The Silent Genocide “There is no more pivotal moment in the subsequent growth and development of a human being than when 23 chromosomes of the father join with 23 chromosomes of the mother to form a unique 46-chromosomed individual… who has previously not existed” (Baumgartner). Therefore, life starts at the moment of conception making abortion not only murder, but a crime against humanity. Abortion has been a moral, social, and theological issue in society for many years. Countless numbers of unborn babies could have been another Babe Ruth or just a unique individual. This greatly hinders society as a whole because of the silent genocide. There are three main issues that surround the debate of abortion; women’s rights, physical and psychological effects of abortion, and when human life actually begins. Many pro-choice activists argue that a woman has complete authority over her body, and therefore no one can tell her what she can or can not do with her body. The actual so-called right only goes so far. According to two scholars, the underlying argument of a women’s right over her body could be summarized as unfair and immoral to force a women to carry an unborn child until birth. Thus, it should be solely the woman’s decision to determine if the unborn child should live or die. A great example of this would be a woman having the right to swing her arm freely, but the right stopping when her arm reaches the tip of another person’s nose. In another example one may see that a women has the right to scream in a movie theatre that she hates the Wolfgram 2 movie being played, but she does not have the right to scream ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre. Reasonably, historical experience has taught many that if one does not protect the r... ... middle of paper ... ...Life. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . Gans, Olivia, and Mary S. Balch. "Argument Responses." National Right to Life. 11 Feb. 1998. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. . Lawler, Jessica. "Post Abortion Syndrome - Effects of Abortion on Women." Central Illinois Right To Life - Web Site - Home Page. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . "Post Abortion Stress Syndrome | Post Abortion Syndrome | Including Symptoms of Post Abortion Syndrome." Post Abortion Syndrome Abortion Recovery Program Post Abortion Stress Syndrome Abortion Risks Abortion Recovery. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. . "When Does Life Begin?" Association of Prolife Physicians. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .
The current issues concerning a woman’s right to an abortion include the debates between pro-life and pro-choice groups that promote either restrictions or extensions to a woman’s ability to receive abortions respectively, along with debate about the role that the government should play in the process of limiting or extending rights. Pro-life groups argue many points against abortion including the beliefs that life begins at conception, adoption is a viable alternative to abortion, the procedures sometimes cause medical complications, a...
Abortions occur for all types of reasons, whether it is because the pregnancy was unplanned, rape-induced, or that it holds a life threatening capacity for the woman herself. Pro-lifers believe once one is conceived, he or she are entitled to a right to live. It does not matter whether or not the pro-lifers are able to prove that a fetus consists of personhood. The life of a potential person should not be able to override the right to one’s body. Judith Thomson presents a though experiment where personhood is granted to a fetus, but how that mere fact still fails to override the woman’s right to her body.
Babbel, Susan, Ph.D. “Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?” Psychology Today. N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. .
Opinions, views and emotions run high and passion is their fuel. Pro-Choice activists declare it is a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body. The biology versus medical definitions proclaim that an embryo is not yet a human life; as conception begins two to three weeks after implantation occurs, a heartbeat is heard, and a the embryo can sustain life outside of the womb. The laws vary from state to state and in our home state of Texas political parties clash so hard the state shakes with a jolt felt across the country. Arguments weigh in from all over the globe against abortion and none more prevalent that of churches all over the world. For Pro-Life activists, there is no middle ground; human life begins at the moment of conception.
One of the biggest issue of abortion goes back to the controversial question of when human life actually begins. Many people will often argue that a fetus is a living being from the moment of conception and feel that it deserves the same legal protections as an adult, therefore making it immoral to kill it. Just like in our court system, we would not put an innocent person on death penalty. The fetus has done nothing wrong and has the right to live. As the editor of Christianity Today wrote, "abortion is one of those monumental issues of justice that comes along once in a lifetime. It is violence against children, a hideous act of poisoning or dismembering tiny bodies, then dumping them in a landfill or garbage disposal." On the other hand, those who are for abortion say that a fetus is only a "potential human being." The advocates for legal abortions want the mother to choose whether she keeps the baby or kills it, and the rights of a mother supersede the rights of a baby. John M. Sw...
Since the Darwinian Revolution of the 19th century our society has turned upside down. Everything under the sun had become questionable, the origin of life, how we came to be, where are we headed and what to do in the here all became questions in life. But one of the greatest impacts of this new age thinking is its effect on our Old World values. Western societies values, morals and ethics became debatable, with some people striving for change and others clinging for stability. Battle lines had been drawn and the Liberals and Conservatives were ready to duke it out on a number of issues. One of these debates centers on a woman?s right to have and abortion. According to the Webster?s dictionary and abortion is defined as a miscarry, something misshapen or unnatural. An abortion is a procedure in which an embryo or fetus is prohibited from developing by artificial means. One could argue that this is next to murder. How can we as a society sanction the murdering of developing babies? Also it can equally be stated that abortion is unnatural and a health hazard to women who have undergone the procedure. Whatever the case, abortion should be outlawed because it is immoral and mothers should face the responsibilities of their actions. Many arguments can be used in order to put an end to abortion or at least in order to establish dialogue. One of the oldest arguments against abortion is the religious standpoint. Western society (Canada & U.S.A.) is historically a Judeo-Christian culture with Judeo-Christian values. Although in recent times we have become an increasingly pluristic society the Old World thinking is still at the heart of our social relations and laws. The Bible says ?Thou shalt not kill? thus prohibiting people from harming others or themselves. Abortion and its advocates violate this law. They seek to change one of the most fundamental values of our society. Pro-choice under this stance is equated with murder and ?playing God?. One may raise the question, how can a minority inflict its views of the majority? According to Francis X. Meenan, this is a false assumption. He goes on to claim that those who favor abortion on demand are the real minority (Bender & Leone, 97). He also claims that the issue of abortion is a moral debate and cannot be settled by numbers. So even if pro-choice advocates outnumbered pro-life advocates, this would prove or...
Abortion has become the common focus of diverse and influential debate in various societies, especially the U.S. One of the most confrontational topics argued is whether or not abortion is morally ethical. More than forty percent of all women will terminate their pregnancy by abortion at some point in their reproductive lives (Stacey OL). In spite of disagreement by many people, abortion is one of the most widespread medical procedures performed in the United States every single year. Eventhough abortion is opposed by many people, it should stay legal, because it is the right of a women to control herself or her body (Swomley, 1991).
The abortion rates between the ages of 18 – 25 years old in the United States are at a record high (Wilke, 2006). Women of this age who have abortions are especially vulnerable to PASS they are at a critical developmental period of their life. Wilke defines, post abortion survivor syndrome as the existential guilt, risk taking behaviors, sense of impending doom and prepsychotic terror appears to be distinct from symptoms that may arise in other types of pregnancy loss survival situations, from childhood mistreatment, or from an abortion experienced by the individual or the individual's partner. Women are more likely to be most deeply affected by abortions. In addition, these women are also likely to be the least expressive about their doubts and pains (Wilke, 2006).. Sheils & Gajowy have concluded that most women appear to be extremely affected by the loss ...
...ther’s sovereignty over her body outweigh the right of an unborn child to live. The answers to these questions are very diverse as a result of the diversity of the American society. With the issue of abortion, one’s attitude toward it is going to be based on many things such as religious background and personal morals. There is no black and white answer to the abortion issue. Luckily we live in a country where we are able to decide for ourselves whether something is morally right or wrong. Thus, ultimately, the choice is ours. As with the many other ethical issues which we are faced with in our society, it is hard to come to a concrete answer until we are personally faced with that issue. All we can do is make an effort to know all of the aspects which are involved so that we may be able to make a sound decision if we were faced with this problem in our own lives.
“A review of the medical records of 56,741 California, Medicaid patients, showed that women who had abortions were 2.6 times more likely than delivering women to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment in the first ninety days following abortion or delivery.” ~ Depression linked to Abortion, see Sources cited, page 5.
Since the early 1970’s abortion has been an important issue to the United States (Tietze 1). The problem begins with whether it is the woman’s choice to keep or terminate her pregnancy or the government’s choice. When this problem happens, a woman loses her right as a person. Most women argue about this issue, but if you look at it, it is the woman’s body, and she should do with it as she pleases. I believe that if a woman, under the right circumstances, should be able to make her own choices in life and not be influenced by family or the government.
Abortion is one of America’s most controversial subjects. The participants in this debate have fixed beliefs on the matter at hand. On one side of the debate are people who believe in pro- choice. They argue that choice of a woman is more important than an unborn fetus. They point out that an unborn child is not on the same level of importance as the mother. Also, the pro-life group declares that choice is the sole purpose behind their argument. They believe that if a woman cannot chose to abolish a pregnancy, then she looses one of her basic human rights. The other side of the debate is the pro-life group. Their main concern is that the fetus is a person; therefore, having the same human rights as the mother. As a result, when states pass laws that enable abortions, these states are legalizing murder. When considering an individual’s ethics and values, killing is morally wrong. Therefore, the termination of unborn children is wrong, as well. Abortion, the unethical expulsion of an embryo or fetus, in order to purposely end a pregnancy, should be forbidden because human life begins at conception, economics is not a justification for abortion, and an unwanted child does not justify abortion.
Pro-choice supporters believe that women have the right to determine their own health decisions, what a woman does with her body is her own business, and abortions cause no dismay to a woman’s body. It is essential a woman knows the emotional and physical effects before having an abortion, and it is crucial that her doctor informs her on this information. An alluring survey, on how women feel after having an abortion, is good to research. Many tests have been conducted and results have found that, “women who had at least one abortion as a teen were significantly more likely to report: nightmares; flashbacks to the abortion; hysterical outbreaks; forgiveness of those involved; feelings of guilt; fear of punishment from God; fear of harm coming upon their other children; a worsening of negative feelings about the abortion on the anniversary date of the abortion…” (“Psychological Reaction”). This information is significant to contemplate before having an abortion. It also confirms
Emotional and psychological effects Following abortion are more common than physical side effects and can range from mild regret to more serious complications such as depression. A peer-review 2005 study published in BMC medicine found that women who underwent an abortion had “Significantly higher” anxiety scores on the hospital anxiety and depression scale up to 5 years after pregnancy termination. In a New Zealand study headed by a pro-choice researcher, women who had abortions subsequently experienced higher rates of depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and suicidal behavior than women who had not had abortions, even after controlling for pre-existing conditions. Approximately 42 percent of women with a history of abortion had experienced major depression in the last four years (nearly double the rate of women who had not been pregnant and 35 percent higher than those who carried to term). And an analysis of a federally funded longitudinal study of American women found that, compared to women who gave birth, women who aborted were 65 percent more likely to be at risk of long-term clinical depression after controlling for age, race, education, marital status, history of divorce, income, and prior psychiatric state. “These results suggest women who have experienced a previous induced abortion have omnipresent anxiety and depression symptoms during a subsequent pregnancy, especially during the first
Women who have an abortion may have mental problems after having an abortion according to a 2002 peer-reviewed study published by the Southern Medical Journal found of more than 173,000 American women who had an abortion were 154% more likely to commit suicide than other women who did not have an abortion. “Women who have abortions are also at a higher risk of breast cancer” (Yubei Huang). Women and babies are not the only victims of the abortion industry, men are hurt too. According to the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, a study of men whose partners had abortions found 51.6% of the men reported regret, 45.2% felt sadness, and 25.8% experienced depression (Priscilla Coleman and Eileen S. Nelson).