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Abortion Reflection Paper
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Abortion Reflection Paper
Abortion is a procedure done either by surgical or medical means to terminate a
pregnancy. This is achieved by the removal of the fetus or the embryo, and the placenta from the
womb. Abortion is the most controversial issue in today's society that agrees or disagrees with
taking an innocent life away. I do not believe in abortion, even though the law currently permits
women the freedom to do what they wish with their bodies, but considering that the fetus is a
living being it possesses different DNA that differs from that of the mother. This is why the
deliberation of abortion is not applicable because the mother’s body is separate from the fetus.
When it comes to abortion due to medical reasons, whereby for instance the mother's life is at
risk, then either the mother, family, or doctor should be left to make the decision. As stated, the
fetus and its mother are considered as two different living organisms, however, under the given
scenarios, there's a difficulty as a family member has to choose on whom to save between the
mother and the child falling into a dangerous situation. Inattentive of the choice, one has to be
killed (Alam, Kaler & Mumtaz, 2020). This is totally different from abortion on demand which
involves the killing of the unborn at her own request.
According to the UVVA (Unborn Victims of Violence Act), the unborn is legally
recognized as a victim, meaning that abortion is a form of murder, and thus legal action opt to be
taken for killing or attempting to kill an unborn baby (Boylan, 2020). The other reason why I
stand against abortion is because of my religion as it is forbidden by the Bible in the 6th
commandment which points out that “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20.13). Contrary to my
beliefs, there are those who believe that the act of abortion is right and that fetus or embryos are
not considered as living beings. The unborn are considered human beings: this is as per the
guidelines provided by the Fetal Rights and have the right to be healthy. Adoption is another
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option opposed to abortion, whereby mothers carry their pregnancy to its complete term and give
birth. Afterwards, the baby can be assigned to a legal guardian or a foster home where the baby
can be loved and taken care of unconditionally.
The other controversial topic is abortion as a result of rape. Being a forced act, babies
born as a result of rape are not planned for. A good percentage of people would support this act
in this case but is it really okay? There’s a Christian group, Pro-life, which is against abortion
practices and also believe that the unborn deserve to live and that they should not be castigated
for the wrongful deed(Boylan, 2020).
According to Pro-choice, abortion is considered as the choice of a woman (Alam, Kaler
& Mumtaz, 2020). They also believe that the decision to abort is solely personal and so, the
illegality of abortion is likely to increase the rate of self-abortions performed by some young
mothers. The group believes that the embryo is made up of numerous tissues which does not
make it a living organism till given birth. They reason that the reduction of unwanted children
will reduce the rate of child abuse and overpopulation. People’s lives should not be dependent on
the population.
To conclude, the act of abortion should stand illegal as every child, including the unborn
fetus, have the right to life and it should not be an option. If the rate of abortion increases, then
many families who cannot conceive will not have the chance to foster a child, thereby decreasing
the number of children.
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References
Alam, B., Kaler, A., & Mumtaz, Z. (2020). Women’s voices and medical abortions: A review of
the literature. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive
Biology, 249, 21-31.
Boylan, M. (2020). The abortion debate in the twenty-first century. Global Bioethics and Human
Rights: Contemporary Perspectives, 190.
