The Abortion Debate

What is an abortion and why is abortion such a controversial topic?

An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in, or caused by, its death. An abortion can occur spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced through chemical, surgical or other means.

Commonly, "abortion" refers to an induced procedure at any point in the pregnancy; medically, it is defined as a miscarriage or induced termination before twenty weeks gestation, which is considered nonviable. There have been various methods of inducing abortion throughout history.

The moral and legal aspects of abortion are the subject of intense debate in many parts of the world. What are the abortion issues? Common abortion issues include morality about abortion, abortion procedure, process, and the cost.


Abortion Statistics:

There are approximately 46 million abortions conducted yearly, 20 million of them obtained illegally. There are approximately 126,000 abortions conducted each day. In 54 countries or 61% of the world population, abortions are legal. In 97 countries or 39% of the world population, abortions are illegal. Approximately 1,370,000 abortions occur annually in the U.S. according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. 88% of abortions occur during the first 6 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. 60% of abortions are performed on women who already have one or more children. 47% of abortions are performed on women who have already had one or more abortions. 43% of women will have had at least one abortion by the time they are 45 years old (this statistic includes miscarriages in the term "abortion"). The majority of women getting an abortion are young. The abortion rate is highest for those women aged 18 to 19 (56 per 1,000 in 1992.) 52% of women getting an abortion are younger than 25 years old and 19% are teenagers. Unmarried women are 6 times more likely than married women to have an abortion. 67% of abortions are from women who have never been married. 51% of women who are unmarried when they become pregnant will receive an abortion. 63% of abortion patients are white, however, black women are more than 3 times as likely to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.5 times as likely. 43% of women getting an abortion claimed they were Protestant, while 27% claimed they were Catholic. 25.5% of women who had an abortion want to postpone childbearing. 21.3% of women who had an abortion stated they cannot afford a baby. 14.1% has relationship problem or partner does not want pregnancy. 12.2% of women feel they are too young to become parents; or parent(s) or other(s) object to pregnancy. 10.8% of women stated that having a child will disrupt education or job. 7.9% of women want no (more) children. 3.3% of abortion are due to risk to fetal health. 2.8% of abortion are due to risk to maternal health. 2.1% of abortion are due to rape, incest, other. 54% of women having an abortion said they used some form of contraception during the month they became pregnant. 8% of women having an abortion say they have never used contraception.

What are the real facts about Abortion.

Abortion and contraception have been widely available throughout the history of Western Civilization, despite ethical concerns. Under Roman law, life was said to begin at birth. Abortions were thus legal, though regulated to protect the rights of the father. Early Christian philosophers, including St. Augustine, Ivo of Chartres and Gratian, disapproved of abortion when it broke the link between the sexual act and procreation, but argued that abortion of what Ivo termed an 'unformed embryo' did not constitute homicide.

Common law positions on abortion in individual countries varied significantly from country to country. English common law considered abortions before 'quickening' - when the movements of the fetus could first be felt by the mother - to be morally and legally acceptable.

Many Western countries began to make abortion illegal in the 19th century. Anti-abortion forces were led by a combination of conservative groups opposed to abortion on moral grounds and medical professionals who were concerned about the danger presented by the procedure and the regular involvement of non-medical personnel in performing abortions. It became clear in the following years, however, that illegal abortions continued to take place in large numbers even where abortions were expressly illegal. It was difficult to obtain sufficient evidence to prosecute the mothers and doctors, and judges and juries were often reluctant to convict. Many were also outraged at the invasion of privacy and the medical problems resulting from abortions taking place illegally in medically dangerous circumstances.

Political movements soon coalesced around the legalization of abortion and liberalization of existing laws. By the early 20th century, many countries had begun to legalize abortions when performed to protect the life of the mother, and in some cases to protect the health of the mother. Under Vladimir Lenin, the Soviet Union legalized all abortions in 1920, but this was fully reversed in 1936 by Joseph Stalin in order to increase population growth. Iceland was the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion under limited circumstances, doing so in 1935, and the earliest country to do so without recriminalizing it later. Only a handful of countries - mostly in Scandinavia decriminalized abortion before Britain in 1967. Others soon followed, including Canada (1969), the United States (1973 in most states), France (1975), New Zealand (1977), Italy (1978) and the Netherlands (1980). However, these countries vary greatly in the circumstances under which abortion is permitted.


Abortion Procedure

Abortion is one of the the most common surgical procedures performed today. Having an abortion may feel especially intimidating if they have received inaccurate or distorted information about abortion. The fact is that a first-trimester abortion is twice as safe as a tonsillectomy. Information is an integral part of the comprehensive care these clinics offers. At most clinics, what happens before and after an abortion is just as important as the procedure itself. The medical tests, information, and counseling you receive are intended to make sure that your abortion is as safe as possible and that you are fully informed about all your reproductive options and are comfortable. In most clinics, an abortion is preceded by a series of medical tests and counseling sessions. First, you will be asked to fill out a medical history form. after filling out the medical history, you will have pregnancy and blood tests. Pre-abortion counseling usually includes two components or sessions. First, you will meet privately with a specially trained counselor and you will be encouraged to talk about your feeling. Next, you will be given information on the abortion procedure and its possible risks and complications. At most clinics, a local anesthetic is included in the price of a abortion. The vacuum aspiration procedure is generally used for abortion during the first-trimester. Dilation and Evacuation methods are used in second-trimester abortion and are performed by a limited number of providers.


Abortion Pill

The Abortion Pill is a form of early abortion caused by the combination of two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol. Also known as RU486, mifepristone has been used safely in Europe for many years. The Abortion Pill is an early abortion option for women who are 8 weeks pregnant or less. During the first appointment at the clinic you receive the mifepristone pill to take orally. Then 24 to 72 hours later, in the privacy of your own home, you take the misoprostol medication as directed by your clinic (vaginally or buccally). Misoprostol causes contractions resulting in a miscarriage. When used in combination, mifepristone and misoprostol are 95-97% effective within two weeks.

Medical Abortion

When a woman decides to have a medical abortion there are a few pre-procedure tasks the patient needs to complete. First the patient needs to sign up for an appointment to talk about what is going to take place and how she is feeling about her decision to have an abortion. Next, the patient will have to sign a consent form and have several laboratory tests. After all the necessary pre-procedures are done, the patient is then given the first dose medicine and the second dose is then taken at home. After the doses of medicine are given there can be a few side effects. These include strong cramps, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and temporary abdominal pain. Over the counter medicines such as Tylenol or Excedrin are given to help ease the pain. After the medical abortion is complete the patient will need to return back to the clinic to have a post-procedure check up. Another ultrasound will be given at the follow-up appointment to insure that the medical abortion has been completed. If the ultra sound comes up negative, the patient will then have their normal menstrual cycle in around four to six weeks and is no longer pregnant. When the medical abortion does not work, surgical abortion is then needed to carry out the procedure.


Surgical Abortion

Surgical abortion is a more common method that is performed by manual vacuum aspiration. Manual vacuum aspiration is when the embryo is removed by using a manual syringe. In the first fifteen weeks, suction-aspiration or vacuum abortion are the most common methods of surgical abortion, replacing the more risky dilation and curettage (D & C). Manual vacuum aspiration, or MVA abortion, consists of removing the fetus or embryo by suction using a manual syringe, while the Electric vacuum aspiration or EVA abortion method uses suction produced by an electric pump to remove the fetus or embryo. From the fifteenth week up until around the eighteenth week, a surgical dilation and evacuation (D & E) is used in a surgical abortion. D & E consists of opening the cervix of the uterus and emptying it using surgical instruments and suction. Dilation and suction curettage consists of emptying the uterus by suction using a different apparatus. Curettage refers to the cleaning of the walls of the uterus with a curette. Dilation and curettage (D & C) is a standard gynecological procedure performed for a variety of reasons, such as examination. As the fetus grows, other techniques must be used to induce abortion in the third trimester. Premature delivery of the human fetus can be induced with prostaglandin; this can be coupled with injecting the amniotic fluid with caustic solutions containing saline or urea. Very late abortions can be brought about by the controversial intact dilation and extraction (intact D & X) which requires the surgical decompression of the fetus's head before evacuation and is controversially termed "partial-birth abortion".
A hysterectomy abortion, similar to a caesarian section but ending with a dead fetus, can also be used at late stages of pregnancy.


Partial Birth Abortion

Partial birth abortion (PBA) refers to most intact dilation and extraction (IDX) or D&X (dilation and extraction) procedures, wherein the fetus is alive at the time of the procedure hence rendering such procedure as an act of aborting a human fetus. The IDX procedure can also be used in late-term miscarriage cases. "Dismemberment and extraction" is another medical term for partial birth abortion procedure. In most cases the fetus is alive when the procedure begins. Partial birth abortion has been a central issue in the greater abortion debate. Although not a proper medical term, partial birth abortion is commonly used in public discussion of the procedure.


Self-induced Abortion

A self-induced abortion is an abortion that a pregnant woman causes herself to have without direct medical aid. Although the term can include abortions induced through legal, over-the-counter medication, it also refers to efforts to terminate a pregnancy through more dangerous means. Such practices are illegal in most places, even where abortion itself is legal - and present a grave threat to the life of the woman. Self-induced abortions nevertheless are performed in places where circumstances (legal constraints, cost, concerns about secrecy) prevent the pregnant woman from seeking a professional procedure.


Third Trimester Abortions

Third trimester abortions, after 24 weeks, are available for serious fetal abnormalities and genetic defects. About 600 Third trimester abortions are performed in the United States each year. Abortion after the 24th or 25th week of pregnancy is illegal in most US states and most countries, except in cases where a fetal anomaly has been diagnosed or continuing the pregnancy would put a woman's life at risk.


Herbal abortion

Historically, a number of herbs reputed to possess abortifacient properties have been used in folk medicine: tansy, pennyroyal, black cohosh, and the now-extinct silphium (see history of abortion). The use of herbs in such a manner can cause serious side effects, such as multiple organ failure, and is not recommended by physicians.


Incomplete Abortion

Most incomplete abortions occur in women whose pregnancies have reached eight weeks or more from the time of conception, or 10 weeks LMP (last menstrual period). The fetus has grown to an inch and length, and may be too large to pass through the cervix on its own. In an incomplete abortion, parts of the fetus or placental material is retained within the uterus. Typical symptoms include vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal cramping.


Miscarriage

Miscarriages are the most common complication of pregnancy. The medical term "spontaneous abortion" is used in reference to miscarriages because the medical term "abortion" refers to any terminated pregnancy, deliberately induced or spontaneous, although in common parlance it refers specifically to active termination of pregnancy.


Informed Consent and Parental Notification Laws regarding Abortion

Informed consent laws is currently implemented in 11 states in the US. Informed consent laws require women to hear a state-mandated lecture 24 hours before having an abortion and be offered state-prepared materials on fetal development and medical and social services for pregnant women. State-mandated lectures usually include information on the abortion procedure, the risks and benefits of abortion and childbirth, how long you have been pregnant, and the name of the doctor who will perform the procedure. Waiting periods can delay the abortion procedure anywhere from one day to several weeks.

If you are under 18 and live in the US, in a state with an informed consent and a parental notification or consent law, you will have to comply with both laws before getting an abortion. Parental Notification and Consent laws is currently implemented in 31 states in the US.

If you live in a state with a parental consent law, one or both of your parents will have to sign a form giving their permission to get an abortion. If you live in a state with a parental notification law, one or both of your parents will have to be told 24 hours to 48 hours ahead of time that you are having an abortion. You may not have to tell your parents if you are an emancipated minor or live in a state that allows other family members such as grandparent, aunt, or older brothers or sisters to sign notification or consent forms for you.


Abortion All Cost

The cost of an abortion depends on the stage of pregnancy and which clinic is providing the abortion service. In general, though, women getting an abortion between six and ten weeks' gestation can expect to pay about $350 at an abortion clinic and $500 at a physician's office. Performing abortions later in pregnancy is somewhat more complicated, and is usually more expensive.

Other costs might result if care is not available locally. These might include travel costs, costs for overnight stays, or lost wages in states requiring waiting periods between pre-abortion counseling and the abortion itself.


Abortion Risks

Like any surgical procedure, abortion is not without risks. In regulated legal clinics, there is a small risk of serious complications from the most common surgical abortion procedures. These risks include perforated uterus, septic shock, sterility, and death.

Abortion is a relatively safe procedure. On average, one percent of women who have abortions develop complications after the procedure. Abortion does not cause sterility.


Abortion and Breast Cancer

The abortion and breast cancer (ABC) hypothesis (also known as ABC link) posits a causal relationship between induced abortion and an increased risk of developing breast cancer. In early pregnancy the level of estrogens increases, leading to breast growth in preparation for lactation. The abortion-breast cancer hypothesis proposes that if this process is interrupted with an abortion“ before full differentiation in the third trimester “ then more relatively vulnerable undifferentiated cells could be left than there were prior to the pregnancy, resulting in a greater potential risk of breast cancer.


Abortion Counseling

Most abortion Laws require that women receive an abortion counseling before an abortion is performed. The goal of abortion counseling is to provide both information and support that women need to complete all aspects of the procedure. Abortion often provides rapid relief and delayed suffering. The consequences of abortion can include guilt, depression, mourning, shame, self hatred, insomnia, anger and aggression. Post-abortion counseling helps people control guilt and the other consequences of abortion that may be suffered by the parents.


Taking Care of Yourself

An unplanned pregnancy can trigger a range of conflicting, contradictory, and very normal emotions, including powerlessness, guilt, anger, sadness, ambivalence, and even excitement. No matter how depressed or desperate you feel, do not try to induce your own abortion. Don't go through it alone. Find at least one person, a partner, friend, or family member who can provide nonjudgmental support and will respect your privacy. Find healthy ways to express or vent your feelings: have a good cry, write in a journal, exercise, or talk with a friend. Free pre- and post-abortion counseling is available at most clinics.


Abortion Debate

Throughout the history of abortion, induced abortions have always been a source of considerable debate and controversy regarding the morality and legality of abortion. An individual's position on the complex ethical, moral, philosophical, biological and legal issues have a strong relationship with that individual's value system. A person's position on abortion may be best described as a combination of their personal beliefs on the morality of induced abortion, and that person's beliefs on the ethical scope and responsibility of legitimate governmental and legal authority. Another major factor for many individuals is authoritative religious doctrine. Abortion debates, especially pertaining to abortion laws, are often spearheaded by advocacy groups belonging to one of two camps. Those against laws restricting abortion describe themselves as pro-choice. Those in favor of laws prohibiting abortion describe themselves as pro-life.

Both "pro-choice" and "pro-life" are loaded terms, designed to cast their position as advancing a general concept ("choice" or "life") that has broad support. Both terms are euphemisms designed to evade the use of the term "abortion", such as being "pro-abortion' or "anti-abortion". Individuals are also usually classified or self-described as pro-choice or pro-life, despite the range of intermediate opinions. In debate, whether friendly discussion or political positioning, the arguments on abortion usually seek to change either an individual's beliefs on the moral permissibility of an induced abortion, or on the justification of laws permitting or restricting abortion. Arguments on morality and legality tend to collide and combine, complicating the issue at hand. In debate, a major complication is the terms of debate. The choice of terms used to frame the debate is hotly contested. This can be a deliberate attempt to gain an advantage using rhetoric, or merely the result of an individual's view point.

Political sides have largely been separated into absolute extremes —either seeking to make all abortion illegal, or to permanently remove laws restricting all forms of abortion. Likewise, debate tends to center around individuals with strong positions, and pro-choice and pro-life advocates.


Abortion Right

An individual's personal stance on the complex ethical, moral, and legal issue of abortion has a strong relationship with the given individual's value system. A person's position on abortion may be described as a combination of their personal beliefs on the morality of induced abortion and the ethical limit of the government's legitimate authority. The central dilemma in the abortion debate is the clash of presumed and perceived rights. On one hand is the embryo or fetus's presumed right to life, and on the other is a woman's presumed right to control her body (though the debate over the issue has become so complex that each of these terms has itself been extensively debated). One aspect of the issue involves defining at what point an embryo or fetus qualifies as a person, and gains the legal and/or moral right to life.
 

Abortion Arguments

The argument that can be made in for or against abortion are many.
Here are the most common argument that can be made in for or against abortion from both sides. Pro-Life:
Since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life. No civilized society permits one human to intentionally harm or take the life of another human without punishment, and abortion is no different. Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. An abortion can result in medical complications later in life; the risk of ectopic pregnancies doubles, and the chance of a miscarriage and pelvic inflammatory disease also increases after an abortion. In the instance of rape and incest, proper medical care can ensure that a woman will not get pregnant. Abortion punishes the unborn child who committed no crime; instead, it is the perpetrator who should be punished. Abortion should not be used as another form of contraception. For women who demand complete control of their body, control should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy through the responsible use of contraception or, if that is not possible, through abstinence. Many Americans who pay taxes are opposed to abortion, therefore it's morally wrong to use tax dollars to fund abortion. Those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards.
Abortion frequently causes intense psychological pain and stress.


Legal Arguments Against Abortion

What would be a good legal argument against abortion?
The best legal argument against abortion can be seen in the case of Roe v. Wade. It violated standard legal reasoning. The Supreme Court decided not to decide when life begins and then turned around and overturned the laws of 50 different states. Most of the Supreme Court's verdict rested upon two sentences. "We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to an answer." Although the sentences sounded both innocuous and unpretentious, they were neither. The Supreme Court's non-decision was not innocuous. It overturned state laws that protected the unborn and has resulted in over 30 million abortions (roughly the population of Canada) in the United States. The decision also seems unpretentious by acknowledging that it did not know when life begins. But if the Court did not know, then it should have acted "as if" life was in the womb. A crucial role of government is to protect life. Government cannot remove a segment of the human population from its protection without adequate justification. The burden of proof should lie with the life-taker, and the benefit of the doubt should be with the life-saver. Put another way: "when in doubt, don't." A hunter who hears rustling in the bushes shouldn't fire until he knows what is in the bushes. Likewise, a Court which doesn't know when life begins, should not declare open season on the unborn. The burden of proof in law is on the prosecution. The benefit of doubt is with the defense. This is also known as a presumption of innocence. The defendant is assumed to be innocent unless proven guilty. Again the burden of proof is on the entity that would take away life or liberty. The benefit of the doubt lies with the defense. The Supreme Court clearly stated that it does not know when life begins and then violated the very spirit of this legal principle by acting as if it just proved that no life existed in the womb. Even more curious was the fact that to do so, it had to ignore the religious community and international community on the subject of the unborn.


Philosophical Arguments Against Abortion

There is also a Philosophical Arguments Against Abortion. A key philosophical question regarding abortion is where do you draw the line? Put another way, when does a human being become a person? Ethicist Paul Ramsey frequently warned that any argument for abortion could logically be also used as an argument for infanticide. As if to illustrate this, Dr. Francis Crick, of DNA fame, demonstrated that he was less concerned about the ethics of such logical extensions and proposed a more radical definition of personhood. He suggested in the British journal Nature that if "a child were considered to be legally born when two days old, it could be examined to see whether it was an 'acceptable member of human society.'" Obviously this is not only an argument for abortion; it's an argument for infanticide. Other line-drawers have suggested a cultural criterion for personhood. Ashley Montagu, for example, stated, "A newborn baby is not truly human until he or she is molded by cultural influences later." Again, this is more than just an argument for abortion. It is also an argument for infanticide. More recently some line-drawers have focused on a mental criterion for personhood. Dr. Joseph Fletcher argues in his book Humanhood that "Humans without some minimum of intelligence or mental capacity are not persons, no matter how many of these organs are active, no matter how spontaneous their living processes are." This is not only an argument for abortion and infanticide; it's adequate justification for euthanasia and the potential elimination of those who do not possess a certain IQ. In other writings, Joseph Fletcher suggested that an "individual" was not truly a "person" unless he has an IQ of at least 40.


Biblical Arguments Against Abortion

We must begin by acknowledging that the Bible doesn't say anything about abortion directly. Why the silence of the Bible on abortion? The answer is simple. Abortion was so unthinkable to an Israelite woman that there was no need to even mention it in the criminal code. Why was abortion an unthinkable act? First, children were viewed as a gift or heritage from the Lord. Second, the Scriptures state and the Jews concurred that God opens and closes the womb and is sovereign over conception. Third, childlessness was seen as a curse. One of the key verses to understand in developing a biblical view of the sanctity of human life is Psalm 139. This psalm is the inspired record of David's praise for God's sovereignty in his life. He begins by acknowledging that God is omniscient and knows what David is doing at any given point in time. He goes on to acknowledge that God is aware of David's thoughts before he expresses them. David adds that wherever he might go, he cannot escape from God, whether he travels to heaven or ventures into Sheol. God is in the remotest part of the sea and even in the darkness. Finally David contemplates the origin of his life and confesses that God was there forming him in the womb. In verse 13, we see that God is the Master Craftsman fashioning David into a living person. In verses 14 and 15, David reflects on the fact that he is a product of God's creative work within his mother's womb, and he praises God for how wonderfully God has woven him together. David draws a parallel between his development in the womb and Adam's creation from the earth. Using figurative language in verse 15, he refers to his life before birth when "I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth." This poetic allusion harkens back to Genesis 2:7 which says that Adam was made from the dust of the earth. David also notes that "Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance." This shows that God knew David even before he was known to others. The term translated unformed substance is a noun derivative of a verb meaning "to roll up."

When David was just forming as a fetus, God's care and compassion already extended to him. The reference to "God's eyes" is an Old Testament term used to connotate divine oversight of God in the life of an individual or group of people. Next, we will consider additional Old Testament passages that provide a biblical argument against abortion. Additional Old Testament Arguments Against Abortion. Now that we've looked at Psalm 139, the most popular argument against abortion, let's look at two other Old Testament passages. Another significant passage is Psalm 51. It was written by David after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and records his repentance. David confesses that his sinful act demonstrated the original sin that was within him, "Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Ps. 5l:5). David concludes that from his time of conception, he had a sin nature. This would imply that he carried the image of God from the moment of conception, including the marred image scarred from sin. Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6). Bearing the image of God is the essence of humanness. And though God's image in man was marred at the Fall, it was not erased (cf. 1 Cor. 11:7; James 3:9). Thus, the unborn baby is made in the image of God and therefore fully human in God's sight. This verse also provides support for what is called the traducian view of the origin of the soul. According to this perspective, human beings were potentially in Adam (Rom. 5:12, Heb. 7:9-10) and thus participated in his original sin. The "soulish" part of humans is transferred through conception. Therefore, an unborn baby is morally accountable and thus fully human. Another argument against abortion can be found in the Old Testament legal code, specifically Exodus 21:22-25. If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. The verses appear to teach that if a woman gives birth prematurely, but the baby is not injured, then only a fine is appropriate. However, if the child dies then the law of retaliation (lex talionis) should be applied. In other words, killing an unborn baby would carry the same penalty as killing a born baby. A baby inside the womb has the same legal status as a baby outside the womb.


Medical Arguments Against Abortion

The medical arguments against abortion are compelling. One point that falls straight under medical arguments is that at conception the embryo is genetically distinct from the mother. To say that the developing baby is no different from the mother's appendix is scientifically inaccurate. A developing embryo is genetically different from the mother. A developing embryo is also genetically different from the sperm and egg that created it. A human being has 46 chromosomes (sometimes 47 chromosomes). Sperm and egg have 23 chromosomes. A trained geneticist can distinguish between the DNA of an embryo and that of a sperm and egg. But that same geneticist could not distinguish between the DNA of a developing embryo and a full-grown human being. Another set of medical arguments against abortion surround the definition of life and death. If one set of criteria have been used to define death, could they also be used to define life? Death used to be defined by the cessation of heartbeat. A stopped heart was a clear sign of death. If the cessation of heartbeat could define death, could the onset of a heartbeat define life? The heart is formed by the 18th day in the womb. If heartbeat was used to define life, then nearly all abortions would be outlawed. Physicians now use a more rigorous criterion for death: brain wave activity. A flat EEG (electroencephalograph) is one of the most important criteria used to determine death. If the cessation of brain wave activity can define death, could the onset of brain wave activity define life? Individual brain waves are detected in the fetus in about 40-43 days. Using brain wave activity to define life would outlaw at least a majority of abortions. The point is simple. Medical science leads to a pro-life perspective rather than a pro-choice perspective. If medical science can be used at all to draw a line, the clearest line is at the moment of conception. Medical arguments provide a strong case against abortion and for life.


Pro-Choice

Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother.
The concept of personhood is different from the concept of human life. Human life occurs at conception, but fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives and those not implanted are routinely thrown away. Is this murder, and if not, then how is abortion murder? Adoption is not an alternative to abortion, because it remains the woman's choice whether or not to give her child up for adoption. Statistics show that very few women who give birth choose to give up their babies - less than 3% of white unmarried women and less than 2% of black unmarried women.
Abortion is a safe medical procedure. The vast majority of women - 88% - who have an abortion do so in their first trimester. Medical abortions have less than 0.5% risk of serious complications and do not affect a woman's health or future ability to become pregnant or give birth. In the case of rape or incest, forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent act would cause further psychological harm to the victim. Often a woman is too afraid to speak up or is unaware she is pregnant, thus the morning after pill is ineffective in these situations. Abortion is not used as a form of contraception. Pregnancy can occur even with responsible contraceptive use. Only 8% of women who have abortions do not use any form of birth control, and that is due more to individual carelessness than to the availability of abortion.
The ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. Take away her reproductive choice and you step onto a slippery slope. If the government can force a woman to continue a pregnancy, what about forcing a woman to use contraception or undergo sterilization? Taxpayer dollars are used to enable poor women to access the same medical services as rich women, and abortion is one of these services. Funding abortion is no different from funding a war in the Mideast. For those who are opposed, the place to express outrage is in the voting booth. Teenagers who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive inadequate prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or end up divorced. Like any other difficult situation, abortion creates stress. Yet the American Psychological Association found that stress was greatest prior to an abortion, and that there was no evidence of post-abortion syndrome.


The Real Abortion Debate

The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion.
The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the pro-choice movement, and the pro-life movement. Each movement has, with varying results, sought to influence public opinion and to attain legal support for its position. In Canada, for example, abortion is available on demand, while in Nicaragua abortions are illegal. In some cases, the abortion debate has led to the use of violence. Many of the terms used in the debate are seen as political framing: terms used to validate one's own stance while invalidating the opposition's. For example, the labels "pro-choice" and "pro-life" imply endorsement of widely held values such as liberty and freedom, while suggesting that the opposition must be "anti-choice" or "anti-life" (alternatively "pro-coercion" or "pro-death"). Such terms gloss over the underlying issue of which choice or life is being considered and whose choice or what kind of life is deemed most important.


Political debate on Abortion

Why do the politicians get involved in the abortion debate?

Politics refers to the processes, defined and limited through legal documents, by which decisions (laws) are made in governments. In politics, rights are the protections and privileges legally granted to citizens by the government.
Regarding abortion law, the political debate usually surrounds a right to privacy, and when or how a government may regulate abortion. For example, there is abundant debate regarding the extent of abortion regulation. Some pro-choice advocates argue that it should be illegal for governments to regulate abortion any more than other medical practices. Some pro-life advocates argue that governments should be permitted to regulate abortions after the 20th week,[9] viability, or the second trimester. Some want to regulate all abortions, starting from conception.


Privacy issue in the abortion Debate

Privacy debate is often mentioned by politicians. Time has stated that the issue of bodily privacy is "the core" of the abortion debate. In political terms, privacy can be understood as a condition in which one is not observed or disturbed by government. Privacy, in relation to abortion, is defined as the ability of a woman to "decide what happens to her own body". While governments are allowed to invade the privacy of their citizens in some cases, they are expected to protect privacy in all cases lacking a compelling state interest. Abortions are recognized as being private, but are criticized for involving the loss of human life. The pro-life position argues that abortion regulation is valid because the state interest in protecting prenatal life is compelling. The pro-choice position argues either that there is no state interest in regulating abortion, or that the woman's privacy is a more compelling interest.


Catholic View on Abortion

Religious authorities have taken various positions on abortion throughout history. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V adopted a papal bull adopting the position of St. Thomas Aquinas that contraception and abortion were crimes against nature and sins against marriage. This verdict was relaxed three years later by Pope Gregory XIV, who pronounced that abortion before 'hominization' should not be subject to church penalties that were any stricter than civil penalties.

The Catholic Church is very involved in the abortion debate with the Pope being the leader. "No to abortion" at a 2007 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The crowd have both arms raised in a prayer gesture. Pope John Paul II took a very strong line on abortion, describing it as murder. During a trip to Poland in August 2002 he reiterated his opposition to abortion: Frequently man lives as if God did not exist, and even puts himself in God's place... He claims for himself the Creator's right to interfere in the mystery of human life. Rejecting divine law and moral principles, he openly attacks the family. I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995. In this he was directly referring to abortion, euthanasia and the destruction of human embryos in medical research. On abortion specifically the Pope wrote: I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995 In October 1996 the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales published a document called The Common Good in which they said that all human rights flow from one fundamental right: the right to life.


Discrimination debate regarding Abortion

Does Discrimination argument have a place in the abortion debate?
The book Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation presents the argument that abortion involves unjust discrimination against the unborn. According to this argument, those who deny that fetuses have a right to life do not value all human life, but instead select arbitrary characteristics (such as particular levels of physical or psychological development) as giving some human beings more value or rights than others.

In contrast, philosophers who define the right to life by reference to particular levels of physical or psychological development typically maintain that such characteristics are morally relevant, and reject the assumption that all human life necessarily has value (or that membership in the species Homo sapiens is in itself morally relevant).


Deprivation argument regarding Abortion

The argument of deprivation states that abortion is morally wrong because it deprives the fetus of a valuable future. On this account, killing an adult human being is wrong because it deprives the victim of a future like ours—a future containing highly valuable or desirable experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments. If a being has such a future, then (according to the argument) killing that being would seriously harm it and hence would be seriously wrong. But since a fetus does have such a future, the "overwhelming majority" of deliberate abortions are placed in the "same moral category" as killing an innocent adult human being. Not all abortions are unjustified according to this argument: abortion would be justified if the same justification could be applied to killing an adult human.

Criticism of this line of reasoning that abortion is deprivation follows several threads. Some reject the argument on grounds relating to personal identity, holding that the fetus is not the same entity as the adult into which it will develop, and thus that the fetus does not have a "future like ours" in the required sense. Others grant that the fetus has a future like ours, but argue that being deprived of this future is not a significant harm or a significant wrong to the fetus, because there are relatively few psychological connections (continuations of memory, belief, desire and the like) between the fetus as it is now and the adult into which it will develop.

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