I love to write about controversial issues, so this will be your chance to give constructive criticism on a piece that you may or may not agree with! I wrote this piece in late 2006. Reader discretion is advised, as this piece contains graphic descriptions of abortion procedures (I felt that the descriptions were necessary to strengthen my case that abortion should be outlawed).
Outlaw Abortion in the United States
Ailene R. Hert
The United States government should outlaw abortion because all six procedures for abortions are brutal and inhumane, the risk of dying because of childbirth in the United States is low, and because of the reasons people have abortions.
The six procedures used are suction abortion, dilation and curettage, dilation and excavation, salt poisoning, hysterotomy, and prostaglandin abortion. (ProChoice.com, 2004) All these procedures would be considered first-degree murder, if performed on a victim outside of the womb.
Suction abortion rips the placenta away from the uterus, and dismembers the baby that is inside the uterus. (ProChoice.com, 2004) Dismemberment of a human being is first-degree murder and is punishable by death or life in prison. (U.S. Code Online, 2004)
Dilation and curettage involves the person performing the procedure cutting the baby into pieces. In a dilation and evacuation, the surgeon rips and tears body parts off the baby with forceps, dismembering the baby. (ProChoice.com, 2004) Dismemberment of a human being is first-degree murder. (U.S. Code Online, 2004)
For salt poisoning, the surgeon injects saline solution in the amniotic sac. The saline solution poisons the baby, and burns his or her flesh away. The mother then labors and delivers the poisoned baby. (ProChoice.com, 2004) Poisoning, like dismemberment, is first-degree murder. (U.S. Code Online, 2004)
The mother delivers a live baby during a hysterotomy. The abortionists then kill the baby by neglect or a direct act. (ProChoice.com, 2004) The U.S. Code defines murder as “Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.” The U.S. Code also defines deliberate and willful killing as first-degree murder. (U.S. Code Online, 2004)
Prostaglandin abortion sends the mother into violent labor, and can result in the mother having a heart attack. Prostaglandin is a chemical that poisons the baby and is dangerous to the mother. (ProChoice.com, 2004) Poisoning of a human is first-degree murder. First-degree murder is punishable by the death penalty, or lifetime imprisonment. (U.S. Code Online, 2004)
Abortion is murder in the first degree. However, many may argue that abortion is justifiable if the mother’s life is threatened. Dying of childbirth, in the United States, is highly unlikely if a woman takes preventative measures and follows her doctor’s orders. Ninety-nine percent of deliveries in North America have a skilled attendant at the birth. (SaveTheMothers.org, 2006) The presence of a skilled attendant can prevent the leading causes of death during childbirth. According to SaveTheMothers.org, the chances of dying in childbirth in the United States are 1 in every 4,000 deliveries. (SaveTheMothers.org, 2006)
Even though dying in childbirth is rare in the United States, some people have abortions to prevent dying. In 2004, the number of women who reported having an abortion due to a problem with their physical health was 12%. (Finer, Frohwirth, Dauphinee, Singh, and Moore, 2005) If abortion were to continue to be legal, the jeopardy of the mother’s health should be the only legal reason for an abortion.
Many people have an abortion for the other reasons. In 2004, 74% of women who had an abortion did it because having a child would dramatically change her life, such as interfering with her education or job. Other reasons reported for having an abortion were the mother did not want others to know that she had sex or became pregnant, the mother was unmarried, and the mother could not afford to care for the baby. (Finer, et al., 2005) None of these “reasons” are good reasons to go forth with the barbaric procedure of abortion.
In conclusion, there is little reason that a mother should have an abortion in the United States. Women have gone too far in the practice of abortion. Society has come to use this murderous practice as a form of convenience and as an expression of freedom. Murdering innocent babies is barbaric. Therefore, the United States government should outlaw all abortions in the United States immediately and treat abortion as they would first-degree murder.
Works Cited
Finer, L.B., Frohwirth, L.F., Dauphinee, L.A., Singh, S., and Moore, A.M. (2005, September). Reasons U.S. women have abortions: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives.
Retrieved December 9, 2006, from Guttmacher Institute Web site: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3711005.pdf
ProChoice.com, (2004). Abortion...how is it performed?
Retrieved December 9, 2006, from ProChoice.com Web site: http://www.prochoice.com/abort_how.html
SaveTheMothers.org, (2006). Mothers are dying: The statistics that motivate save the mothers professionals.
Retrieved December 9, 2006, from SaveTheMothers.org Web site: http://www.savethemothers.org/mothersdying.htm
U.S. Code Online, (2004, January 20). Title 18--Crimes and criminal procedure. Retrieved December 9, 2006, from WAIS Document Retrieval Web site: http://wais.access.gpo.gov/
14 comments:
i knew a girl in high school who was pregnant. she gave her baby up for adoption. i think if a mother does not want her baby then that is what she should do
I completely agree. Do you think that this piece is convincing?
well i was disgusted beyond all reason. eric would be a better one to ask
rebecca says that certain procedures have already been outlawed and it has to be done before the baby is so far in development and they make the women wait cause they're more like to change their minds. maybe you should add what exactly the current laws are. are the national laws or are they by state? rebecca also said that it's such a hot topic and people feel so strongly about it either way that they are not likely to change their minds
maybe it would be more convincing if you included some info about the development of the baby in the womb. when is it a full baby? and that sort of thing
Just something I learned. Whenever you're making a convincing argument... especially when trying to convince others to share your point of view, you research their side, so you understand why they feel the way they do about the topic... the first 1/3rd of your paper should point out arguments/ideas that draw the opposition in (but be careful not to make the argument in opposition to your view too strong in the oppositions favor-- this would be counterproductive). The other 2/3rds of your paper you drive your point home-- argue your case. If you start the paper by saying "Abortion is Evil!" you automatically alienate your audience-- the people whom you're trying to convince.
Keep opinion out of if. Nobody is going to take your opinion seriously. State your argument without ever saying "I think..." or "in my opinion...". Stick to the facts. Present them as facts.
If you can, site 'respected authorities' (Presidents, scholars, religious leaders, etc.) in your discussion of the facts.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone for the feedback! I'm not exactly sure how to fully develop it. In truth, the thing that bothers me is why people do this... some people do it just to hide the fact that they've had sex! That's a horrid reason to do something like that.
And to be completely honest, I'm not sure that abortion should be outlawed completely. I personally would never choose to have an abortion, but I cannot make that choice for others.
I know that Church policy allows for some possible exceptions: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/abortion
I guess it would be better to say that abortion needs to be regulated... and not something that people do, just cause they feel like it. I personally would prefer if abortion was nonexistent... however, if the Lord has provided for choices in some circumstances, then I should allow others to make those choices, even if I am personally opposed to it.
I think abortion is a complicated topic. I know that something needs to change, but I'm not sure how to go about saying what should change.
Well, a few years ago I would have agreed with you. But in resent years I have been in contact with a few women who did or almost NEEDED abortions. I attend a very strict Catholic Doctor (ie. no birth control and VERY against abortions) The most resent instance: I have a friend who was having difficulty keeping a baby. One time her body was having a hard time and the baby stopped progressing. It was horrible to watch what her body was going through, and for her to be bed ridden at 25 years old. She and our mutual doctor did schedule an abortion to take the child, to help her stop bleeding PROFUSELY among other awful things!! In essence, to help her gain control of her life. If the baby was allowed to remain, it could have caused long term pain, major blood loss, possible infections, and many more complications with the high potential of her life being endangered. Thankfully with a lot of prayers the body was able to abort on it's own but...what a miracle. I do agree that for selfish or material purposes abortion should be banned and regulated to the very few and far between instances when it TRULY is the ONLY choice to a preserve the life of the mother, if that is her choice. No offense...
Okay... so what would everyone's suggestions be to modify the petition to instead regulate abortions, instead of banning them completely?
When the life of the mother is in danger, or if the mother has been raped, abortion should be an option available to her. Otherwise, I feel that it should be outlawed.
i think that with all these comments it needs to be tweaked
Okay... so who should determine if the life of the mother is in danger or if she has been raped?
For the mother's life being in danger, should two or three qualified physicians certify that? Of course, qualified physician should be defined clearly (how WOULD you define that)?
In the case of rape, the only way I would know how to determine that, is if the girl went to the doctor soon after the incident (they can tell via examination if you've been raped). The problem is, I think most girls are too scared to tell anyone that something like that has happened until it's too late. So, we'd wind up with the girls who did get raped probably not having abortion as an option OR if it was by their word, there could be lots of people that claim they were raped, when they really weren't... (I guess they'd be held accountable for that later).
I've also read a few stories about teens being forced to have an abortion... (such as by parents). I don't think it's right... but what should the laws be in regards to parental consent?
It's all a very complicated issue, to be honest!
I guess it should be thrown in there that if mothers do not want ot keep their babies that adoption, not abortion, should be the option!
What do you think of citing some of the experiences of these doctors? http://www.teenbreaks.com/abortion/abortiondoctors.cfm
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