Running Head: Abortion

Abortion

Abstract In this library paper, I will explore numerous facts on abortion. There are many topics to debate concerned abortion including religious views and whether pro-choice or pro-life to be

Abortion discussed. However, in this paper I will just review three aspects: how abortions are performed, why women feel they should terminate, and the safest way to do so. I will confer factual aspects of abortion, not debatable.

ABORTION In the Twentieth century, China controlled its population with abortions. Abortion was a popular and socially accepted way of controlling population or families in the Greco Roman

Abortion world as well. While Christian condemned abortion early, there were no serious punishments until the Nineteenth century. (CNN, 2008) Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows a woman to put an end to their pregnancy. First before we get into the many sides of abortion we must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child while the child is still in the mothers womb. (Oakwood, 1996) Many abortions are done within the first trimester, which is the first three months. Most abortions are done by a medical professional, but frequently are not. In Nigeria, there are so many unintended pregnancies that end in illegal and unsafe abortion. Abortion is completely illegal in Nigeria except if it saves the life of a pregnant woman. Unsafe abortion is not only major cause mortality amongst women, but also an economic issue on their health care system. There is already a huge need for funds for healthcare in many countries, and most go to post abortion care. In a survey in 2003, it was found that 2,093 patients were treated for self-miscarriages or abortion complications in Nigeria. (Haas, 1998) There are two types of abortion; medical and surgical. A medical abortion is induced with medicine. It is a pill a woman takes within the first nine weeks of a pregnancy. The pill is called mifepristone and misoprostol. The medicine makes a womans uterus contract and empty. Mifepristone is 97% effective. If a woman decided to abort after nine weeks, she would only have the option of a surgical abortion. A surgical abortion involves the surgical removal of the womb. There are different ways to do the surgery. Women have a legal option to do this within thirteen weeks. (Ankerberg, 1995) Because earlier abortions are the safest, medical abortion is an important medical advance for women, and an option that many choose.

Abortion Abortion was a crime in the United States, like Nigeria, until the famous Supreme Court Case, Roe v. Wade. Abortions were only acceptable when a pregnancy was a result of rape or if the woman or babys life was in danger. In Roe, the justices held that: State criminal abortion laws.. That except from criminality only a life saving procedure on the mothers behalf without regard to the stage of her pregnancy and other interests involved violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against state action to the right to privacy, including a womans qualified right to terminate her pregnancy. The court also did not have a choice but to set limits on the availability of abortion. However, when it is said that the state cannot override that right, it has legitimate interests in protecting both the womans health and the potentiality of human life, each of which interests grows and reaches a compelling point at various stages of the womans approach to term. (Shmallager 1995)

When abortion was illegal in the United States), more pregnant women died from complications from self-induced abortions or abortions performed by untrained practitioners than from any other cause. (Ankerberg, 1995) Abortion is often a subject that has been up for debate. There are many laws surrounding abortion around the world. Some people think that abortion is acceptable when the babys life is at risk. Some people think that abortion is always wrong and never acceptable. Abortion is legal and medically ethical, while many people find it immoral. (McMahon 2002)

Abortion Worldwide, there are very different reasons woman furnish for ending their pregnancies. The most regularly reported cause women give for having an abortion is to halt childbearing. The second regular reason economic concerns includes interference of work or school; poverty, no involvement of the father of child and age are contribution factors. The limited available data show that high proportions of unintended pregnancies are resolved by abortion in Tanzania (61%) and in six Latin American countries (ranging from 43% in Mexico to 63% in Chile). In the former Soviet republics of Kazakstan and Uzbekistan, more than one-third of mistimed pregnancies and about four-fifths of pregnancies among women who have all the children they want resulted in abortions. In the United States, the main reason is that the women could not afford a child. (Haas 1998) In conclusion, this paper has determined how abortions are performed, why women feel they should terminate, and the safest way to do so. Whether abortion is wrong or right is another issue of its own. I hope that my paper has provided an objective, broad, overview of a couple facts of abortion that women should consider. As is true of most complex issues, the matter of abortion raises a multitude of questions that elicit a variety of opinions and answers.

References 1. Oakwood. (n.d.). Ethics of abortion. Retrieved from The ethics of abortion. (n.d.).

Abortion Retrieved from www.studyworld.com/abortion

2.

CNN. (n.d.). Abortion. Retrieved from www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/../china.abortions../index.html

3.

Haas. (1998). International family planning perspectives. . (pp. 15-20). Guttmacher Institute.

4. 5. 6.

Ankerberg, J. (1995). The facts on abortion . (pp. 69-81). New York: Smashwords. McMahon, J. (1999). The ethics of killing. (pp. 8-23). Oxford University Press. Shmallager. (1995). Criminal law. Pearson Prentice Hall