ST.

JOSEPHS TEACHERS COLLEGE

College English 2

The final decision regarding giving birth or having an abortion should remain that of the expectant mother.

A womans right or murder? Today, abortion is a big issue concerning women. According to the Oxford Dictionary !""#$ abortion is an operation or other intervention to end a pregnancy by removing the embryo or foetus from the womb. %any people feel aborting a child should be against the law. Outlawing abortion would have the effect of imposing a persons moral values upon another. &an you prevent someone from drin'ing because you thin' it is wrong? &an you insist that two persons stay married because you are against divorce? The answer to these (uestions is no. )ot only is unconstitutional, but it is unrealistic to believe you can control the lives of others simply because their beliefs differ from yours. Abortion is a personal issue and should be dealt with by that individual. *o, therefore, the final decision regarding giving birth or having an abortion should remain that of the expectant mother as she has the right to do whatever she wants with her body, abortion is not murder and abortion is necessary when the needs of the baby outweighs the financial status of the mother. +ndeed, women have a right to do whatever they want with their bodies. +t may be said that the foetus has a right too, but do they have a right when it interferes with the mothers right? Abortion has many victims and one of them is the father of the child. The laws of the ,nited *tates as well as -amaica do not ac'nowledge the right a father has to stop the abortion of his own child but rather place the act solely within the decision of the mother. On the one hand, the

father who wants to defend the life of his child is often accused of meddling in something that is not his business and on the other hand, the fathers who want to leave the decision solely in the hands of the mother are accused of being distant and uncaring. A mans rights are restricted to a great extent by his biology. There should be some amount of e(uity, and a man should have the right to have or not to have the child if he so desires. .owever, pregnancy is something that only a woman can undergo. +t affects their lives, bodies and careers. +f it was the mans body, he would have a say, but no one has the right to tell another person what to do with their body. *o, until men can have children the decision should be made solely by the expectant mother. +n addition, many people consider babies to be a blessing. /et when the mother to be is not emotionally, financially and mentally ready to ta'e on the responsibilities of child0rearing, pregnancy is often regarded as a problem. According to the Association of 1eproductive .ealth 2rofessionals in !""3 approximately 3" million unintended or unexpected pregnancies occur worldwide each year. These pregnancies result in 4! million abortions and 54 million unintended births. +n cases li'e this abortion should be necessary when the need of the baby outweighs the financial status of the mother. 6hy bring a child into this world when you cannot afford to care for that child? +f a woman is not financially stable and is forced to endure the misery of unwanted pregnancy and the incredible burdens of child0rearing it would mean that she would be sentenced to a 73 year term of enslavement to unwanted children thereby suffocating their hopes, their dreams, their personal ambitions and their chance of happiness. The (uestion is as'ed again, why let that child suffer? *o, if most pregnancies are unintended, and the mothers are unable to care for that child then why get pregnant? 6hether the mother is financially stable yes or no there are a variety of contraceptives on the mar'et ready and available for those who do not wish to get pregnant. 6hy not use them instead?

8inally, according to the %erriam 6ebsters &ollegiate Dictionary !""5$ abortion is the termination of a pregnancy resulting in the death of an embryo or foetus, and murder is the unlawfully 'illing of a person especially with malice aforethought. A person is defined as the physical self or personality of a human being and a foetus is an unborn baby. 9ery plainly according to the definitions themselves abortion is not murder. Abortion also fails the definition for two reasons. 8irstly, abortion is not illegal, and secondly there is no evidence to suggest that expecting mothers feel malice towards their own flesh and blood. %urder is the crime of unlawfully 'illing a person. A foetus is an unborn and according to 1oe 9. 6ade, the word :person does not include the unborn and as such a foetus does not and cannot have e(ual protection or e(ual status with the mother until the point of viability, or when the foetus can exist outside the mothers womb. A foetus can only be referred to as a person outside of the mothers womb. At last, if you consider abortion as simply destroying a collection of cells that can;t survive outside of the mother;s womb, have you ever thought of the conse(uences of 'illing those cells. 6hat happens to the mother? There are several conse(uences of doing abortion. *ome ma<or complications are= death, 2ost0abortion *yndrome, and handicapped babies in later pregnancies. *ome minor complications are= infection, bleeding, and chronic abdominal pain. +s it worthwhile in having an abortion when you are at ris' of facing all these conse(uences? +n conclusion the fact remains that abortion to do it or not to do it is the decision that can only be made by the female in whom the foetus has developed.

6or's &ited

%alcolm, 2otts and 2eter Diggory. Abortion. >ondon= &ambridge ,niversity 2ress, 7?@@.2rint 9ascianne, *tephen. AAbortion in -amaican >aw.B Cleaner.com. Cleaner &ompany, *unday, ! %arch, !""3. 6eb. 8ebruary !5, !"77. Dupelian, David. AElood &onfessions= 8rom abortionist to champion of life.B 6orld)etDaily.com. 6orld)etDaily, -anuary !", !""F. 6eb