Running head: Abortion

Abortion
Sammy Soto
English 1010
November 28, 2015

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Abortion

For many years the issue of abortion has been a nonstop battle between being legal and
illegal. Abortion has been around since the earliest times. The first recorded abortion recipe dates
back to 2600 B.C. (History of Abortion, 1998). Ancient societies supported abortion as a means
of controlling the population (Abortion in Law, History, and Religion, 1998). The first known
abortion regulation was outlined in 4th century A.D. when St. Augustine declared Catholic law to
allow abortion up to 80 days for the female fetus and 40 days for the male fetus (History of
Abortion, 1998).
One of the first countries to outlaw abortion by law, Great Britain, declared abortion a
misdemeanor in 1803 (History of Abortion, 1998). In the United States, abortion laws
began to appear in the nineteenth century (Abortion in Law, History, and Religion, 1998).
By the 1960s, states began to reconsider the legalization of abortion in response to the
high rate of hospital admissions resulting from illegal abortions and a change in public
opinion (Abortion in Law, History, and Religion, 1998).
In 1973, the Supreme Court declared in Roe vs. Wade that most existing state laws were
unconstitutional. The case ruled out any legislative interference in the first trimester of
pregnancy and put limits on what restrictions could be passed on abortions in later stages of
pregnancy. In 1989, the Supreme Court made a decision which further curtailed womens ability
to materialize the rights they gained in 1973. In Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, the
Court ruled that states may disallow public employees and public hospitals from being used for
abortion (Abortion in Law, History, and Religion, 1998). In 1991, the Supreme Court further
weakened the right to abortion when it upheld a 1988 federal regulation called the Gag Rule that
banned the discussion of abortion in federally funded health clinics (Yishai, 2013).

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The United States interest in enabling the exercise of a womans right to abortion has
been extremely limited. Of course, policy is varied, as rules are set at the state level. For
example, California and New York provide abortion facilities, whereas Missouri and Louisiana
severely limit the abortions availability (Yishai, 2013). In most states, public funding has been
drastically reduced. While a womans right to get an abortion in the United States is protected by
the Supreme Court, state laws and other rulings limit abortions availability to the public.
The Health risk topics include increased risk of breast cancer, increased risk of
miscarriage, and death of the mother. An anti-abortion claim supported by Angela Lanfranchi
M.D, a prominent breast surgeon, suggests that evidence proves induced abortion leads to higher
risk of developing breast cancer (Lanfranchi, 2015).
However, the studies that suggest this causation are older studies performed with
dramatic errors in their methods (Arthur, 2002). Newer, more regulated statistics provide
no such evidence, and the National Cancer Institute refutes the claim of increased risk
(Dudley, 2015). The definitive study that is commonly accepted was performed on 1.5
million Danish women and testifies that there is no induced risk (Wise, 2014).
Concerning increased risk of miscarriages, studies show that there is a slightly increased
risk of miscarriage if the woman becomes pregnant three months following the abortion
(Zhou, 2010). However, if there is a healthy six month time period between the abortion
and next conception, there is no increased risk of miscarriage (Zhou, 2010).
This information is consistent with the general health advice of spacing pregnancies to
assist healthy development of the fetus. The final health claim that abortion risks the life of the
mother can also be invalidated. Although problems such as pain, bleeding, hemorrhage,
menstrual disturbance, and other complications can be associated with abortion; these

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complications are rare. Surgical abortion can be very safe, especially when performed in the first
trimester (Dudley, 2015). Of legal abortions, only one death occurs in every 160,000 cases. This
is ten times less than the risk associated with child birth. Therefore, it can be clearly seen that
abortion offers no increased health risks of breast cancer, miscarriage, or death.
The strongest argument and the biggest moral topic of dispute is the status of the fetus
within the mothers womb. Generally, pro-life activists call the fetus a human being, and claim
that to abort that fetus would be to murder a helpless, innocent child.
However, abortion author Joyce Arthur writes: from a pro-choice point of view,
the status of the fetus is a peripheral issue. Regardless of whether a fetus is a human
being or has rights, women will have abortions anyway, even if it means breaking the law
or risking their lives (Personhood, 2004). While this is a perfectly legitimate answer to
pro-life claims, one can go even further to refute the anti-abortionist argument by
pointing out that there is absolutely no scientific proof to support their claim.
To call the fetus human is an unscientific, subjective assumption that has not been proved
by any doctor or scientist. A woman, however, is irrefutably a human being with certain rights,
and to assume that a fetus inside a woman is a human being would be to infringe upon those
rights (Personhood, 2004). To separate the personhood between the mother and her fetus could
pose potentially dangerous situations for the woman. When considering the separation of the
fetus and the mother as different people, NARAL asks the question: would a pregnant woman
with cancer be able to access potentially life-saving radiation treatment or chemotherapy, since
such treatment could harm the pregnancy? While it is true that fetuses are potential humans, to
classify them as one before they are born would be to possibly endanger their mothers, humans
that are already here and have undeniable rights.

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While the basis of most other anti-abortionist arguments is supported on moral grounds,
the logic behind many pro-life claims is thin, much like that behind the idea that a fetus is a
human. Pro-life advocates claim that aborting children that will be born into poor households
wont solve the problem of poverty. However, the pro-choice side of the argument does not offer
abortion as a solution to the issue of poverty.
They are merely suggesting that a child born to parents that are not able to support
him or her for whatever reason might be better off unborn (Scott, 5). Many mothers who
have abortions do so because they are unprepared to raise a child and provide them with
the proper necessities and affection at the time of their pregnancies.
Under certain circumstances women may choose not to have their baby for non-health
related reasons. Many women would be horrified by the idea of giving birth to the child of rape
or incest because it would serve as a constant reminder. Pro-life activists assert that the birth of
this child can turn the violent act into an experience of something supportive and giving. A
striking 88% of the Unites States population that was polled in 1993 agreed that abortion should
be legal in cases of rape, incest, or when the mothers life is in danger.
As previously mentioned, stipulations are currently protected under the Hyde
Amendment, which offers Medicaid to women with these conditions (Dudley, 2015).
However, the Hyde Amendment does not cover conditions where the womans health is
endangered, a topic that 91% of the U.S. citizens polled agreed should be legal.
Therefore, although abortion is legal, women who want to obtain a legalized abortion
face many obstacles such as availability and cost.
The strong moral convictions on either side of the abortion argument are what make the
issue so difficult to resolve. The majority of arguments either for or against abortion are based

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upon opinions without a great deal of statistics or facts with which to back up those claims. Prolife activists clearly have a moral agenda against the abortion of unborn fetuses, calling it
murder. This agenda is usually fueled by religious reasons and moral convictions rooted in
Christian, particularly Catholic, beliefs. While it is the general Christian stance to be against
abortion, this is more so for Catholics than Protestants (Scott, 7).
Most pro-life propaganda uses brutal terminology and gruesome facts that are not
always particularly relevant to the argument. The moral argument for abortion is not as
strongly rooted in religion, but rather in a concern for mothers and for future children that
may suffer poor upbringings (Scott, 7). Without an abundance of statistical information to
sway the overwhelming majority of the nation one way or the other, there is only a large
gray area composed of differing moral opinions and values, making the issue of abortion
very tough to resolve. Also making the topic divisive is the female portion of the nations
population that abortion laws immediately affect.
The 14th amendment of Constitution states that no State shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. After the Roe Vs. Wade case the Supreme
court decided that the word "person" in the 14th amendment, does not apply to the unborn
(Elbel, 2007) So according the constitution the state must favor the person involved in all legal
situations, and since the mother is the only person involved the state must favor her. It is not until
the third trimester that the state may regulate or ban abortion to protect fetal life. (Elbel, 2007)
Because it is during the third trimester that the unborn child is considered a person and therefore
protect under the 14th amendment of Constitution. The laws surrounding abortion are designed
to protect the persons involved, not to kill babies.

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Earlier I mentioned Pro-lifers and their beliefs, but I neglected to mention their
counterpart Pro-Choices. Now while Pro-lifers feel that abortion is evil and should be outlawed,
Pro-choice people believe it is the mothers choice. It is important to understand that pro-choice
does not mean pro-abortion. Do the pro-lifer offer other alternatives to abortion?
Yes. Pro-lifers suggest adoption as an alternative to abortion. They feel that the
mother should carry his child full term and give it up to a family that would care for it.
While adoption is a good idea it is not being done. The fact is that 2 out of every 100
unmarried woman choose adoption (Elbel, 2007). So while adoption a nice idea it is not
a realistic one. Now the pro-lifers blame abortions for driving the number of adoptions
down, but the fact is there are many other reasons to explain the decline of adoptions.
The main reason according to Marvin Elbels article Forgotten choice is that singleparenting still receives special economic support via the welfare system. (Elbel, 2007)So it
economically more beneficial to keep the kid then to give him/her to a two parent family. The
supporters of keeping abortion legal feel that adoption is an option but so is abortion. The
legality of abortion is an issue all its own abortion. Americans tend to distinguish between each
trimester of pregnancy. Polls from 1996 and 2003 revel a majority, from 58 to 66 percent,
supporting the legality of early abortion. However, majorities of roughly similar size, between 65
and 69 percent in 1996, 1998 and 2003, thought abortion should be illegal during the second 3
months of pregnancy. Small percentage, no more than 7 percent, had an it depends response to
question about the legality of early and later abortion. (Attitudes towards abortion, 2014).
Support for abortion rights depends heavily on a womans motive or circumstances.
Potential threats to pregnant womens lives, for example elicit strongest support for abortion
rights than do images of physically or even mentally disabled newborns. In each of eight polls

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spanning 1989 to 2003, a majority of the respondents support abortion being legal when the
mother's life is endangered by the pregnancy (Attitudes Towards Abortion).
Another factor to take into consideration when deciding the legality of abortion is its
availability. In many states, despite the Roe v. Wade, abortions are not readily available. Between
the early and late 1990s, more Americans took the position that abortions should be more
difficult to obtain. From 1987 until 1993, between 30 and 40 percent of respondents favored such
a move. By 2003, however, fully 50 percent expressed support for more strict access (The Polls:
Abortion). As more and more people become educated about contraceptives and other
alternatives to abortion, the public is leaning more towards regulations to be set forth and
implemented on abortions instead of banning them.
Now that we have examined the issue closely, it is clear that abortion is one of the most
pressing contemporary issues facing the political, legal and social circles. While each person may
have his own reasons for supporting or condemning abortion, still it would be important to find a
middle ground for permanent resolution of this issue. We cannot remain impartial on this subject
because it is certainly connected with our moral and religious values, but in order to avoid a
major conflict, we must advocate tolerance and patience. No matter how we feel about the issue,
it is certainly not socially or morally acceptable to hurt or harass people with conflicting views.

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References

Abortion in Law, History, and Religion. (1998 May 1). Retrieved October 2015 from Childbirth
by Choice Trust. Web site: http://www.prochoiceactionnetworkcanada.org/articles/civilize

Arthur, Joyce. Abortion and Breast Cancer: The Humanist. (Mar/Apr. 2002.) Retrieved June
2015 Humanist West Site: https://humanism.org.uk/humanism/humanism-today/humaniststalking/humanist-discussion-on-abortion/

Arthur, Joyce. Personhood: Is the Fetus a Human Being? (August 2001) Retrieved January
2015.
From Prochoice action network Web site: http://www.prochoiceactionnetworkcanada.org/articles/fetusperson.shtml

Dudley, Susan, PhD. Safety of a Surgical Abortion. National Abortion Federation. (February
2015). Retrieved from National Abortion federation Web site:
http://prochoice.org/safetyofsurgicalabortion
Elbel, Fred. 14th amendment. The Declaration of independence (May 2007) Retrieved from
14th amendment Web site: http://www.14thamendment.us/amendment/14th_amendment.html

Lanfranchi, Angela. Women Have A Right to Know. Issues in Law and Medicine. (March
2015) Retrieved from Minnesota citizens concerns Web site: http://www.mccl.org/womans-rightto-know.html

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Scott, Jacqueline. Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 4. (Dec., 1989), pp. 319-326. Web. 9
May 2015.
Ted, Jelen. Causes and Consequences of Public Attitudes Towards Abortion. (December, 2014)
Retrieved From Political Research Quarterly Web site:
http://prq.sagepub.com/content/56/4/489.abstract

Wise, Jacqui. No Risk of Breast Cancer with Abortions. British Medical Journal. (18 Jan.
2014). Retrieved from American cancer society Web site:
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/moreinformation/is-abortion-linked-to-breast-cancer

Yishai, Yael. Public Ideas and Public Policy: Abortion Politics in Four Democracies.
Comparative Politics, Vol. 25, No. 2. (Jan., 2013), pp. 207-228. Web. 1 May 2015.
Zhou, W., et al. Risk of Spontaneous Abortion Following Induce Abortion. Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology. (Jan. 2010.) Retrieved from Uptodate Web site:
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/spontaneous-abortion-risk-factors-etiology-clinicalmanifestations-and-diagnostic-evaluation