Abortion is the act of premature termination of a pregnancy. It is when a pregnancy is ended
early before the natural birth of a child. It is also known as termination of pregnancy before
embryo or fetus is able to survive the outside of uterus. There are two types of abortion;
The abortion pills and in-clinic abortion. The medical abortion also known as (abortion pills)
consists of using two different medicine, mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy. These
medications normally cause cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus. The process is very
similar to having an early miscarriage. In most cases, the abortion pill should only be taken up to
10 weeks after the first day of your last period (Steinbock, 1992) . If you’re past the ten weeks,
you can still get an in- clinic abortion.
In clinic abortion (also called surgical abortion) on the other hand is a medical procedure. It
works by using suction to empty your uterus. After the 12 th week of pregnancy however, it is
hard to eliminate a pregnancy since it may have some negative effects on the mother, hence it is
advisable to try an abortion at its early stages (Steinbock, 1992) . Below are some of explained
reason for and against abortion:
ARGUMENTS FOR ABORTION
There are many compelling reasons for abortion. People of different beliefs may agree with
many of these claims. Many religious believers would probably have great sympathy with the
argument that a person should be able to determine what happens to their own body, but to them
the belief that life is sacred may overshadow other arguments, however strong they may be,
below are some of the reasons for abortion:
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ABORTION 3
Rape Case.
In a rape case and a woman gets pregnant, it would be lacking in compassion to deny a woman
the right to an abortion. Many rape cases affect underage, defenseless children hence unwanted
pregnancies. These can only be solved by abortion since most of the victims cannot quit school
to bring up a child who they are not prepared for (Greasley et al, 2017). Denying a woman the
right to abortion of unwanted pregnancy is surely inhumane since bringing up a child is
expensive and needs lot of attention which many are not prepared for.
The Woman Might be too Young
Having a child requires a lot of attention and commitment which a woman may not be prepared
for due to work, academic or Family commitments. These makes bringing up a child difficult or
impossible for her. A woman has the right to choose whether or not to have a baby depending on
her financial situation and availability for the welfare of the baby (Greasley et al,2017). Having a
child when committed to either work or academic will highly affect your output since much
attention will be emphasized on the pregnancy even requiring the Woman to take a break from
work or school wasting a lot of time. To avoid these, many women prefer abortion.
The Right to Abortion is Vital for Individual Women to Achieve Their Potential
Women, same as Men, have the right to be independent and achieve their potential depending on
their hard work and skills (Belmont ,1973). Unwanted pregnancies however may get in the way
to their dream. To achieve your potential no matter the profession, absolute dedication and
ssdedication is required from an individual. These possess a threat to pregnant women since they
cannot commit themselves to anything else rather than the pregnancy. Many women, mostly who
are at the pick of their profession would opt for abortion so as not to have any distractions.
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ABORTION 4
ARGUMENTS AGAINST ABORTION.
Religious Beliefs that Abortion is Murder
Roman Catholics believe that life begins at conception. Some protestant on the other hand,
believes that life begins after the first 14 days. The embryo is a living human being from this
point hence an abortion would be Murder. Religious Leaders and institutions highly condemn
abortion since they believe that every human being, including an embryo and fetus, has the right
to live and reach their potential. Abortion is seen as murder which is condemned in the Holy
Bible hence not recommended by religious beliefs.
Abortion destroys human Value
Abortion destroys human life making life appears cheap and disposable. The worth of life is
emphasized by the law and also seconded by Religion. Taking another person’s life is heavily
punishable by law and also believed to be sinning before God (Steinbock, 1992) . Abortion
demolishes the value of life since it acts as human beings have control over life which people
view as a gift from God and should not be taken for granted rather exploit our potential.
There are Alternatives to Abortion
For unwanted pregnancies, Abortion shouldn’t always be the only solution. There are better
alternatives such as adoption of children for the women who are either committed to academics
or work and for those who cannot be able to provide for the child financially. The governments
have set aside homes for such children. Alternatively, if a student gets pregnant, she could first
give birth and leave the child under the care of her parents while resuming with her education.
By doing so, women will maintain the value of human life and also make sure their children are
protected and well provided for.
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ABORTION 5
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Abortion has both positive and negative effects on the Woman as discussed above.
A pregnancy to a woman is perhaps one of the most determinative aspect of her life. It disrupts
her body. It disrupts her education. It disrupts her employment. And it often disrupts her entire
family life. This, is a matter which is of such fundamental and basic concern to the Woman
involved that she should be allowed to make the choice as to whether to continue or to terminate
her pregnancy.
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST ABORTION 6
REFERENCES.
Benn, S. 1., "Abortion, Infanticide, and Respect for Persons," The Problem of
Abortion, ed. J. Feinberg (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1973), pp. 92-104.
Greasley, K. and Kaczor, C., 2017. Abortion Right
Steinbock, B., Life Before Birth: The Moral and Legal Status of Embryos and
Fetuses (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992).