U.S. The total number of abortions for white women was 347,179 and the total number for every other race was only 231,624. The age group that had the highest number of abortions was from the ages 20-24, the total number altogether being 131,149. ("Statistics.")Abortion can produce side effects and can cause further complications afterward. Almost all public reports from scientific studies come from university medical centers. The surgeons are all very qualified in their field. If a problem was too occur during the abortion, they have quick access to help the woman recover. However, only about 10% of abortions performed are done in this setting. The other 90% are just done in a regular doctors’ office. In these settings if a problem in the abortion arises, they don’t always have the same easy access to help the woman. (“Abortion: Questions & Answers”) Abortion has been known to be cause major problems and has even been fatal in some cases. “National statistics on abortion show that 10% of women undergoing induced abortion suffer from immediate complications, of which 2% were considered major.” Out of 1,182 abortions which were performed while being closely monitored in a hospital, 27 percent of the patients acquired post-abortion infection that lasted at least three days, sometimes longer.("Statistics.") 87% of doctors who perform abortions have had to hospitalize at least one patient every year because of problems during the abortion. Also, it seems that the younger the patient, the greater the risk of complications, some of the biggest complications have been linked to teenage girls. (“Abortion: Questions & Answers“) There is only one positive emotion reported after a woman has abortion, and this is relief. Relief that they survived and that the possibility of having a child is no more. Other than that, many women report having very negative emotions and psychological problems post abortion. In one study about 10% of women were said to have experienced serious psychiatric problems from their abortion. Another study showed that “Within the first few weeks after the abortion studies have found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions. 3,23,35 Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor.” (“Abortion Complications and Abortion Risks.")Like an other ongoing issue, there are always at least two sides to the argument, and the case of abortion is certainly no different. Abortion has been a controversial subject and will probably continue to be so for a very long time. I personally don’t believe in abortions, unless it was a case of rape, or the possibility of having the child endangers the mothers’ life. But I still think that if the woman doesn’t want or can’t care for the child she should put it up for adoption instead of abortion.
　
　

　Works Cited "Abortion - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortion>.
"Abortion - Types, Preparation and Procedure Information on EMedicineHealth.com." Types of Abortion. U.S. Board Certified Physicians and Allied Health Professionals, 16 May 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://www.emedicinehealth.com/abortion/article_em.htm>.
"Abortion Complications and Abortion Risks. Physical and Emotional." After Abortion. Elliot Institute, 23 Nov. 1999. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://afterabortion.org/1999/abortion-complications/>.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Abortion - History of Abortion in the United States." Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm>.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Roe v. Wade - Overview." Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/p/roe_v_wade.htm>.
Lowen, Linda. "10 Abortion Arguments - 10 Arguments Against Abortion and 10 Arguments for Abortion." Women's Issues - All About Women's Issues. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://womensissues.about.com/od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionArgumen.htm>.
Staggenborg, Suzanne. The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict. Cary, NC: Oxford UP, 1991. Print.
"Statistics." Abortion Facts - Information On Abortion You Can Use. Heritage House '76, 3 Nov. 2006. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://www.abortionfacts.com/>.
Willke, J. C., and Barbara Willke. Abortion: Questions & Answers. Cincinnati, OH: Hayes Pub., 1985. Print.

Abortion Essay Proposal

The topic I am choosing to write about is the issue of abortion. I am going to discuss everything that is involved in abortion, what it is, the different methods of abortion, statistics, the differences between pro choice and pro life, laws concerning abortion, the after effects of it of women, history of it, court cases involving it, prevention methods and my personal opinion on the issue.
I have four sources from which I have gathered all my information. The first two are websites. The first site, called http://www.abortionfacts.com/, talks about everything from the history of abortion, effects of abortion, arguments over it, testimonials from women who have gone through it, it discusses the problem of post abortion syndrome and gives advice to help women who are considering going getting an abortion or who have already been through it and need help coping with their decision. The next source I used was the site http://www.emedicinehealth.com/abortion/article_em.htm. This site discusses the types of abortion, it provides an explanation of all the different procedures done during abortion, some history and statistics on it, and it explains abortion rights in the United States.
The next two sources I used were both books. The first book is called Abortion Questions and Answers: Love Them Both. The Author’s of this book are Dr.Willke and his wife Mrs.Willke. In this book they talk about the all the differences between pro life and pro choice. While this book talks about both sides of the issue, the writers are both pro life and in ways try and persuade the reader to believe that pro life is the best choice. The book also discusses religious belief vs. civil rights. It also talks about the history and laws of abortion, the health of the woman, during and after the abortion, and the rights of the unborn baby. This book argues that the unborn child still has the right to live and that abortion is wrong in many ways. At the end of the book it goes on to suggest alternative choices for pregnant women instead of abortion. The second book I used in my research was the book called The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict by Suzanne Staggenborg. In this book the author talks all about the legalization of abortion. Everything from its origins, its history, pro choice movement organizations and interviews with pro choice activists.
My targeted audience for this paper would be anyone from young teen girls, who may not know much about abortion, pregnant women who are considering their options and want to know whether or not abortion is the right choice for them, or just anyone who is interested in the topic in general. I feel this is a very important issue to be talked about because it causes so much controversy and everyone is very strongly opinionated when it comes to this and I felt like discussing everyone’s sides so that the reader gets a good view of the whole subject.





Bibliography
Abortion Questions and Answers: Love Them Both By: Dr.Willke
The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict By: Suzanne Staggenborg
http://www.abortionfacts.com/  
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/abortion/article_em.htm 

Response 5: Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital Article

This article talks about how public schools are more focused on disciplining children then preparing them for the real world. They are less about education and more about "routinization and standardization" as the article states. It argues whether or not this is a good thing.

I completley feel that students should be taught more real life skills. When most young adults graduate high school, they are ususally unprepared for the real world. Most of what public school taught them is stuff that is irrelavant to what the kids are going to be doing as their future career. I feel schools should focus more on getting students prepared for the future, and I feel as though students should be able to kind of choose in high school a choice of classes they feel they would enjoy and that would go with a career path that they have in mind. Many students don't learn anything or don't even bother trying to learn anything because they have absolutley no interest in what is being taught. If they had a choice of what to learn, they would probably try harder and learn more.