Written for the ENGL1301 mid-term exam for Fall 2000, by Maria G. Martinez.

Would you like to be killed just because your parents do not want you? Obviously, the answer is no. Getting kicked out or running away from home are options that anyone would consider before running the risk of getting killed by someone, but what happens when the son or daughter about to be killed cannot go anywhere? This is exactly what abortion is. Abortion is being killed by one's parents because they do not want a child. Abortion is murder and the fact is that no one deserves to die, especially when the life at risk is completely innocent. The Texas Constitution, in its Bill of Rights (Art. 1 Section 19), grants every citizen in the state the right to live, which cannot be revoked except by the state authorities; therefore, murder is a crime. The fact that a woman carries a baby inside her womb does not mean that the woman has the right to decide over a baby's life. The sole fact that the baby has not been born does not mean that he or she is not alive. To even consider that life only begins at the moment of birth is ludicrous; therefore illogical to think that one has the right to kill the preborn. Furthermore, the law describes three egregious components related to murder: premeditation, treachery, and advantage; all three of them are present in an abortion. In addition, abortion violates one of the Ten Commandments that summarize God's Law. Pope John Paul II, one of the most respected religious authorities world-wide, qualified abortion as an abomination and the human allowance of evil over good. He expressed his sadness about all the abortions practiced and called for world unity without regard to religion or creed to stop all these abominable, senseless murders. Father Richard Voigt, of the parish of St. Patrick's Church in Laredo, stresses the importance of preserving life from its conception and says that it is wrong to allow a mother's womb to be one of the most dangerous places on earth. Also, he said that we all should take responsibility for our actions. He invited all the community to pray for the success of the pro life movement and the protection of the unborn, which is the best option, morally speaking. Research done throughout the years, led by scientists in several fields, has proven and confirmed that babies are not the only victims, but their mothers, as well. Psychological studies show that women who go through an abortion face self reproach, depression, social regression, withdrawal, and obsession with need to become pregnant again that are not easily treated. Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions. Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psycho tropic medicine by their family doctor. Medical Studies show that over one hundred potential complications have been associated with induced abortion. "Minor" complications include: minor infections, bleeding, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, gastro-intestinal disturbances, vomiting, and Rh sensitization. The nine most common "major" complications are infection, excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock. Although most immediate complications of abortion are usually treatable, these complications frequently lead to long-term reproductive damage of much more serious nature, for example sterility, ectopic pregnancies, the latter leading to high risk of death in later pregnancies. Most doctors, nurses, or "qualified" people who practice abortions care very little about the woman's future, and often irreversibly damage the uterus. No reason is good enough for murder. Even under circumstances like rape, low income, incest, or pregnancy under drugs, abortion is not justified. There are many alternatives to abortion. If parents are not able to give the love and support every son or daughter deserves, there are many couples who are unable to conceive and are willing to adopt children. They earnestly desire to have children and raise them, but reasons beyond their control do not let them conceive. There are also many centers like the Right to Life League and the BirthRight Centers, located nationwide that provide moral, economical, and medical support and many alternatives for women who might consider not being the assassins of their own children. To consider that a woman has many choices is magnificent, but choosing to kill is cowardly, irresponsible, and, like every murder, punishable.

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