ENGLISH 1312

Running Head: ABORTION 1

Abortion: A Review of the Literature
Ashley Rucobo
University of Texas at El Paso














ENGLISH 1312
Running Head: ABORTION 2
Abortion: A Review of the Literature
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, before the fetus/embryo can live
outside of the mother. Women can use the pills to end a pregnancy which causes a
miscarriage, or can go through surgery in which the fetus is removed quickly and the
women does not have to stay at the clinic. When a woman receives an abortion the
fetus/embryo must be no more than 24 weeks old and the decision to be made about
receiving abortion is very personal. When a woman has made the decision to go with the
abortion she must think critically and think what is best for her and how the decision will
affect her not only now, but also in the future. Abortion may also come with side effects
(physical and emotions) depending on the women these side effects may include damage
to the cervix or other organs, infection, bleeding, abdominal pain, regret, shame, anxiety,
depression, etc. Each year approximately 1.21 million babies get aborted each year only
in the United States.
There are different reasons why women receive abortions for example, they are
not financially ready, they are unplanned, relationship problems, they are to young/old,
rape, etc. Even though abortion has been going on for many years (since 1760 BCE),
many people still argue if abortion should be legal or illegal until this day. Many people
have their own opinion of what should be done about abortion and if it should become
legal or illegal, to learn more about the background information and the arguments
portrayed in this topic four key questions will be needed to take into consideration:
1. Should the women have the right to receive an abortion?
2. Is the fetus/embryo a human being even when the fetus is a week old?
ENGLISH 1312
Running Head: ABORTION 3
3. If women do/do not undergo an abortion will they be faced with
consequences?
4. Does abortion help families? How?
The following review on literature will: provide information regarding if women should have the
right to receive an abortion since it is their body, discuss whether or not a fetus/embryo is a
human being, will women be faced with consequences if they do or do not undergo the
procedure, and have the numbers gone down, and if so why.
Should the women have the right to receive an abortion?
Allowing the women the right to choose to whether or not have an abortion has been one
of the main arguments going on. Many people believe that women should have the right to be
allowed to receive an abortion because it is their own bodies. Many women undergo the
abortions because sometimes their bodies cannot take the pregnancy, they are not of age, they are
not ready to be a parent, etc. Many people believe that women should be allowed to have an
abortion if there are raped or incest. The main reason why women should have the right to
receive an abortion is because it is their bodies and they have the decision to decide what is right
for there future and the fetus/embryos future.
Allowing women not to have the right to receive an abortion come from many churches,
and beliefs. People have many different beliefs about abortion and what should and shouldnt be
done. Getting an abortion done can cause many damages not only physically but also mentally.
Going through this may be difficult for many women to handle and may cause them to get
suicidal thoughts. Having women go through an abortion is a difficult situation and may cause
much harm to them.
Is the fetus/embryo a human being even when the fetus is a week old?
ENGLISH 1312
Running Head: ABORTION 4
Many people have their own opinion about this question; it is one of the most debated
questions for the topic abortion. People believe that the fetus is a human being right at
conception. Many women as soon as they are pregnant right away call the fetus/embryo baby or
give the fetus/embryo a name, while other women who do not care for the fetus refer to the fetus
as it. People also believe that the fetus is a human being because as soon as the women find out
that they are pregnant they must go to the doctor and take very good care of themselves. For
example if they think that they are pregnant they cannot drink, carry anything heavy, etc.
People believe that the fetus is not a human being at conception because the fetus does
not breath on its own when inside of the mother. Many women have the abortion before the fetus
is 24 weeks old and begins to move. Women call the fetus a it because they believe that the
fetus is not a human being right a conception. People believe that that the fetus and a human
being are different because, the fetus is barley developing and the human being when he/she is
born they breath, eat on their own and do not have to rely on their mother for help or anything.
When people believe that the fetus is not a human being and they have an abortion they feel that
they are not murdering the fetus or anything because they need the mother to survive.
If women do/do not undergo an abortion will they be faced with consequences?
No matter if a woman goes through an abortion or not they will be judged no matter what
situation they are in. If a women proceeds with the abortion she will get told things, they might
get hurt, something might happen to them, they may go through depression, have suicidal
thoughts, etc. Getting an abortion is murder for many people especially people who attend
church. When a woman receives an abortion she might be faced with a lot of different
consequences, for example some women get rejected from their families, church, friends, etc.
ENGLISH 1312
Running Head: ABORTION 5
If a woman does not go through the abortion she might not be faced with as many
consequences like women who did proceed with the abortion. The possible only consequence
that they might receive is when they wish they could of gone with abortion after there 24 week
time period is over. The women may not receive as many consequences because they also have
the choice to put their child into adoption instead of going through abortion. Women who do not
go through the abortion do not have to go through the medical risks that other women might have
to encounter.
Does abortion help families? How?
When a woman has an unexpected pregnancy and they do not want to keep with the
pregnancy they must not only take inconsideration themselves but also the unborn child, their
family, their future, and also their future with the child. Many families should be allowed to do
what is best for themselves and their future. When a mother has an abortion she is only trying to
make the right choice for herself and her future. She might not be financially ready to have a
baby, or she might not be at the right age to have a baby. Abortion can help families when a
female is pregnant and does not want to continue with the pregnancy, she is not
physically/mentally ready for a child, etc.
Abortion may not help all families because it may be against their religion/ families
beliefs. The way that abortion may not help all families is by the female getting complications
while getting the abortion done. Abortion might give women bad ideas, for example some people
believe abortion is murder to an unborn child and the mother might think she murdered her own
child. Many women after having an abortion must go to a specialist because the women might
experience suicidal thoughts after the abortion.
ENGLISH 1312
Running Head: ABORTION 6
Abortion is not for everyone; it depends on how strong the woman is mentally and
physically. Having women go through abortion is difficult but it may or may not be the best
choice for the mother. Abortion is not the only decision that can be made; there is also the choice
of adoption. There are many questions that can be asked about abortion, and it will still be one of
the main arguments as it has been for the past years.