MaxLowry

Rogers

UofUWriting1060

3/6/2016

LiteratureReview:Abortion.
Mostlikelythemostpolarizedtopicinthisdayandage,abortionhasbeeninquestionfor
aslongasmostcanremember.Thetopicissooftenandeasilyarguedon,because(1)nearly
everyoneisfamiliarwiththeissueandhasanopinion,position,orbeliefonabortion(2)it
requireslittleinformationforcitizenstoparticipatebecauseproponentsandopponentsof
abortionhaveframedtheissuebetweenreproductiverightsversustherightsofthefetustolife
and(3)thereareinflexibleanduncompromisingpositionsontheabortionissuethatare
dichotomouseitherlifebeginsatconceptionoritdoesnot(MedoffandDennis2011).This
dichotomyhasbecomeanunhealthyvacuumfordiscussion,andonlyallowstwosidestoavery
complexissue.Thispaperwilloutlinethediscussionsandpositionsonabortion,andhopefully
bringthereaderintoamoreinformedstateofmind.
Thetwostancestakenonabortionareextremelypolarized.Anoversimplificationof
thesesidesarea)abortionistherightofthepregnantwomantocontroltheirownfertility,andb)
abortionisimmoralasitistheterminationofahumanandthereforemurder.Onecanalreadysee

thatthisoversimplificationisextremelydramatic.Whendissectingthesetwosides,thereare
manyquestionsthatarebroughtalongwithit.Suchas,Wheredoeshumanlifebegin?
Thecornerstoneofmostantiabortionarguments:wheredoeslifebegin?thisquestionhas
averystraightforwardanswer,butthatanswerdoesntreallyhelpsolidifywhichsideisright:
lifebeginsatconception.Bothconceptionandlifeareverywelldefinedintermsofscience.
the
AmericanHeritageScienceDictionary
definesconceptionastheformationofazygote
resultingfromtheunionofaspermandeggcellfertilization.similarly,thedefinitionforlife
istheformofexistencethatorganismslikeanimalsandplantshaveandthatinorganicobjects
ororganicdeadbodieslackanimateexistence,characterizedbygrowth,reproduction,
metabolism,andresponsetostimuli.andthezygotemeetsallofthesecharacteristics.However,
givingbothsidesofthisissueequalattention,theprochoicewouldarguethisdoesntmean
anything,andtheymakeagoodargument.Justbecausethezygotecanbeclassifiedasalive,it
doesntmeanthatyoucancallitahuman.Thezygotedoesnttransferintotheembryonicstage
untilabout56weeksintopregnancy(Sacks2015).
Thereisanotherissuewiththistopic(thissentencewillbeprettycommonthroughout
thispaper)whilealmosteveryonehasanopiniononabortion,veryfewseemtoknowmuch
aboutit.Thewebsite,Vox,polled1,060Americans,anddiscoveredthatveryfewpeopleknow
allthefactsaboutabortion.TwentysevenpercentofAmericansthinkfewerthan10percentof
womenwillhaveanabortionintheirlifetime51percentsayitsfewerthan20percent...This
turnsouttobeasignificantunderestimate.Thebestdataavailablesuggeststhatabout25to30
percentofAmericanwomenwillterminateapregnancyatsomepointintheirlives.Mostofthe
peoplewhobelievethatabortionismuchlesscommonthanitis,arewelleducated,highincome

Americans.54percentofAmericanswithoutacollegedegreeunderestimateabortionrates,
comparedwith70percentofthosewithgraduatedegrees.And51percentofthoseearningless
than$50,000underestimatethefrequencyofabortion,comparedwith69percentofthose
earningmorethan$175,000.Thisknowledgegapdoesntstopwiththefrequencyofabortions
Americansdontbelieveabortionsaresafe.Americansalsooverestimatethesafetyrisksfor
womenwhohaveabortions,ourpollshows.Mostpeoplethinkabortioniseither"lesssafe"or
"aboutassafe"forwomenasgivingbirth.Butthat'snottrue.Inactuality,bearingachildcauses
moreseriouscomplicationsanddeathsformothersthanabortiondoes.Withatopiclike
abortion,werereallyeveryoneiswillingtovoicetheiropinions,sofewseemtoknowmuch
aboutit(KiffandCrocket2016).
Regardlessofwhatpeopleknowaboutabortion,almosteveryoneagreesthatitshouldbe
legalinsomecircumstances,andonly19%ofAmericansbelievethatitshouldbeillegalinall
circumstances(Gallup).
This19%iswhatpeopletypicallythinkofastheProLifesideofthisdebate.They
believethatabortioniswrongunderallcircumstancesforreallyonereason:Abortionisis
unethical,asitistheterminationofhumanlife.ManyoftheProLifeargumentscomefromthe
Bible.WhiletheBiblesaysnothingaboutabortion,manyantiabortionactivistshavetakento
interpretthatthechristiangodwouldnotapproveofabortion,asitisviewedasendingalifethat
waspartofagreaterplanbutisitrealistictoholdeverywomantochristianorreligious
standards?Thisisnottosaythattheirargumentdoesntraisedoubtthatabortionisntthe
wrongfulterminationofhumanlife.However,thenatureoftheirargumentbringsintoquestion
someveryabstractthoughtsthatareanabsolutenightmaretotraverse,andhavephilosophers

stillspeculating.Thoughlifedoesbeginatconception,canyoucallthezygoteahuman?What
aboutwhenitresemblesahuman,intheembryonicstage?Whatifwhatmakessomeonehuman
isconsciousness,andcanwesaythatthisdependentfetusisconscious?Whatisconsciousness?
Thesequestionsmayseembesidethepoint,butwhentheissueofhumanlifeandmoralitycome
intoquestion,thereishostofproblematicthoughtexperimentsthatcomewithit.
TheRighttoLifepeoplealsofearsomethingelse:theslipperyslope.Thepremiseofthis
argumentisthatifsomethingtheyviewasimmoralasabortioncanbelegaltoday,whatwillbe
legaltomorrow?(Pruden2015)
BackontheProChoicesideofthefence,theywouldarguethatabortionsendsjustifies
themeans.Theybelievethatawomanshouldnothavetobecondemnedtomotherhoodifshe
cantaffordtokeepachild,orshejustdoesntwanttohavethatresponsibility.Theyarguethat
thelargestdemographicmostlikelytoobtainanabortion,areyoungblackwomen(Pazoland
Gamble2006),andthattheseyoungwomenschildrenaremorelikelytohaveatraditionally
dysfunctionallife.MarshallMedoffandChristopherDennis,authorsof
TRAPAbortionLaws
andPartisanPoliticalPartyControlofStateGovernment
,write
Abortionhasalsobeenfound
tohaveapositiveeffectonmembersofsocietybyreducingcrime(DonohoeandLevitt2001),
reducingchildabuse(BitlerandZavodny2004),andsavingpublicmoniesspentonfederaland
statemedicalandsocialwelfareexpenditures(i.e.,TemporaryAssistancetoNeedyFamilies,
childcare,foodstamps,MedicaidGruberetal.1999).Peoplewhosupportabortionwouldpoint
tothesestatisticstoarguethatabortionspositiveeffectsoutwayanyperceivednegativeeffectsof
abortion.

Theywouldalsoarguethatwomenwhoneedtheseabortionsaregoingtogetthem,
whetheritslegalornot.Andtheseillegalabortionsaresignificantlylesssafethanlegalones.
Theworldwideabortionratewasessentiallystablebetween2003and2008,afterhaving
declinedduringthepreviouseightyears,anewanalysisindicates.(1)About44millionabortions
wereperformedin2008,whichtranslatesto28per1,000womenofreproductiveage,arateonly
slightlylowerthanthatfiveyearsearlier(29per1,000).Morethanfourfifthsoftheseabortions
tookplaceindevelopingcountries,wheremorethanhalf(56%)ofabortionswereunsafe
(Doskoch2012).Theyargueifabortionsweremorereadilyavailable,lessofthesewomenall
overtheworldwhoareseekingabortionswouldobtainthemunsafely.Thoseagainstabortion
wouldlikelyjuxtaposethispositionwithanotherissuesuchasdrugs:ifpeoplearegoingtobuy
andusedrugswhethertheyarelegalornot,whynotmakethemlegalandcontrolthemsafely?
Theywouldarguethatjustbecausepeoplewouldchooseto,intheireyes,murderhumans,
societyshouldntmakeiteasier.
Thecomplexitiesofthisissuearelostintwosides:ProChoiceandProLife.Whileits
extremelyeasytolabeltwogroups,almostnoonefitsintothem.Peoplehavevaryingopinions
aboutabortion,butwithanissuewithsomanymoralquestions,itisneverblackandwhite.
WhiletheProLifeandProChoicesidesareunrealistic,oversimplificationsofopinions,theydo
provideawellorganizedsetofarguments.However,theeverydaypersonbelievesintheirown
arguments,andishardtobeplacedinthisdichotomy.

Doskoch,P."GlobalAbortionRateStabilizes,butUnsafeProceduresRemaintheNormin
DevelopingCountries."
InternationalPerspectivesonSexualandReproductiveHealth
(2012).
Web.
<https://www.questia.com/read/1G1295326727/globalabortionratestabilizesbutunsafeproce
dures>.

Medoff,MarshallH.,andChristopherDennis."TheAmericanJournalofEconomicsand
Sociology."
TRAPAbortionLawsandPartisanPoliticalPartyControlofStateGovernment
(2011).Web.


DanielN.SacksMD,FACOG,obstetrics&gynecologyinprivatepractice,WestPalmBeach,
FL.ReviewProvidedbyVeriMedHealthcareNetwork.AlsoreviewedbyDavidZieve,MD,
MHA,IslaOgilvie,PhD,andtheA.D.A.M.Editorialteam.
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002398.htm
.

Kiff,Sarah,andEmilyCrocket."WePolled1,060AmericansaboutAbortion.ThisIsWhatThey
GotWrong."
Vox
.Ed.JavierZarracina.29Feb.2016.Web.

"Abortion."
Gallup
.Web.<http://www.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx>.

Pruden,Wesley."LifesaScreamontheSlipperySlope."
TheWashingtonTimes
.The
WashingtonTimes,30July2015.Web.

Pazol,Karen,PhD,andSonyaB.Gamble,MS."AbortionSurveillance."
CDC
.CenterFor
DiseaseControl,2006.Web.