Abortion Is Wrong Essay Research Paper Abortion

Abortion Is Wrong Essay, Research Paper

Abortion Is Wrong

One major social issue of our lifetime is abortion. There are people who are for it, but I find myself strictly against it. Just the thought of killing an innocent life sends chills through many people s spines. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, 1.5 million of these spines tingling procedures are performed each year in the United States alone. After all a fetus is a person, and murder is a criminal offense. Science, medicine, religion, and philosophy play a great role in the pro-life stance. The battle between pro-life and pro-choice people continues with very little or no ground gained on either side.

Abortion was legalized with 1973 court case Roe versus Wade. There has been an argument over the abortion issue for hundreds of years. This is looked at differently regarding science and medicine. A fetus is considered a person at the moment of conception because it has 100% of its genetic makeup. Since science and medicine define a person as by genetic means, then a fetus is a distinct organism. Therefore every time an abortion is taking place, a legal killing of a fetus is being performed. For women to have the legal right to freely take the lives of their babies, whether on a whim, for their own selfish reasons, or for their own selfish comfort, is arrogant and absurd. Religion, on the other hand, is not as clearly defined as medicine and science, because religion introduces the soul into the situation. However, no religious leader would say that a fetus does not have a soul and that because of this a fetus may be capriciously aborted. Religious opinion is slowly beginning to accept science and medicine. Any religious leader with a strong practical grounding in scientific knowledge will have to admit that every embryo has a soul. However, regardless of when a person gains a soul, religious opinion does not show any support at all for abortion. In fact, religion is one of the strongest opponents of abortion.

Philosophical opinion does show some variety regarding when a baby becomes a person. This is due solely to the fact that most philosophy is of ancient origin. Regardless of whether a philosopher believes ancient philosophies (which were developed before the discovery of cells, heredity, and DNA), the philosopher would not support capricious abortions.

Neither science, nor medicine, nor religion, nor philosophy supports capricious abortions. In fact, there is a narrow band of belief in science, medicine, religion, and philosophy that life is valuable, should be supported, and should not be killed when the killing is reasonably avoided. In fact, those who believe strongly in science, in medicine, in religion, or in philosophy are some of the strongest opponents of abortion.

Many people imply that a fetus is not “a thinking, feeling, conscious human being.” Current, valid science indicates that a fetus is not a senseless mass of tissue, as some people have believed in the past. According to Planned Parenthood, a fetus is “the organism that develops from the embryo at the end of eight weeks of pregnancy and receives nourishment through the placenta; the fetus continues to develop until the pregnancy ends.” According to Merriam Webster s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, an organism is “an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of organs separate in function but mutually dependent: a living being”. In other words, Planned Parenthood admits that a fetus is an individual, and a living being. According to Dr. Ruth’s Encyclopedia of Sex, “The beginning of the fetal period [is] arbitrarily designated by most embryologists to occur eight weeks after fertilization. At this time, the embryo is nearly one and one-half inches long. Few, if any, major new structures are formed thereafter; development during the fetal period of gestation consists of the maturation of structures formed during the embryonic period.” In other words, the basic structure of the baby has already been formed. Planned Parenthood admits this. Now, remember, this is still within the first “trimester.” The baby has a small brain. The baby can feel pain. The baby can feel vibrations. The baby has vague vision and hearing. The baby has reactions, which indicate a simple intelligence. Who knows whether a baby is conscious at this point? Admittedly, the baby is undeveloped enough at this point that its sensations and thoughts are not similar to adults. However, the baby is a thinking, feeling human being, though admittedly undeveloped.

As of now, in the United States, abortion is legal. But do not think this goes on in society today without a fight. Abortion has grown to become one of, if not the biggest, social problem of the day. Pro-life people have a lot on their side. After all they have science, medicine, philosophy, and religion on their side. May be one day in our lifetime we will see a point when people could open their eyes to see the truth. This truth is that abortion is morally wrong.