Death Before Life

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Abigail Lewis

Kevin Eoff

POS 145

April 30, 2015

Death Before Life

In 1973, (Roe v. Wade), the Supreme Court drew on the right to privacy and forced a Texas law banning abortion. The Court ruled that the right to privacy is “broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” The right to privacy means that a woman can terminate an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. During that first trimester, the state governments cannot regulate or infringe on a woman’s right to abortion.

Has abortion become a modern life casualty? There may be many "yes" and equal number of "no", voicing their opinion over this, strengthening the arguments revolving around this issue. The fact of the matter is that most of the statistics concerning abortion do not depict a satisfactory picture. In fact, abortion has always been a heated subject amongst the many people who have their own opinion and schools of thought regarding it.  In today’s day and age, there are still many laws regarding the legality of this subject. Abortion is legalized in about 30 countries, while remaining countries have restrictions or complete ban on abortion, unless life of the mother is at stake. Statistics show that abortion caused due to rape and other health complications account to nearly 7%, while the remaining cases of abortion are primarily a result of personal and social issues. 

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With that being said, should abortion be restricted? As a woman, and a mother, I see both sides of the picture. Abortion truly is a selfish act in my opinion, and not only is it reversing the way of life, but abortion seems to be used in replacement of birth control. I found out I was seven weeks pregnant the night before my seventeenth birthday. I now have an eighteen month old healthy, happy, baby boy. I chose to be a young, single mom and not choose abortion. Even though I am too young to have a baby, not financially stable, and knowing this would change my life forever, I didn’t choose abortion because the pregnancy could have easily been prevented. If I took all of the precautions that are available, then I probably wouldn’t have got pregnant. I don’t feel that it is right or acceptable to abort a baby for selfish and irresponsible reasons.

Although I wouldn’t consider having an abortion, I do believe abortion should still be legal. At the end of the day, a mother has every right to decide the next move of her life. Abortion can be a highly miserable experience for some women and at the same time, having a forced child can be a highly miserable experience. If a woman gets pregnant and does not want the child, why would anyone want a child to be raised by someone who doesn’t even want to have the responsibility? This can cause the innocent child to have mental, emotional, and in some cases physical issues.

 There are so many more reasons and opinions that can be looked at as “pros” of having an abortion. People who feel that abortion should be legal back up their reasons so well that it leaves the argument open with no agreeable outcome. Technology can show whether or not an unborn child has diseases and other physical or mental problems before the end of the second trimester. Is it fair to have knowledge that an unborn child has a critical deformality or learning disability but is brought into this world anyway? Is it fair to the child to have a forced life that

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will consist of complete and total dependency and suffering? These questions are considered to be good and supportive reasons as to why abortion should be legal.

We then have a huge amount of society’s perspectives and feelings of the other side: Life starts at the moment of conception. This is the definition given in any respectable medical textbook. It is proven that an unborn baby's heart starts beating at twenty days and the brain gives off brainwaves at forty days. Babies can survive outside the womb at twenty-one weeks. By fourteen weeks, the entire body surface, except the back and top of the head, are sensitive to pain. With the information stated, it is clear that an unborn child is obviously alive several months prior to being born. Pro-life believers will agree that abortion is murder. Abortion is never a mere personal choice but a grave offense against God and His creation. The anti-abortion struggle has always been a religious battle and foremost in its ranks have been Catholics across the country. This is because Church teaching on abortion is clear and unequivocal: Abortion is murder.