The Doctors Oath Essay

Abortion has been a highly debated topic in the United States for many years. Contrary to the belief of some people, life begins at conception when a sperm fertilizes an egg according to Princeton University’s Margerie England. If life begins at conception, abortion should be considered murder. How can society permit the taking of a precious human life without consequences? An astonishing 1.06 million babies were killed in the United States alone in 2011. This major issue must be talked about no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Nearly every American will be affected, almost always negatively, by abortion sometime in their life. Abortion should be illegal and the Roe v. Wade court case should be overturned.

The definition of abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. The termination of this human life is the deliberate killing of a human life. Some scientists agree that life begins when an embryo attaches itself to its mother’s uterus. Others believe that life begins at fertilization when the sperm touches the egg for the first time and DNA is made. The attachment to the uterus usually occurs around eight days(Pro Life Action League). According to this information, abortion by scientific definition is murder. There is no distinction in this kind of murder and the murder of a person in a public place.

Furthermore, some believe that until the human embryo can sustain life independently it is not considered “alive”. However, the general definition of death is considered to be the cessation of the heart or the end of electrical activity in the brain. With this in mind, human development demonstrates that just twenty-two days after conception the heart begins to circulate and electrical activity can be detected as early as six to eight gestation weeks. Additionally, in today’s modern era parents are able to see the human development of their child before their eyes, with not only pictures but also live video. They get to see the child move, grasp its hands, kick its legs, and even smile as early as twenty weeks gestation. All of this serves to demonstrate that life begins at conception therefore defining abortion as murder of an unborn child. The claim that no one knows when life begins is a cheap justification that completely ignores the vast available knowledge of science and human development and instead chooses to defend individual beliefs based on politics, philosophy, or self gain.3

Life is sacred and begins at conception, but many people still debate on when human life begins. Some people believe that life does not start until the moment a

When the beginning of life actually occurs is clearly not a topic to be taken lightly in today’s modern world. Majority of the population’s answers to this question are based on each individuals opinion and is supported by what they believe. In general, there are two sides of the argument. One is that life begins at the time of conception. The other belief is that life doesn’t begin until the drawing of the first breath. The true dilemma here is not the accurate pinpointing of life’s beginning, but the questions that accompany this topic and each individuals desire to do the right thing, the moral thing. While one point of view allows for abortion the other does not. The issue raises many questions of morality. Is abortion moral? When does it become murder? When is it permissible? (Life of the mother at stake / A product of rape). Should it be the mother’s choice? Many arguments for both sides pull from scripture and scientific articulations.

Debate and policy about when life begins has circulated the Unites States since at least the 1700s, and still the question remains the same; when does life begin. Anti-abortionists assert that science proves life begins at conception. Similarly, pro-choice advocates believe there is not enough evidence to say exactly when life begins. There is tension between the two groups, which leads to poor communication. Both sides refuse to give up any ground because the stakes are high, but it’s important to find a solution to an escalating problem. This literature review considers whether abortion should be outlawed by responding to the following questions:

A common belief among pro-choice supporters is that abortion cannot be murder because life does not begin until birth. However, pro-life believers say life begins at conception. Behind this belief stands the idea that an abortion is taking away the life and rights of an living individual. Since the day abortion became a vast issue, there has always been a lurking argument between the pro-life and pro-choice supporters as to when life exactly begins. This argument came about because pro-choice supporters used the statement that life does not begin until birth to oppose the pro-life opinion that

Many say abortion is wrong for many reasons, one main reason, life starts from the moment of conception. Pro – Life argues when the egg and sperm join and form a zygote; this ball of cells continues to multiple and grows becoming a child. Not

I think what I have trouble with is the age-old question of when life actually begins. Do they not think of the embryo as an actual baby? Medical and surgical abortion procedures are performed through the first trimester, or the first three months, or twelve weeks. Let's look at the development of the baby in the first twelve weeks. Six weeks into the pregnancy the embryo has a head, eyes, ears, and a heart with two chambers. Seven weeks the limb buds have grown into arms and legs. By eight weeks the eyes, ears, and head are growing and the face is developing. Fingers and toes can also be seen. Week nine see’s the external genitals appear and by week twelve they have fully differentiated to male or female genitals. So essentially by the end of the first trimester the embryo is fully formed. Dilation and curettage, (D&C), dilation and evacuation (D&E), and induction abortions are all performed through the first trimester or the first three months. All organs are fully developed at this time. Third term abortions are also referred to as late term abortions these are not legal in a number of states, mainly because there is a debate about when the fetus actually become viable to where it can live outside the mother's womb. The majority of medical professionals claim at 24 weeks the fetus is viable. Induction abortions and Dilation and Extraction (D&E) are the abortion

These arguments are doubtful because women in the contemporary society have different opportunities to plan the birth of the child. Contemporary methods of contraception give women good chances to plan their future pregnancy and to avoid undesirable pregnancy. Some specialists believe that abortion contradicts to the American Constitution, which guarantees the right for life to all citizens of the country. According to the latest research life of the child starts after fertilization and this way abortion becomes a murder of the human creature. There are debates about the time which should be considered the start of the human life. Till recent time the most common opinion was that the birth of the child is a start of human life. At the present moment more and more people turn to the opinion that human life starts earlier than the child is born. Specialists believe that the process of fertilization give a beginning to new life. This way during the abortion human creatures are killed and this can be regarded as a crime.

Both the value one places on life and the question of when life begins plays a huge role in the debate over abortion. Though people who are not part of a religion or are not spiritual have their own beliefs, much of the debate does come from a religious perspective. So when does human life begin? Some believe it is the moment of conception, others at the time when the baby can live independently from the mother, and still others believe it is when the baby takes his/her first breath. This is important because depending on when a person believes a life is valuable or that a fetus becomes a person, may make an impact on whether or not an individual is for or against abortion.

Abortion is not murder, and can be life -saving. The statement, “ Human life begins at conception,” is actually an opinion. There is no specific consensus as to when human life begins. Sperm and egg also are alive and represent potential human beings but are virtually wasted. Abortion may be considered pretty natural, considering two- thirds of human conception are virtually aborted by nature itself. Abortions have been pre formed for thousands of years, all over the world not just in the US. In the mid, 1800’s states began passing abortion laws to make them illegal. In turn started the creation of “ Back alley Abortion.” In the years before Roe v. Wade was illegal. Abortions ranged as high as 1.2 million per year. Several women died in the process of self- inducing their abortion, because they were untrained.

Some people believe that life begins at conception, while some people believe that life begins at birth. There are now a third type of people who are now coming out to say that even at birth, a baby’s life is not really his/her own. What do you believe? While it is not universally agreed upon, abortion is legal within the United States and many other countries world-wide. Although after birth abortion does not seem very humane, Giubilini and Minerva make a point that ethically speaking, infants are not true people and unfortunately they make the point very well.

The debate of whether life begins at conception or after birth is an age-old argument. In fact the reason for the debate is because it has not been proven that life absolutely begins at conception. “There has never been a scientific consensus as to

Life begins at conception. Even the most deeply-rooted liberalists can not argue the abundance of scientific and medical evidence that supports that fact. Multiple