Abortion Essay

One of the most controversial topics over the years, and still today, is abortion. Is abortion murder or not? When does a fetus become a human? There are no answers to these questions. Everyone individual has their own beliefs on whether or not abortion is justifiable. Abortions have been performed throughout many of centuries. Recently, there has been a number of court cases that has changed the legality of abortions, especially in the United States, for example Roe v. Wade. Even religions have changed their views on abortions over the course of the years. In the abortions wars there are two parties, pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life believes that abortion is murder and is completely immoral. Pro-choice,

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. The most common abortion procedure is the vacuum aspiration or suction curettage.   This is performed

The Oxford Dictionary defines abortion as the expulsion of a fetus, naturally or especially by medical induction, from the womb before it is able to survive independently, especially in the first 28 weeks of a human pregnancy. Today many argue whether abortion should be legal in the United States. Some show religious views while others show civic views. The basis of such a debate should be on medical information. It is evident that abortion is harmful to the mother. Although women feel relief after the operation, they do not perceive at least the physical consequences. The outcome of most abortions is graphic and painful.

     The topic of abortion has been a highly debated and highly controversial issue before America was even founded. There are many aspects of the debate and many angles that can be taken. In order to understand, and to form an opinion on the topic of abortion a person must be informed about the History of abortion, the methods of abortion performed today, the potential side affects of abortion, and the two different and equally debatable sides that are taken today. These are all very important issues to be informed about

Methotrexate has been used in the US since 1953, when it was approved by the FDA to treat certain types of cancer. Since that time, “medical researchers have discovered other important uses for the drug” (Ankerberg and Weldon 4). One of these uses is to end unintended pregnancies. Although the “FDA did not consider methotrexate for this specific purpose, clinicians may prescribe and are now prescribing methotrexate for early abortion”(Ankerberg and Weldon 4). Methotrexate is usually given to a pregnant woman in the form of an injection or shot, although it can be taken orally. “Methotrexate stops the ongoing implantation process that occurs during the first several weeks after conception. Another medication that might be used is mifepristone”(Ankerberg and Weldon 4). Mifepristone is a newer medication that was developed and tested specifically as an abortion inducing agent. It works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which is necessary to sustain pregnancy. Without this hormone, “the lining of the uterus breaks down, the cervix opening of the uterus or womb softens, and bleeding begins”(Ankerberg and Weldon 5). A few days after taking either methotrexate or mifepristone, a second drug, misoprostol, is taken. “Misoprostol tablets cause the uterus to contract and empty”(Ankerberg and Weldon 5).

When considering the removal of a fetus you have to consider the development of the embryo and what type of procedure needs to be done. There are several different types of procedures that can take place to abort a fetus but, two main types are the medical and surgical abortions. Within this two categories there are different procedures. There are two different procedures that fall under the medical abortions, the morning after pill and the RU486 (mifepristone). The first option is the

Since 1973, a total of 57,496,011 abortions have been reported to the Centers of Disease Control and that number keeps rising. This does not include the self-induced abortions or the abortions your body causes, also known as miscarriage. There are so many different procedures throughout the years. In the early years, many women did not seek help from licensed medical assistance. They attempted removal of the fetus with a coat-hanger also piercing of the fetus with a knitting needle, crochet hook, hat pin, bobby pin or similar device inserted into the uterus through the cervix. Many women also used douching methods linked to miscarriage to abort the baby such as Clorox bleach or lye which could also cause chemical burns. In the 1960s women also used Coca-Cola to send their bodies into aborting the fetus. The Induction abortion takes approximately three to four days to complete. On the first day, the young woman is given an ultrasound to determine the age of her baby. Then, the abortionist with the help of an ultrasound to guide them. The patient will then receive a lethal dose of the heart medication Digoxin, a generic drug, is injected into the baby’s heart or into the amniotic fluid directly through the woman’s abdomen or vaginally, the Digoxin will give the baby a fatal heart attack. Although the reason for killing the baby first is to avoid a live birth. After the drug is injected, the woman’s cervix is inserted with Laminaria sticks or tent, a thin tampon-like

The 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade is the foundation for our current abortion policy as well as the cause of so much controversy today. Though always an issue, nothing prior can compare to the momentum that it has now. In the span of 30 years since the ruling, the combination of science, morals and religion have spun off numerous sub-issues to the effect that people have been left either aligned to one side of the argument, or caught in the middle, unable to choose. The key issue at hand is whether the 1973 ruling of Roe vs. Wade should be upheld or should all abortions be illegal. The issue is so divisive because abortion brings up closely related but unresolved moral issues, and tries to

There are currently six medical abortion procedures in practice in the United States: MTX, Mifeprex, MVA, D&C, D&E, induction abortion, and D&X. MTX or Methotrexate and Misoprostol is used during the first seven weeks of pregnancy and is not as commonly used as other abortion procedures. It is a non-surgical method that prevents embryonic cells from dividing and multiplying. This abortion mimics an early miscarriage. Mifeprex, also known as the abortion pill, is used up to the ninth week of pregnancy. The pill blocks progesterone, a hormone necessary to support pregnancy, and also mimics an early miscarriage. MVA or Manual Vacuum Aspiration can be used up to the twelfth week of pregnancy and is considered to be less invasive than other procedures. D&C or dilation and curettage can be performed up to the sixteenth week of pregnancy. D&C is also known as vacuum aspiration. D&E or dilation and evacuation can also be performed up to the sixteenth week of pregnancy. It includes vacuum aspiration and the use of surgical instruments such as forceps to complete the procedure. D&X or dilation and extraction is used to terminate pregnancy after twenty-one weeks. D&X is also known as Intrauterine Cranial Decompression and Partial Birth Abortion (Abortion

This procedure is done from nine to fourteen weeks and it includes using a suction device to take away parts of the women’s uterus. The second most common abortion procedure is a medical abortion, which is an abortion pill. The medication that women will usually take are called mifepristone and misoprostol; they take these medicines within the first seven to nine weeks of pregnancy to prompt abortion. After fourteen weeks, another surgical procedure is done called the dilation and evacuation procedure. Then after twenty weeks, an abortion can be done by a labor induction, hysterectomy, or dilation and extraction. The article, Should Abortion be Legal, stated, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 64.5% of abortions performed in 2011 were performed at or less than 8 weeks gestation, and 91.4% were performed at or less than 13 weeks gestation. 79.6% were performed by surgical procedure, while 19.1% were medical abortions,” they also stated, “an average of about 1.4 million abortions per year. One out of five pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion, and each year 1.7% of women aged 15-44 have an abortion.” There are many different types of reasons why women want to have an abortion; some women feel that having a baby would affect their education or work. Others feel that they cannot support the child financially or they do not have the support of a father and would rather not take

There are two kinds of induced abortion, surgical and chemical. Surgical abortion procedures include manual vacuum aspiration, suction curettage, saline, and hysterotomy. Chemical abortion options include pills called, RU-486 also called as the abortion pill, methotrexate and misoprostol and the morning after pill. Overall, the purpose of these procedures is to kill the fetus by suffocating using substances and not giving it medical attention.

The argument of abortion has been raging since the Supreme Court case, Roe vs. Wade, in 1973. This court case has divided the country into two factions: pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-life advocates argue that abortions are murder and extreme levels of child abuse. While pro-choice advocates believe abortions are a justifiable means to end pregnancies. The pro-choice argument is that the fetus is not yet a human being and its rights should not override that of the mother’s.

Abortion may be one of the most ongoing disagreements throughout time, some may consider this act as wrong such as specified in this quote by Mother Teresa: “The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.” Abortion not only murders an unborn child, causes guilt for the mother’s decision to end her pregnancy and may cause problems to the mother’s health; abortion is irreversible that child will not have life. Some women having an abortion can suffer from damage to the uterus, internal bleeding including having pieces of the baby left inside her body causing difficulties. By means of ending the pregnancy, the mother may

xAn abortion is defined as a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. There are many chemical contraceptives and morning after pills that some would also consider a form of abortion though for the sake of this paper we will only define the two main methods for performing an abortion. An Aspiration is a surgical abortion usually performed within the first month gestation. This 10-15-minute procedure involves the suction of the uterus to remove the fetus and placenta. Recovery time can take as long as a few hours after the procedure. Dilation and Evacuation is a surgical abortion performed beyond the 16-week gestation period. This involves a synthetic dilator the day before, as well as using a shot to guarantee fetal death. After this, removal of the tissue away from the lining will begin. Suctioning completes the process to ensure all contents are completely removed. This procedure usually last between 15-30 minutes. Both Aspiration as well as Dilation and Evacuation procedures can come with the risk of side effects including cramping, nausea, bleeding, sweating and infection.

The most probable method of abortion is called dilation and curettage. General anaesthetic is provided to the pregnant mother while the gynaecologist opens (dilates) the cervix with instruments called dilators, and then inserts a hollow tube through the cervix. Suction is applied to remove the retained tissue in the uterus. If the abortion is to be carried out on the 20th-24th week, 2 general anaesthetics with 2 nights will be supplied.