Running head: SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

Should Abortion be allowed?

Cynthia Vera Ibarra
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

2
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

Should Abortion Be Allowed?

Some may ask, What exactly is abortion? Abortion is the termination of a human
pregnancy, usually performed during the first twenty-eight weeks of a pregnancy. I believe
abortion is wrong and should not be allowed, because murder is illegal, some women may be
harmed in the process, and adoption is another option. How would you feel if someone took
away your opportunity to live? Having no choice in the matter, but to have your life taken away
without experiencing life itself? Not having the opportunity to grow up and become what you
want to be, or get married and grow old? Well unfortunately, that is what some babies
throughout the world go through. Their innocent lives are being taken away, and they cannot do
anything about it. I am against abortion, because it is brutally ending the life of an innocent baby,
abortion not only is expensive, but can harm a womans body/or mental health or could also
result in the death of a fetus/baby and the mother as well, if not performed right by a
professional, and adoption is always another option when thinking about aborting a child.
Some may argue that there are many terms to call a baby depending on what stage of
development they are in, such as an embryo, a fetus and a baby. The only difference between
them is time and all deserve the same protection (J.S.H. 2005). Donna J. Harrison, president of
the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that: life begins
when the sperm from the father unites with the egg from the mother. This process is called
fertilization, and when the DNA from the father and mother has combined, the egg is called a
fertilized egg, or zygote. When the zygote splits into two cells, it is called a two-celled embryo.
When it splits into four cells, it is called a four-celled embryo, etc. The definition of embryo is

3
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

the youngest form of a being (When Does Life Begin? Medical Experts Debate Abortion
Issue. 2008). Why do some consider cells living cells, but not consider a fetus which is made
out of these living cell properties, human tissue and DN, a living human being (Fetal
Development. 2013)? Abortion should be illegal, because it is brutally ending the life of an
innocent baby through painful surgical procedures, harming them both.
Abortion is not only expensive, but can harm a womans body/or mental health or could also
result in the death of a fetus/baby and the mother as well, if not performed right by a
professional. Most women, who want to abort the baby for personal reasons, tend to not have
much money for the process. This inclines them to get it done by an unprofessional and
sometimes this can result in the death of both the woman and the baby. According to psychiatrist
and member of the Right to Life Committee, Carmen Gmez-Lavn states that: Sixty five
percent of women who abort suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome after
undergoing the procedure (Gmez-Lavn. 2012). Undergoing the procedure can harm a
womans body and there can be several effects such as sicknesses, not being able to have future
pregnancies and even cause the death of the women. There are several different abortion
procedures, depending on the womans stage of pregnancy and they all include side effects and
risks. Aspiration, a surgical abortion procedure, can be performed in earlier stages of abortion
and it is the use of a cannula, which is a long plastic tube connected to a suction device, that is
inserted into the uterus to suction out the living fetus and placenta. Common side effects of the
procedure include cramping, nausea, sweating, and feeling faint. Less frequent side effects
include possible heavy or prolong bleeding, blood clots, damage to the cervix and perforation of
the uterus (Surgical Abortion Procedures | American Pregnancy. 2014). The most harming
abortion procedure still used today, would be the dilation and extraction procedure used after 21

4
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

weeks of a pregnancy. In a dilation and extraction procedure, the fetus is painfully rotated and
forceps are used to grasp and pull the legs, shoulders and arms through the birth canal. A small
incision is then made at the base of the skull to allow a suction catheter inside. Then the catheter
removes the cerebral material until the skull collapses. The fetus is then completely removed,
thus harming both the mother and the fetus.
There are safer alternatives a woman can choose instead of abortion. Adoption is another
option. There are several infertile couples who are out there waiting to adopt a child, to love and
care for him/her. Several people tend to confuse adoption with the foster care system. The two
are different in that adoption is a legal process by which all parental rights and responsibilities
are permanently transferred to the adoptive parents by a court. In adoption the child legally
becomes part of the adoptive family and takes the adoptive familys name, as if the child was
born in to it. Whereas, in a foster care system the child is placed in a home temporarily by the
government or Social Services agency, because the child is unable to live with their birth family
for several reasons. In an article, Abortion vs adoption: Why so many choose the first and what
we can do, Kristi Burton Brown states that: In the USA, there are approximately two million
infertile couples waiting to adopt, many times regardless of the childs medical problems such as
Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, HIV infection or terminally ill. Dr. Brad Imler, President of
Americas Pregnancy Helpline, confirms the challenge of waiting couples by stating: Only 1% of
the Helplines annual 40,000 clients inquire about adoption (Brown. 2012).
However, there are pro-choice people who support abortion and they have their reasons.
Some could argue that some particular situations may cause women to choose abortion such as:
What if the woman was raped and does not want the baby of a rapist? Or what if the baby has a
certain medical issue and the mother doesn't want the child to suffer? Pro-choicers have been

5
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

successful in convincing the general public that rape victims need abortions, implying that
women who were victims of rape could not possibly want the child that was conceived in rape,
because it would emotionally pain her. When pro-choice activists argue that abortion must be
legal in cases of rape, there is always one thing missing from their rhetoric the voices of
women who were raped and kept their babies. These are the people whom the pro-life and prochoice movements should be listening to. These are the people who are intimately acquainted
with the emotional trauma of rape and the horror of a pregnancy resulting from rape (Raped
women who had their babies defy pro-choice stereotypes. 2013). Kathleen DeZeeuw, the
mother of a child conceived in rape, says, I, having lived through rape, and also having raised a
child conceived in rape, feel personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion
should be legal because of rape and incest. I feel that were being used to further the abortion
issue, even though weve not been asked to tell our side of the story..... A woman is most
vulnerable at a time such as this, and doesnt need to be pounced on by yet another act of
violence. She needs someone to truly listen to her, care for her, and give her time to heal
(Reardon.2013). Not all rape victims choose abortion over other safer alternatives, but there are
some women who do and end up regretting it, like an anonymous women who states: I was
raped a month before I turned 18. And because of that rape I was so fearful and so shameful that
I chose abortion, out of fear. My rape was nothing compared to what I did to my child. What my
rapist did to me does not compare to what I chose to do to my baby. My rapist didnt kill me, Im
standing here alive right now. I have three beautiful children at home and a husband who loves
me. But I chose to kill my child out of the shame, out of guilt, out of fear because of what a man
did to me. Rape is no excuse for abortion. I want to say that. Im tired, as a person who was
raped and a person who had an abortion, Im telling you right now, Im tired of using rape as an

6
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

excuse. For years I lived in depression, contemplated suicide, attempted suicide, I spend years
drinking to numb the pain, to numb the horrific nightmares, was later diagnosed with post
traumatic stress disorder, not just because of the rape but because of the abortion. We have got to
speak up, its not just about the babies, its about the moms like me who think theyre making a
good decision but theyre not (Raped women who had their babies defy pro-choice stereotypes.
2013). As stated before, there is always adoption as another option and there are several sterile
parents in the world willing to take in and adopt a baby, regardless of the childs medical
problems such as Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, HIV infection or terminally ill.
I believe abortion should be illegal, because it is not worth the risk to a womans life and the
death of a baby for a surgery, when there are several other alternatives. Avoiding abortion can
save a mother and a babys life and shouldnt be done, regardless of how the child was
conceived. Abortion is a painful process for both the baby and mother and innocent lives are
being taken away, and it should be stopped.

7
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

References
J. S., H. (2005). opposing views. National Geographic, 208(1), 10. 06 Nov. 2014.
Rosenberg, D., Smalley, S., & Kirsch, R. (2003). The War Over Fetal Rights. (cover story).
Newsweek, 141(23), 40. 06 Nov. 2014.
When Does Life Begin? Medical Experts Debate Abortion Issue. (2008, July 1). Retrieved
November 6, 2014.
Gmez-Lavn, Carmen. Study Finds Depression Suffered by 80% of Women Who Abort
Catholic News Agency CNA. www.catholicnewsagency.com. 05 Nov, 2012. 06 Nov.
2014.
Brown, Kristi Burton. Adoption: Why So Many Choose the First and What We Can Do. Live
Action News. www.livenews.com.15 May. 2012. 06 Nov. 2014.
Fetal development. (2013, September 30). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from
http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/articles/fetal-development.
Surgical Abortion Procedures | American Pregnancy. (2014, February 1). Retrieved November
16, 2014, from http://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/surgical-abortions/
Raped women who had their babies defy pro-choice stereotypes. (2013, March 8). Retrieved
November 16, 2014, from https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/raped-women-who-hadtheir-babies-defy-pro-choice-stereotypes/.

8
SHOULD ABORTION BE ALLOWED?

Reardon, David C., Makimaa, Julie, and Sobie, Amy. Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About
Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault (2013,
March 8). Springfield, IL: Acorn Books 2000) p 46. Retrieved November 16, 2014.