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Defining Life: Characteristics and Conception
“There are 40-50 million abortions worldwide every year. Which means there are about 125 thousand each day” (“Abortions Worldwide”). Abortions have been around for decades. It is the way to terminate a pregnancy. To this day, people have argued whether abortion should be legal or not. There have been endless debates on whether life is created at conception or birth. Abortion has been around for a long time. “On January 22nd, 1973, abortion was made legal” (Payment 7). Since then, there has been a large number of abortions. American Adoptions stated, “Out of every 150 women who choose abortion, 1 chooses adoption” (“Five Alternatives To Abortion When Faced With An Unplanned Pregnancy”). Adding to the fact, “1 of 4 women in the U.S. will abort by age 45” (Vanderpool). Although many people believe it is okay to have an abortion, there are many reasons why pro-life supporters think the way they do.
Starting in the early 1800s, it was not a crime to abort. “But in 1821, states began to pass laws about abortion” (Payment 8). Doctors were concerned for the women who did the procedure on themselves. Years later, 40 states banned abortions. However, it never stopped women from doing it (Payment 8). “Doctors would illegally provide the service because they knew it was dangerous otherwise” (Payment 9). In 1973, a trial started to make abortion legal (Payment 1). Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee were the main people behind the case.
Their mission was to find someone to represent a very common situation–a woman named Norma McCorvey, who wanted an abortion but couldn’t get one (Payment 13-15). Later the same year, “the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion on demand legal in all 50 states” (Fisher). Recently, the state of Alabama banned abortion in 2019, while other states have limited access (Burgess). Many of these situations have started Pro-choice activists. People believe they have the right to choose what they do with their bodies. A large number of pro-choice believers don’t mind getting an abortion because they don’t think the baby is alive.
Freedom is a strong topic, debated heavily across the globe. According to the Collins Dictionary, “Freedom is the state of being allowed to do what you want” (Collins). Most people can agree with this statement, But what draws the line at personal freedom? The potential danger of others?
When thinking about human life, what is considered to be alive? The Seven Characteristics of Life has been taught in many schools. Brian Fisher states, “Preborn babies have the seven characteristics of life” (Fisher), just like everyone else you see walking around. According to Waihi Science, a living thing has movement, can respirate, is sensitive to outside interactions, can grow, can reproduce, can excrete, and can take in nutrients. Many doctors educate about life being made in the womb. In the first two months after conception, the baby’s heart begins to form with a heartbeat (“Life In The Womb”). Surprising some people, Brian Fisher also explains, “At the moment of conception, the zygote retains full personhood information.” This means all of the DNA a person acquires now is the same they had inside their mother’s womb.
Abortion Choices and Procedures: Considerations and Challenges
“Statistics show women who receive an ultrasound are more likely to choose to have the baby” (Fisher). There’s always a deep, personal connection when seeing and connecting with something that was created from conception.
Data reveals most women have abortions because taking care of a child would interfere with their future and education (Finer). Other reasons include not being able to afford it, relationship problems with a partner, or not being prepared. Only 1% claimed their parents wanted them to have one (Finer). After following through with an abortion, many women go through a series of guilt, regret, and depression. The reasoning for these feelings is due to not having confidence heading into the procedure room (“Five Alternatives With An Unplanned Pregnancy”).
Younger women don’t always know what to expect when going into the clinic. Most often, they can pick whether they want to take the abortion pill or have the doctor operate on them (“Abortion”). When taking the abortion pill, also known as a medical abortion, it will require the woman to take two pills in the span of 48 hours. It will exterminate the fetus, and it will pass through the body (Burgess). Clinicians say it is like a heavy menstrual cycle, while people who have taken the pill claim it brings very excruciating cramping pain.
Another way doctors perform the procedure is with a Vacuum Aspiration. They insert a speculum into the woman and then a tube that is connected to a suction device. Next, it starts sucking the fetus out of the uterus (Burgess). The last abortion method is Dilation and Evacuation. It is a surgical operation that removes the fetus (Burgess). This method isn’t the most common because it’s not fast and accessible. But, it can remove the fetus in the second trimester, which is what the pill cannot do.
When a young lady discovers she is pregnant, in her eyes, it might not seem like there are many choices. Becoming a parent is always an option. However, it could be a struggle because it’s crucial for the mother to have a strong support system (“Five Alternatives With An Unplanned Pregnancy”). Some say being alone is always scary, especially when being responsible for another person. Co-parenting has not been very common due to the complications of personal life and relationships (“Five Alternatives With An Unplanned Pregnancy”).
From Pro-Choice Advocate to Pro-Life Activist
But, it benefits the child by having two parents. Lastly, mothers can decide if they want to put their child in a healthier environment temporarily or permanently (“Five Alternatives With An Unplanned Pregnancy”), whether it’s with a family member for a couple of months or with another family for a lifetime. Adoption is free cost, and most likely, the adoptive family will help with medical expenses (“Five Alternatives With An Unplanned Pregnancy”).
A Woman named Abby Johnson worked at Planned Parenthood for eight years. She believed in the right to choose and even became a spokesperson for the company. She and her husband attended the (pr-choice) Episcopal Church, and she decided she liked it better because it was easier than trying to hide her occupation from the Baptist church they attended earlier (Johnson 99). Johnson was always told the fetus felt no pain during the abortion procedure. Believing that she counseled women through their tough situations. Until one day when she was asked to help out in one of the rooms (Holz).
“I could see the profile of the head, arms, legs, fingers, and toes,” she thought (Johnson 4). Abby tried to reassure herself it was not in pain. However, when she saw the jerking of the fetus trying to move away from the machine tube, she knew things weren’t right (Johnson 5). As the tube sucked the fetus outside of the uterus, Abby explained it as it being “wrung like a washcloth” (Johnson 6). The experience even made her flash black when she had her abortion (Johnson 6). It was fighting to survive.
Abby Johnson decided she was on the wrong side of the fence. The peaceful people trying to get the attention of the scared patients walking into the clinic were beginning to not sound so terrible. Abby believed all she was told about abortions were twisted around and fantasized, so they didn’t seem so bad. The words always stayed in her mind, “We are here to help” (Johnson 145).
Afterward, Johnson decided it was time for her to stand up for her beliefs and prevent other women from making the same choice she had made. She quit her job at the clinic and stood in confidence. Abby Johnson was a role model to uneducated women and ended up writing a book on her experience and various situations (Johnson 257). Abby Johnson stands out to most because of how her views changed rapidly, going from a pro-choice abortion clinic director to a pro-life activist.
Navigating Abortion Decisions: Perspectives, Consequences, and Beliefs
At the end of the day, people will do as they choose. Abortion is not 100% accessible to the whole world, but it is for most. From aborting using pills to in-clinic procedures, they are effective for the choice you make.
If a young woman is surprised with a pregnancy, many recommend looking into every single option available. The choices people make every day affect everything that happens up to the present, whether it’s good or bad. Women who have gone through similar situations can relate and empathize while explaining the regretful consequences they had to endure. Everyone has their own morals that base their beliefs.
Pro-life believers support the right to life; pro-choice believers support the right to choose. Neither one is right or wrong; it solely depends on the perspective of witnessing different scenarios.
References:
- Payment, Simone. “Abortion.” Rosen Publishing, 2010.
- “Five Alternatives To Abortion When Faced With An Unplanned Pregnancy.” American Adoptions, www.americanadoptions.com/pregnant/five_alternatives_to_abortion.
- Vanderpool, Nancy S. “Statistics on Women Who Choose Abortion.” Verywell Health, www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-women-have-abortions-906782.
- Fisher, Brian. “Abortion and Personhood: Historical, Legal, and Medical Considerations.” National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, 2003.
- Burgess, Laura. “Here’s where US states stand on abortion in 2019.” CNN, www.cnn.com/2019/05/15/health/abortion-laws-us-states/index.html.
- Collins Dictionary. “Freedom.” www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/freedom.
- “Life In The Womb.” The Endowment for Human Development, www.ehd.org/dev_article_unit8.php.
- Finer, Lawrence B. et al. “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 37, no. 3, 2005, pp. 110-118.
- “Abortion.” Planned Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion.
- Johnson, Abby. “Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line.” Ignatius Press, 2010.
- Holz, Adam. “Interview: Abby Johnson on Her Journey from Planned Parenthood Worker to Pro-Life Activist.” The Federalist, 4 Oct. 2019, thefederalist.com/2019/10/04/interview-abby-johnson-on-her-journey-from-planned-parenthood-worker-to-pro-life-activist/.
- Payment, Simone. “Abortion.” Rosen Publishing, 2010.
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