Abortion In The United States - Essay Example

 Abortion In The United States Introduction: Abortion is inarguably one of the most widely performed medical procedures in the United States. Statistics suggest that there are over 1.2 million abortions carried out in the United States each year while 10 - 20 million of them are performed illegally. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the famous Roe v/s Wade case in 1973 providing the right to women to ensure their health and safety (Roberts, 2015).The United States has historically struggled with arriving at a common consensus with regard to abortion rights. The ethics debate range from health-related choices and the right for women to choose or make decisions concerning their own health on one hand to religious and human rights arguments on the other. As a result, the medical and legal issues surrounding the concept have become all the more complex making it difficult to arrive at a conclusive decision of either protecting the rights of the patients or protecting the social order and religious sentiments of the communities.When faced with a critical question to choose one’s own well being (physical or mental health of the women concerned) and that of the unborn child, the solution is never a simple one. The debate between the pro-life and pro-choice supporters has increased significantly and this essay discusses the various key arguments made against and in favor of abortion over the years.This essay discusses three key issues concerning abortion namely the debates about abortion being equivalent to murder since life begins at conception; adoption is better than abortion; and lack of proper /adequate support available for women to care for their newborn and themselves due to either young age, lack of education, lack of suitable means of livelihood, or family support. Those in favor of abortion argue that abortion is nothing short of murder since they believe and support the notion that life begins at conception and abortion violates the sanctity of human life.This notion is supported by biological evidence which suggests that "every time sperm cell and ovum unite, a new being is created which is alive and will continue to live unless its death is brought about by some specific condition" (Potter & Craig, 1975: p. vii). O'Rahilly et al., (1996)argued that "Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed" (p. 8).Carl Sagan, a well renowned American astronomer, author and science communicatory, on the other hand, argued that despite many claims life does not begin at conception. It is an unbroken chain that stretches back nearly to the origins of the Earth... Nor does human life begin at conception. It is an unbroken chain dating back to the origin of species, tens or hundreds or thousands of years ago" (cited In Alcom, 2009: p. 74). However, there is no clear and concrete agreement in any of the prominent fields including medicine or philosophy which provides evidence for certain and beyond a reasonable doubt stating clearly at what precise stage of the fetal development does it gain the right to life (BBC, 2015).The U.S. Supreme Court hence, considering the lack of consensus between the two opposing sides, decided in Roe v/s Wade, 410 U.S. 113 - 1973 that "We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus the judiciary at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer" (cited In. White, 2008: p. 95). Secondly, the opponents of legalizing abortion argue that abortion should be the last resort and it is recommended to resort to other less lethal alternatives such as adoption. Adoption does seem like a highly appropriate alternative to abortion, especially considering the fact that there are millions of families within the country waiting and willing to adopt children. However, statistics provided by the U.S. Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State suggest that the rates of adoption have been consistently falling in the country ever since 2005. In 2005 the number of children adopted within the U.S. was estimated to be 22734, which fell drastically to 7092 by 2013 (U.S. Department of State, 2015).Studies indicate that only 2 percent of the birth mothers choose to give up their children for adoption and yet are compelled to endure and face the stigma associated with it. The mothers are not only forced to deal with the emotional issues accompanying giving up their children for adoption but also are forced to suffer the long-term effects of the loss and the shame associated with pregnancy. In a study carried out by Seber (2013), it was observed that the mothers may suffer due to stress and conflict about not knowing the whereabouts of their child and their well being. The emotional burden is highly taxing on the birth mothers.Also, the stigma associated with not only bearing a child out of wedlock but giving it up for adoption has long been a highly determining factor in the adoption process. Johnson (2003) argued that the stigma associated with mothers stems from the patriarchal structure of our society and although such there have been profound changes in socio-economic attitudes of our communities, the fact that patriarchy does play a key role in controlling the sexuality and reproductive powers of women in our society is undeniable. Thus adoption may look good on paper but it comes with social stigma for the birth mothers and long-term emotional issues that they are likely to be faced with eventually. Lastly and more importantly, those against legalizing abortion argue that the majority of the women who choose abortion are not equipped to make such critical life choices since a significant majority of such women are young teenagers. However, giving up children for abortion after giving birth to them is a highly crucial decision and some mothers may not opt for it despite having any means to support their child. Statistics suggest that 50 percent of all women opting for abortion, in the United States, fall in the age group of below twenty-five years of age and 66 percent of all abortions are performed on women who have been never-married (abortionno.org, 2015). Women under the age of twenty-five or even younger are far less likely to have sufficient means to sustain themselves much less, have the resources to look after their yet unborn child. Giving birth further increases the burden on the mother to provide for the child and in the absence of adequate financial and social means, the life and well-being of both - the mother and the child could be threatened thus causing more harm than good in the long run. The debate on abortion is subject to a range of philosophical as well as constitutional deficiencies, which often threaten to push the subject into a potential gray market of even more complex choices. The advocates of equal rights for both the genders suggest that equal rights include the right to choose and make decisions concerning their own health and safety, which in case of women includes abortion. Graber (1999) suggests that preventing women from making such choices that may directly affect their well-being amounts to preventing them access to basic civil rights. It is similar to preventing a section of society from accessing education, or a certain type of food of their choice. For some, relinquishing the food of their choice may be an easier alternative than having to debate over choices that directly affect their own health.Given the fact that there is yet no common consensus among the scholars, regarding the exact time when the fetus can be equated as ‘living' the claim that life begins at conception cannot be held valid and crucial to make a pro-life decision. Secondly adoption may and does seem easier on paper, but when faced with reality, giving up the child after caring for it for nine months is a highly difficult decision for the mothers as is supported by statistics which state that barely few women do opt for adoption, with a majority of them continuing to support their child regardless. The fact that most young unmarried women are faced with the dilemma makes it all the more difficult to choose a pro-life alternative since they do not have the means to look after themselves much less a child, who needs and deserves a stable environment with warm loving family. Pro-choice hence is a suitable alternative since it guarantees equal rights promised by the constitution and the right over one’s own sexuality and health for women. Work Cited: Abortion NO. org (2015). Abortion facts [Online] Available at: [Accessed: April 28, 2015] Alcoa, R., (2009). Pro-life answers to pro-choice arguments. Crown Publishing. BBC (2015). When is the fetus 'alive'? [Online] Available at: [Accessed: April 28, 2015] Graber, M., (1999). Rethinking Abortion: Equal choice, the constitution, and the reproductive politics. Princeton University Press. Johson, K. R., (2003). Mixed race America and the law: A reader. New York, NY: New York University Press. O'Rahilly, R, Müller. F., (1996). Human embryology and teratology. 2nd ed., New York: Wiley-Liss Publication. Potter, E. L., M.D., Craig, J. M., M.D., (1975). Pathology of the fetus and the infant. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers. Roberts, R (2015). Abortion overview and history [Online] Available at [Accessed: April 28, 2015] Seber, G. A. F., (2013). Counselling issues. Xlibris Corporation Publication. U.S. Department of State (2015). Statistics: Adoptions by U.S. State [Online] Available at: [Accessed: April 28, 2015] White, J. E., (2008). Contemporary moral problems. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning Publishers. Read More