Here you will find a number of resources to learn more about the controversial abortion issue. This is controversial for a number of reasons: it is a complex issue, and the terms of the issue are not widely understood or clearly defined. I will propose some definitions for the terms I use, but keep in mind that these definitions may not agree with the definitions others use for these terms. My advice would be to ask the person to define the terms used in discussions on this issue to help avoid confusion.
The central theme in the pro-choice movement is that the mother has the right to determine what goes on within her body. Some claim this is a "right to privacy" issue, while others claim that abortion is just getting rid of some "unwanted cells," much like someone getting cancer removed through surgery.
The "pro-life" movement is based on the principle that even an unborn child should have some rights. While the child is in the womb, it is a distinct human being, thus allowing it the same protections that a child outside the womb has. Many laws - both on the state and national levels - do not reflect this belief, with different punishments for crimes against pregnant women causing the loss of a child and those against children. Many in this group use different terminology for abortion procedures, calling it as they see it. For example, partial birth abortion is known to abortionists as intact dilation and [extraction or evacuation, depending on who you talk to].
Pro-life adherents also claim that abortion has two victims: the child and the mother. This argument takes into consideration both the physical and emotional trauma caused by an abortion. Many effects of the abortion will linger for years after the procedure, as the mother sees children the age her child WOULD have been had she not chosen abortion. Some abortion procedures have also been shown to have an increased risk of complications in future pregnancies, as well as increased risk of sterility.
There are many terms used in the abortion debate that are very confusing. Neither side may know what the definition of these terms may be. I will simply list some of these terms below.
| baby | birth (hard to believe this is confusing, huh?) |
| embryo | fetus |
| health (emotional and mental especially) | life |
| responsibility | rights |
| tissue | viability |
This category includes all those between the two positions: abortion-on-demand and abolition of abortion. These people argue for exceptions to a ban on abortions for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Some also argue that an abortion should be allowed if the health of the mother (see above) is endangered. The problem is, no one has defined what constitutes "endangering" a mother's health for abortion to be allowable.
There have been numerous people who have publicly stated that partial birth abortion (common name for intact dilation and extraction [d & x] or intact dilation and evacuation [d & e]) is NEVER medically necessary. This procedure is very disturbing, so if you have a weak stomach, skip to the next section.
In d&x, the doctor turns the baby so that it will emerge feet first (breach) from the womb. All but the head is delivered from the womb. While the head is still in the womb, the doctor makes an incision in the back of the baby's head, collapsing it (killing it), and removing the brain tissue while still inside the womb. After this has happened, the doctor completes the procedure, delivering the now-dead baby. If a doctor were to perform this procedure on a newborn, he would be fired for malpractice and/or charged with murder, but as long as the head stays inside the womb, this procedure is considered legal.
Similarly, d&e is a procedure in which part of the baby is delivered. In this procedure, the doctors tear pieces of the baby apart in order to ensure the termination of its life. If you can tell me how this procedure aligns with the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, I would be very interested to hear this.
In a country that raises a huge fuss about killing criminals, where is the fuss over killing innocent babies? In a country where individual rights are fiercely promoted, sometimes to the detriment of those involved, where are the ones standing for the rights of the child? In a country where women are claiming the status of victim in several arenas, how is it that these women do not realize that over HALF the victims of abortions are female? These are the true victims.
Many claim that if abortion were made illegal, the number of illegal abortions would rise sharply. However, no "hard" statistics are available for the number of legal abortions that take place now, so there would be less chance of knowing exactly how many take place illegally if the procedure would be outlawed, let alone whether that number would be larger or smaller.
Studies have been done on the chances of pregnancy due to rape and/or incest, and the pregnancy rates have been shown to be very low in these instances. What does this mean? It means that most abortions are performed, not because of a rape or incestual relationship, not to save the life of the mother, but for convenience.
Abortion is not about choice: it's about responsibility. Responsibility for another life, for the decision to bring that life into the world, and to deal with the consequences of that decision. The pro-life stance is really more about choice than the pro-choice stance, as it provides a number of alternatives to abortion: adoption, foster care, creating a family with the new child, allowing family members to care for the child as their own, etc.