Abortion essay

The term abortion means to intentionally end the life of a fetus or embryo before it can survive outside the uterus. Abortion should be differentiated from the miscarriage as abortion is intentional while a miscarriage is defined as the accidental termination of a pregnancy and it occurs spontaneously instead of being planned. Historically people attempted to induce abortions through the use of medicinal herbs, massaging the womb or the use of sharp instruments. Abortion in the developed world is legalized therefore making it one of the safest procedures whereas in the underdeveloped world abortion is among the killer causes as it is done in secrecy thus exacerbating its risks. In some areas, abortion is only allowed under extreme circumstances like rape, the risk of health to mother and incest.

The last type of surgical abortion is known as dilation and extraction and is federally banned in the United States. It is performed after the 21st week of pregnancy and involves dilating the cervix and collapsing the fetus skull by suctioning out its brain matter and then the fetus is completely removed. The risks of these two procedures are similar and include bleeding and cramping of the uterus. More extreme effects include tearing of the uterine wall and cervix, the formation of blood clots, infections and perforation of the cervix. The medical abortion involves the use of pills and medicines to induce abortion. The pregnancy may put the health of the mother at risk and thus it is prudent to terminate the pregnancy to save her life.

Moreover, the fetus may be in danger of being born defective and thus the mother may choose to end the pregnancy at the expense of giving birth and taking care of a disabled baby. Such defects are usually undetectable until the second trimester and thus if the doctor diagnoses the pregnancy will result in the unborn baby having severe medical complications the mother may choose to abort it. Furthermore, some pregnancies may arise from rape or incest and thus the mother may abort them. Both instances are highly traumatic events and thus the woman may not want a reminder of the circumstances that led her to acquire the pregnancy. The pro-choice group advocates for abortion as it is the woman’s body and she has a right to do whatever she wants with it.

The pro-life however argue that abortion is similar to murder and thus should be only legal in extreme circumstances. They argue that the unborn baby has the right to live and grow up to be an adult. The central theme in the pro-choice group is that abortion is a human right and restricting that is a violation of both human and women rights. Furthermore, they claim that a fetus is not alive and thus it is not as important as the mother's life. Moreover, they state that most who seek abortion are young women with little to no life experience and thus do not know what they are doing. Lastly, they argue that abortion is the main cause of psychological trauma.