English 1010. Scott Cerreta. Arguments for and Against Abortion

English 1010
Scott Cerreta
Arguments for and Against Abortion
Abortion is among the most contentious issues in modern life. Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy by killing the fetus before ordinary childbirth. Words rarely express the pain that the couple in the center of this escapade undergo when in such a dilemma. They have to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy. Both sides of the abortion debate have staunch followers and very few are undecided. Both groups have commendable points based on articulate reasoning on the rights and wrongs of the act. Besides the moral standpoint, the debate on abortion has been politicized where policymakers have to decide whether to legalize the act. Pro-abortionists claim that children born from rape are a constant source of trauma for their mothers. Also, they concede that abortion is necessary when the mother’s or child’s life is in danger. On the other hand, most religions oppose abortion, hinging their arguments on scriptures and doctrines. In essence, abortion is wrong because every being has the right to life and no one possesses the authority to end someone else’s life.
First and foremost, abortion degrades human dignity. A fetus is another human being and by the mere account of this assertion, abortion is murder (Siegel 355). Opposition to this cruel procedure considers life to begin immediately after fertilization. Human parents conceive a fetus rendering it human too. Therefore, parents of a sound mind would never consider abortion. On conception, the fetus receives the genetic code of the parents, establishing that it has human characteristics. Further, their life begins at this point regardless of whether it is extra- or intra-uterine until death. Anti-abortionists argue that committing to coitus is an indirect statement for an advanced responsibility apparent in the birth of a baby. Parents and more so the father, bear the responsibility of raising the baby. They have to accept the consequences of their actions rather than channel them through inhumane actions. Otherwise, they should have taken certain measures to prevent any conception. Contraceptives and other pills are relatively available in shops, chemists, and health institutions. According to the principles of family morality, the obligation to take care of his offspring is a responsibility a man of virtue should uphold.
Abortion could result in other unforeseen and dangerous consequences, for instance, medical complications. Similar to other medical treatments, abortion has its risks, which arrive when the procedure goes wrong. Such complications include menstrual problems, tubal pregnancies, sterility, pelvic inflammatory diseases, miscarriages, and ectopic pregnancies (Bisong, Ogar, and Asira 3). Melese et al. (1) conducted an investigative study constituting of 619 patients in the quest to ascertain the complications of this process. 11% of them developed severe complications, while 20.2% had moderate complaints. Even then, a record 68.8% had low-level complications (9). Life-threatening ones such as bowel perforation, uterine perforation, septic shock, and pelvic tenderness were also noted. These results form the basis from which anti-abortionists argue that it is wrong.
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