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Krebs1
Sarah Krebs
Dr. Bennett Huffman
October 14, 2004
Writing 135
Abortion
Did you know over 857,000 babies were killed in the year 2000 and this number
has been increasing every year? These babies were not killed because of disease or
medical complications; they were all killed through abortions. The growing number of
abortions per year is startling and must be ended. The widely spread idea that abortion is
simply the mother’s right to chose must be altered. Abortion should be made illegal
because it is morally wrong but it also carries psychological, physical, and emotional
problems with it.
So where did abortion begin? When did Americans decide it was alright to kill
unwanted babies? It all started with one case, Roe vs. Wade, when “Norma McCorvey
sued the state of Texas to challenge the constitutionality of a state law that prohibited
abortion except to save the life of the mother” (Abortion 1). The case began in March of
1970 and has not been overturned to this day. This case overturned over half, 30, states
laws on abortion. The legalization of abortion began in one single case, one single
decision, initiated by one person.
Norma McCorvey, the women who started the abortion fight, wrote a book in
1994 for abortion and stood behind the Roe vs. Wade case. “One year later, Norma
McCorvey changed her position on abortion, and in 1998, she wrote a book advocating
that abortion should be illegal and that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned.” (Abortion 1)
It is very ironic that the women who was the initiated the fight to make abortion legal
would change her position years later. It is very ironic that the one person who initiated
abortion being legal would change their viewpoint.
There have not been many stipulations put on the procedures or the time in which
they are allowed during the pregnancy. These are the rules that were created by the
majority regarding abortion. The only stipulation during the first trimester is that the
abortion be completed by a licensed doctor. During the second trimester, “they can
regulate the manner in which they are performed for the purpose of protecting the
mother's health” (Abortion 1). In the third trimester,
States can prohibit abortions after "viability" (meaning the point where a
preborn human is capable of living outside their mother's womb), but
cannot prohibit abortions "where it is necessary, in appropriate medical
judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother." The
ruling cites specific examples of what may be considered harmful to a
mother's health. They include the "stigma of unwed motherhood," the
work of caring for a child, and the "distress" "associated with [an]
unwanted child" (Abortion 1).
The majority never listed any example that was not a valid reason to have an abortion.
The above conditions only make sure every abortion is legalized in some way or another.
At no point do they cover the actual procedures done or consider the development of the
baby during the various terms.
The average pregnancy is actually 38 weeks long. During that time, the embryo
or fetus grows and develops into a human being. Potential human being or citizens are
all embryos or fetus’ are. Within 3 weeks of fertilization the potent human being already
has developed a spinal cord and eyes. Within another week, the heart begins to beat.
Even with a heart beat, the embryo or potential human being, still has no constitutional
rights and can be murdered at the mother’s will. By the 9th week, 90% of the body
structures are visible. At this point the unborn human is now considered a fetus instead
of an embryo because it can move without assistance from the outside. Now the fetus has
a beating heart and can move by itself and yet can still be aborted at any time by the
mother. The survival rate of premature babies at 24 weeks is 80%. At this point, a
woman may abort her baby in order to “preserve her health” (Abortion 1). The survival
rate 4 weeks later is 90% when given specialized care. At 38 weeks, the classification
changes from fetus to neonate. According to the ruling in Roe vs. Wade, the woman may
abort her baby at any point prior to giving birth in order to preserve her health.
Preserving the mother’s health is all inclusive as far as any reason a woman might need to
kill her child. It includes the work of caring for a child, stigma of unwed motherhood,
and much more. So what is the difference between a mother killing her baby when it is
two and a half months old and a mother killing her baby two and a half months before it
is born? The mother who killed her baby when it was one month old committed murder
and will be prosecuted. The other mother aborted her baby, when if delivered stood a
95% chance of survival. The mother who aborted did not break any law, how is this
right?