Introduction
Abortion is defined as the termination of the life of a fetus while still in the mother’s womb. The practice is not a new phenomenon in human life since many contemporary societies engaged in it in the past. Women have been in record for making decisions to carry out abortions or experiencing it under the influence of other individuals for a long period of time. In modern society, it is a controversial and hard subject to deal with.
Questions have been raised about who is most responsible in making the decision of procuring an abortion. Some people say that it is individuals who make the decision to carry out an abortion while others argue that it is the state. There are also questions regarding the circumstances that may lead to the procurement of an abortion. The practice continues to take place in developing countries under medical conditions that have been described as demanding.
However, the increase in technological advancements and changes in social set ups has led to the incorporation of abortion in modern health provisions. The practice has also been a source of political debate in some communities leading to lack of agreement on the place of a woman in the society and the freedom of an individual to make decisions without influence (Free dictionary 1). Abortion should be discouraged because it denies innocent children a chance to live.
Body of the Essay
It is shocking that approximately forty two million abortions are procured in a year with more than one hundred thousand taking place every day (Edlin & Golanty 176). Perhaps if people all over the world thought of these numbers in terms of the innocent lives lost they will change their perception and attitudes towards abortion. Another shocking reality about abortion is that most of the abortion cases take place in developing countries as opposed to developed countries.
This may be explained by the challenges people in developing countries face and the fact that people in these countries live poverty. It therefore follows that raising up a child without proper resources may be a big burden. There are thousands of women who have no children after having struggled for many years to get them. The puzzling question then remains why a woman who gets pregnant should decide of procuring an abortion.
This is a question whose answer has remained elusive for a long period of time. As if this is not enough, myriads of cases of women who die performing abortion are recorded every year. Despite these facts about abortion, women continue to engage in the act. This clearly indicates that there are intricate issues related to abortion that require investigation.
To begin with, the criterion used by many to determine the legality and morality of abortion depends on their views on whether life for the fetus begins right after conception or is achieved at some point as the fetus develops (Edlin & Golanty, 210).
Majority of those who oppose abortion on moral grounds argue that the fetus is either human or has the potential of becoming a human being hence it should not be deprived of life. Killing the fetus is therefore tantamount to committing murder which is unacceptable in all realms and under whatever circumstances.
Life begins at conception since the fetus has all the characteristics of a living being. It has a heart, it breathes, and it feeds and does every other thing that a human being does. If the argument was that a fetus gains life later in life, then it would mean that a child is born lifeless and acquires life later which is not the case. This makes the fetus have all the rights that fully grown human beings have and nobody should have the privilege of taking its life.
Secondly, some women use many unjustified debates on abortion to continue with the practice but no debate is justified enough to defend abortion. Any woman who engages in activities that will result in pregnancy should be ready to take responsibility for her actions and take care of the un-born baby till birth. Procuring an abortion is an indication that a woman is not ready to take responsibility for their own actions.
Some women advance unjustified reasons in an attempt to justify carrying out abortion. For example, some of them say that they are young or they are not in stable relationships. Any woman who engages in sexual activities is aware of the possibilities of getting pregnant. Being young should give a woman all reasons to be morally responsible and avoid irresponsible sexual behavior rather than using age as an excuse to carry out abortion.
Similarly, if a woman is in an unstable relationship, this should be a guiding principle that personal responsibility is of great value. Getting pregnant should be taken seriously because there are thousands of women who cannot bear children due to different reasons and wish they could conceive. Abortion should therefore be unheard of and in case of unwanted pregnancies, women should be ready to take full responsibility.
Thirdly, abortion should be completely discouraged because of the serious physical and health problems to the mother associated with the act. One of the negative impacts it has on women is that it increases the chances of experiencing miscarriages in the future.
The other danger associated with abortion is that it poses a danger to the reproductive system of women in the future. In addition, abortion is responsible for causing infertility or ectopic pregnancies as a result of damage caused to the neighboring organs during the process. This complication causes the baby to develop in the fallopian tubes due to the damage to the organs.
Moreover, termination of a first pregnancy can expose women to the risk of getting breast cancer later in life. When a pregnancy is terminated through an abortion, the breast tissues of a woman are left in a stimulated condition which increases development of cancer (Lawlor 9). These health risks to the health of a woman make abortion a dangerous process which should be encouraged.
Conclusion
Abortion is a highly contested debate with many parties attempting to give justifications for carrying out the act. Some women give reasons of being young while others excuse themselves for being in unstable relationships. Whichever reasons they give, abortion remains a morally unacceptable procedure. The fetus is a living thing and nobody should terminate life since it is wrong both biblically and morally.
There are different techniques used to carry out the procedure such as the hook, salt poisoning among other procedures. Most of the techniques used pose a health risk to the mother after procedure. It is interesting that some women who carry out abortion fail to get other children in their lives and live to regret their decisions of carrying out abortion. Abortion is morally and legally unacceptable and should be discouraged.
Works Cited
Edlin, Gordon and Eric Golanty. Essentials for health and wellness. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2000. Print
Edlin,Gordon and Eric Golanty. Health and Wellness. New York: Jones and Bartlett, 2004.Print
Freedictionary. Abortion. 2011. Web.
Lawlor, Jessica. Long Term Physiological and Psychological Effects of Abortion on Women. n.d. Web.