Is abortion murder?

Is abortion murder?

Introduction

Today, abortion is regarded as one of those significant topics of discussion whose debate are still yet to be settled.  Generally, the question that revolves around is whether or not pregnant mothers should be allowed to do away with their unborn babies. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, especially at the period of twenty-eight weeks. Of late, it has become a global challenge that poses the most controversial political and social problems of the time. This argumentative topic is viewed from two broad perspectives; the pro-abortion whose arguments rest on morals such as humanity and human freedom and rights for existence and the opponents who associate abortion with a solution to mother’s health safety and childbirth complications. Countries such as the US have tried to come up with an eternal solution to the problem as per the Supreme Court, 1973 Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion only under certain circumstances. However, the court’s decision has since been criticized by medical scientists all over the world including the UK, causing divided attention once more. Human beings have full moral status and right to life, and so should the unborn babies. Though the proponents of abortion advocate that the rights to end a pregnancy rest on mothers, abortion is end of life and therefore murder.

Abortion is ranked as one of the most common medical procedures carried out in the United States every year. The available statistics indicate that over 40% of all the women end up their pregnancies at a particular stage in their reproductive lives. This data mainly reveals that although women of all social class are subject to abortion, the young, white, unmarried, and the poor forms the majority. The US Supreme Court 1973, Roe v. Wade is the only prominent decision made towards abortion legalization, although it was not universal. The decision has since then attracted about 1.2 million abortions yearly in the US alone. Consequently, this number adds up to the 20-30 million legal abortions done annually and worldwide. In connection, 13% of death cases are recorded as a result of unsafe abortions.

The US 1973 legalization of abortion raised a lot of controversial issues in the field of medicine. It improvised newer and more extensive birth control procedures, which were considered more effective to fight abortion-related casualties. However, cases of unplanned pregnancies continued to be reported annually, with half of them terminating with abortions. The decision opened more room for abortion proposed bills and motions at both federal and state levels. The proposed laws sought for solutions to several unaddressed serious issues. Firstly, the question of parental notification did not address ways of approaching the parents where the minors could not stand the courage. Secondly, the law did not clear out doubts on the mandatory periods that all pregnancies must attain for safety procedure. Finally, the legislation said little or nothing about the government extending support to fund abortions and so the bills sought clarification on that.

Before the 1973 Roe v. Wade legislation, ethics on abortion seemed to cut across many different dimensions. Notably, women could end abortions any period before the pregnancy viability and were assisted by a qualified medical officer. The Connecticut statute and the New York law of 1829 set way for a series of abortion restrictions of the 19th century. The two laws introduced a severe punishment to the providers and the women seeking an abortion. These restrictions were followed by the Comstock Law of 1873, the first US abortion law which provided special postal service agents to open all emails about contraception and abortion. This would squash the circulation of indecent materials. Finally, the years 1900-1960 witnessed substantial prohibition of abortion in almost all the states due to increased cases of unsafe, illegal abortions.

Arbitrary, the debate on whether abortion is murder remains heated and completely unsolved. The topic continues to divide scholars, legislators, medical professors, and society in general, based on their moral ideologies. It sets out a rivalry between two major groups, the proponents and the opponents. Significantly, the proponents who are commonly identified as the pro-choice argue that abortion is not a murder but rather rightful; hence there is no organization with a mandate to illegalize it; may it be religious group or government. Additionally, they articulate that, banning of abortion right might pose more danger to women who may choose to carry out abortion secretly using unsafe methods. On the other hand, opponents are commonly known as the pro-life who spiritually and morally condemn abortion under all minutes. Their main argument is centered on humanity. Thus, life starts immediately after fertilization, and it is unfair to kill an innocent human being.

The major pro-life organizations are; the Catholic Church, The National Right to Life, and the America United for Life, among many others. According to me, abortion is murder. It implies the intentional killing of innocent human beings, which is totally against the federal law of the land. All unborn babies are members of Homo sapiens sapiens, and the killers should be subjected to severe punishment. Secondly, the act of abortion defies the word of God, which condemns the killing of human beings. Nevertheless, the Bible does not distinguish between a baby and a fetus; hence, a Greek word of brephos is used to refer to both. Additionally, the books of Jeremiah 1:5 and Exodus 20:13 clear all doubts concerning the born and unborn babies. Thirdly, abortion is regarded as serious torture to the growing fetus.

I totally agree with Maureen, anatomy professor at University of Utah that the fetus is subjected to severe pains during abortion since a low response to pain is only developed by eight weeks of gestation period. Eliminating pregnancies beyond this age cause pains to the fetus. Fourthly, recent scientific research on birth control has proven that; women who undergo abortion are more vulnerable to psychological damages. Abortion is a process where the human brain is tasked with the execution of ideas and the making of decisions. Those who abort usually record a high anxiety score, a condition that increases risks for committing suicide. My fifth argument touches on the essence of human culture. Killing the fetus implies that human life is temporary and disposable at any stage of life. In 2014, Pope Francis condemned the culture of ‘through away’ stating that it symbolizes that something is of no use anymore and abortion is such a culture. It prevents the victims from seeing the light of the day.

On the other hand, pro-choice advocators such as; The National Organization for Women and the Planned Parenthood argue that abortion grants women a reproductive choice which facilitates control over their bodies. The choice promotes an equal opportunity for participation in both social and economic lives. Secondly, some assumes that life begins after viability of the fetus and not at conception. According to the US constitution, a person’s age counts from the date of birth; hence, fetuses are not counted. Lastly, no pain is caused to the fetus when abortion is being carried out which remains quite controversial. According to some pro-choice neuroscientists, the cortex is the one responsible for pain perception. However, abortion exposes women to more dangerous health problems that might be difficult to tolerate. They include; excessive bleeding, severe abdominal and back pains, damages to the uterus and cervix, foul smell and high fever or even death. No woman would wish to undergo any of them.

Conclusion

Abortion is end of life and therefore murder and should not be endorsed by any or even government. There is no enough justification for committing abortion at the expense of one’s health. The act is against the federal law of the land prohibiting intentional murder of unborn babies who possess a right to life. Additionally, it is against the will of the Almighty to kill human beings. Despite a few circumstances favoring the act, abortion is highly prone to potential health complications on the side of the mother, which may be linked with regrets afterwards. Major health, social, religious and political campaigns all over world need to convene and raise voice about the end of abortion, a nightmare that has entertained murder of human beings for quite a long time.