2/15/2019 Brissel Melendez Final CopY - Google Docs

Brissel Melendez
2/11/2019
Mrs.Lewis
English 3
 

Life is sacred
You would think that late term abortions would be bizarre to make allowed of by law much

more the overall idea of aborting a human life. According to a recent study 61% of Americans say

abortion should be illegal after the fetal heartbeat has begun,which occurs in the first month of

pregnancy. 72% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the first 3 months of pregnancy.

86% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the first 6 months of pregnancy. Only 6%

-17% of Americans (depending on how the question is asked and by whom) believe abortion

should be legal at any time, in all circumstances.

In the news article “Arguments in favour of abortion” Weddington goes on to say

“Women have the right to decide what to do with their bodies” but does that not violate a

right of a human? The right to .. live? No matter how you put it we are talking about a

human life. In the end, the lives of mothers and their unborn baby are equally the same so

the right to life must be taken into account. Terminating a pregnancy results in taking away

the baby’s right to life. At the moment a human sperm penetrates a human ovum a zygote

comes into existence.

The new human zygote has a genetic composition that is different from any other

human that has existed, including that of his or her mother. Therefore disproving the claim

that what is “ involved in abortion is completely a woman and her body’s choice”

according to Weddingtons argument. Supporters of pro-choice believe that a “fetus” is

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nothing but a parasite or a clump of tissue. In the article Pro Life arguments the author

Schwarzwalder states that scientists define an organism as a complex structure of

interdependent elements constituted to carry on the activities of life by

separately-functioning but mutually dependant organs.”proving that at the moment of

fusion of human sperm and egg , a new entity comes into existence which is distinctly

human,alive and an individual organism - a living , and fully human, being.

While it is true that as news article “ Arguments in favour of abortion“ says “an

unwanted pregnancy may result in a woman somewhere in the world dying from

complications related to unsafe abortion.” And as Weddington goes on to say “Making

abortion illegal does not reduce the number of terminations taking place. Instead, it often

drives women into the hands of black market abortionists, who perform illegal and unsafe

operations.” This does not necessarily mean being forced to raise a child that you are

unable to or do not want to support. There are always other options,such as adoption or

foster care. In many developed countries , social services can place the child with suitable

foster parents to give the biological caretakers of the child time to think about whether they

want to keep the infant. In the article Ms Weddington also went on to say that” banning

abortion puts women at risk by forcing them to use illegal abortionists”. I think Weddington

is mistaken on this view point due to the fact that killing a fetus is immoral. Many people

assume abortion is put on along religious ground and leaving religion aside life is sacred.

Free access to abortion may encourage people to view it as a form of contraception. There

is also the possibility of “selective abortion”, where parents terminate pregnancies if scans

show the fetus is the “wrong” gender, shown with illnesses etc. The best way to prevent

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such unethical abuse is to restrict access to abortion. On the other hand both articles agree

that abortion is the best option if the mother’s life is put in danger. But on the other hand I

still insist abortion should be out of the question.

At the end of the day I will stand firm in my belief that abortion should be illegal in

the United States due to the many factors I have presented alongside the reasonings of a pro

choice view.

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