Silvana de Paula
General V
June 5, 2002
Whether or not abortion should be legal is a very controversial question that has been discussed for a long time, without a final conclusion. Laws about abortion are also unclear and change from one country to another and even from state to state. In America, there are many groups discussing this topic. But there are two strong opposing beliefs: the pro-lifers, who believe life begins at the instant of conception, and the pro-choicers, who believe life begins later in gestation or at birth. Independent of these opposing beliefs, it is a fact that the number of pregnancies ended through abortion is still very high. Women choose to end about 25% of their pregnancies through abortion. In my opinion, although exceptions could be accepted for some medical reasons, laws should prohibit abortion. To understand why this prohibition is necessary, we must consider why most abortions are sought and who seeks them; moreover, we must consider who has the right to end the life of another human being.
About 43% of American women will have abortions during their lifetime. Women's centers and hospitals perform more than a million abortions per year. Abortions are obviously in great demand. But why? Women have many reasons for not wanting to be pregnant, and thus to seek an abortion. Research studies show many reasons why a woman may seek an abortion. One reason is that the woman feels she does not have the financial resources to raise a child. Also, she may be pressured by the father or by her parents to have an abortion. Another reason is that she feels that she lacks the emotional and physical strength to go through another pregnancy or, that the pregnancy could interfere with her career or education. In around 5% of cases, abortions are sought for medical reasons, mainly when the fetus might have been exposed to high levels of medications, alcohol, or drugs that are dangerous and may cause damage to the baby. When the fetus has a genetic defect or other health problem, abortions are sought, too. There are some other reasons, such as when a woman may develop a health problem due to the pregnancy or when she may not survive the birthing process, that could justify abortions. But research shows that the great majority of abortions (95%) are sought for personal, not medical reasons. Essentially all abortions are done because the woman simply does not want to be pregnant. To seek an abortion the woman must be prepared emotionally. This raises the question: If the woman had considered the matter carefully before becoming pregnant, if she had used the same determination that she needs to seek an abortion, wouldn't she have been able to avoid the pregnancy? Would an abortion be necessary?
But, who seeks an abortion? Most abortions are related to the woman's age. Accordingly to researchers, the number of teenage abortions has increased. Each year, one million American teenagers become pregnant, and 85% of these pregnancies are unintended. About 35% of pregnant teenagers choose to have an abortion rather than raise a child. But why? Most of them fear their parents if they learn of their pregnancy. Many are students without a partner, and they feel that raising a child would be too difficult for them. They say they are not emotionally prepared. But are they prepared to have sex? What I mean is that they should have been prepared to prevent the pregnancy before hand. If the teenager is not prepared even to prevent a pregnancy, is she prepared to decide (many times alone) whether or not to continue a pregnancy? Who is responsible for this pregnancy? Is it the teenager, the parents, or the government who did not invest in adequate education? And finally, is abortion the solution to this problem? Certainly not! This brings us to the next issue. What are the principles and values we want to teach our children? The first has to do with the concept of life and life's beginning.
The concept of when life begins is essentially religious. If one accepts that life begins at the instant of conception, it means that a soul enters into the fertilized egg at this moment, and when an abortion is performed, a life is ended. Now we must consider who has the right to end the life of another human being. A consensus exists that a child is the most precious form of life on earth and needs to be protected by law. The fetus is a full human being and should be protected as such. If a couple cannot be held responsible for their actions in the simple and natural act of having a child, what is going to hold people responsible when they commit any other crime? How can a doctor, who is committed to saving human lives, participate in the death of a defenseless baby? We should agree that the woman has the choice to decide when to have a baby; however, the time to exercise that choice is before conception and not after. Afterwards, it is the baby's choice to live that is being negated rather than the mother's choice not to have the baby. Nobody has the right to end the life of another human being, not even the life of a fetus because that unborn child is already a human being.
It seems that abortion has been practiced as the solution for pregnancies which are unwanted, for personal reasons, and it is considered to be a normal practice even among teenagers. But if abortion continues to be as convenient as that, our children will grow up without a sense of moral values or accountability for their actions as well as with no respect towards life. What are the principles of responsibility and morality we would like to teach our children? What kind of future adults are we raising? Abortion is not only a question of choice, it is something that can result in the decline of commitment and morality, while at the same time it diminishes the sanctity of life. And laws can help people, like us, our families, and our friends to avoid it. What will you do about it?