Sunday, October 16, 2011
Response to the Fight Against Wallstreet
I was completely shocked when I watched the video on democracynow.com. Protesters who had done absolutely nothing wrong were being beaten and arrested just because they were protesting. The video showed innocent men and even women protesters being pepper sprayed and attacked by the police. They weren't harming anyone or breaking any laws. I feel that police definitely crossed the line and something should be done about this. I also feel that police should never use violence when arresting someone, especially in this case when no one was doing anything wrong and they weren't causing the police any harm. This also violates peoples rights as American citizens to free speech. They were just standing up for what they believed in and the police treated that as if it were a crime. This is not right and something needs to be done about it.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Abortion Essay Final Draft
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.
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 - 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.
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