Abortion During the Early Stages of Pregnancy, Essay Example

Introduction

Most of the opponents to abortion base their objections around the fetus being a human being at the moment of being conceived. This conclusion is not well founded as Thompson points out it is only by the tenth week of pregnancy that the fetus has developed characteristics of a human being including that of brain activity. (Thompson). Thompson states if we agree with the assumption that the fetus is a person from birth then the argument would support that it is a person and has a right to life. This would outweigh the fact that the mother has rights to what happens inside her own body. As such an abortion should not be conducted on the grounds of human rights and morality. This however becomes a complex argument particularly where a woman has been raped and made pregnant. Who has the right to life suddenly becomes a moral dilemma and this no longer becomes such a straightforward argument.

Abortion is a term that essentially refers to the woman’s right in order to terminate a pregnancy. There are different laws that deal with the legality of the termination in the United Kingdom. In the USA it is estimated that nearly 50% of all pregnancies are unintended and from this some 22% end in a result of either miscarriage or abortion. In the year 2005. It was estimated that 1.21 million abortions were performed in the USA. Those people who come from different cultural backgrounds need to tolerate and work together in a globalized cosmopolitan world. He looks as this as a rubric for social change. Such conversation ‘crosses boundaries of identity’ and regardless of national or religious issues certain conversations have universal values and interests. This is certainly true in the conversation of abortion and it reaches the ‘taboos’ of Islamic and Catholic faiths and many different ethnicities. In this conversation piece we examine a conversation that took place in Peru where a bill related to health and pregnancy has stirred up a major conversation and debate (Arellano)

The Arguments

Legal Position: This will vary between different countries. The law courts have made a number of important rulings regarding abortions. It was the Supreme Court in the USA that upheld a woman’s right of constitutional protection for the decision of an abortion without government intervention – Roe vs. Wade (1973. (Guttmacher Institute). The ordinary citizen in the USA still views the legal position on abortion with a degree of scepticism. In a 2009 Gallup Poll it was extremely close with 21% of respondents saying abortion should be legal with 18% stating that it should be illegal. Attitudes have changed in the USA over the last two decades with the swing more towards favouring the pro-abortion lobby.

Religious Viewpoint: Christianity from early times has always been supportive of the protection of human life and this dates back the early biblical gospels of Luke. The teachings of the 12 Apostles stated that it is wrong to kill a new born child or an infant. The Catholics have long been opposed to the concept of abortion and Pope John Paul 11 has referred to this in a number of important epistles.

Medical Viewpoint: In general terms the Medical opinion tends to be somewhat neutral. The British Medical Association stated that it was the responsibility of doctors to advise the mothers with adequate information in order to make informed decisions. The opinions of the Doctors being pro or anti-abortion differs from different regional areas in the USA. Perhaps the easiest stance is to examine the position put forward by the American Medical Association who stated where a doctor does not want to be involved in the abortion decision he has the right of referral. (Pennachio).

Sociological Position: Sociologists tend to take both a balanced and analytical view of the subject matter on abortion. In the final analysis they tend to agree on the woman’s right to privacy and her ability or right of choice. This matter has been a long standing argument amongst politicians, sociologists and the citizen. It remains controversial because of the decision that impacts a human life.

Psychological viewpoint: The Psychological viewpoint is concerned more with the Mothers experience of terminating the pregnancy. This can invoke a considerable amount of stress and worry women experiencing abortions as a teen are like to have nightmares and flashbacks on the abortion carried out. (Reardon). Other feelings of remorse encapsulated the concept of guilt, the concept of punishment from God or a morbid fear and preoccupation about the unborn child that they might have had.

Thomson made the point that if a woman is cable of defending the threat against her life, as posed by the unborn child, it evidences that the extreme views on abortion are false. (Thompson). Thompson argues the case for allowing abortion not sanctioning the death of the unborn child. These are two very different points. It is pointless bringing a new life into this world if it is not going to be protected, loved and cared for. This in itself would be an act of premeditated cruelty. As such it is wrong to remove the mother from the decision making process.

The Anti-Abortion Lobby: Those involved in the prolife movements are mainly from religious backgrounds and particularly the Christian sect. They believe that it is morally wrong to take another life, even if it is that of an unborn child. They believe in the sanctity of life and the preservation of human life. In this regard they do not believe that the woman has a moral right to terminate the life of a child. In Islamic terms they believe that the turning point is after 4 months of pregnancy when the child gains a soul. Abortion can also result in medical complications for the woman later in life

For Abortion: The Mother and woman should have the right of personal privacy and choice, free from the hindrance and persecution of others. Today abortion in modern countries is a relatively safe practice with little risk of complication. In cases where a woman has been abused by rape or incest, the birth of the child is likely to have been traumatised and result in psychological disorders. It would be irresponsible to bring a child into the world and raise it from this horrific background of events. A large number of abortions impact the poorer sector of women in society and being already in poverty they are not able to raise their children adequately.

Conclusions

Abortion and its controversial issues have become a debate of international dimensions. The advances in technology and communications have made it easier for people to report and share important events. Blogging has become universally accepted as a means of expressing opinions and commenting on controversial subject matter. It has extended the power of the press into the hands of the people and as such they are empowered across the cultural divide. Even the Catholic Church can no longer claim the rights of a dominant entity and suppress the views, voices and opinions of the individual. Despite religious and other beliefs Thomson makes a powerful argument in support of the woman’s right of freedom and the right to have an abortion.

Works Cited

Arellano, Juan. A national convention on abortion and womens rights. 30 10 2009. http://www.conversationsforabetterworld.com/2009/10/peru-a-national-conversation-on-abortion-and-womens-rights/. 23 4 2012.

Guttmacher Institute. Facts on induced abortion in the USA. 17 5 2010. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html. 23 4 2012.

Pennachio, D.L. Abortion: A right or an outrage? . 10 11 2002. http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Physician+Surveys%3A+2002/Abortion-A-right-or-an-outrage/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/116460?contextCategoryId=8424. 23 4 2012.

Reardon, D.C. Psychological reactions reported after abortion. 1 7 2010. http://www.abortionfacts.com/reardon/after_abortion_psychological_rea.asp. 23 4 2012.

Thompson, Judith Jarvis. “A defense of abortion.” Public Affairs Vol 1 (1) (1971): 1-12. Journal.