AbortionA MATTER OF CHOICEThe topic of abortion is one of the most controversial of our times.
It has caused countless deaths and several violent confrontations betweenthe two separate parties of opinion. The fight between pro-life andpro-choice supporters has been long and brutal. This is because, despitewhat several people may believe, abortion is neither right nor wrong. Itis a matter of personal opinion. In this way, each side can say withcertainty that the other is wrong.
Therefore the question remains; should abortion be legal? Thoughsome may disagree on this point, the fact is that legalized abortion isthe only option that will protect the lives of American citizens. Oneonly needs to look into American history to see the results of prohibitingabortions to women. The violence which occurs today because the ofpro-choice/pro-life conflicts is minimal in comparison to the thousands ofhopeless women who turned to the illegal abortions –either self-inflictedor preformed by the backroom “professionals”– which resulted ininfection, massive blood loss, and death. It is better now that they havea place to go where abortions can be performed cleanly and with minimalrisk. Legalization of abortion is the only choice no matter what side onetakes in the debate. Women will try to do what they think is necessary tolive as they wish, no matter what the risk. In order to live as shechooses a woman may give up her freedom, her morals, her beliefs, herfamily, or even her life.
Abortion has been around for thousands of years in every inhabitedcorner of the globe. It has always been accepted as a means to preventthe suffering of both woman and potential child. It has been practicedwidely in every society for many reasons including famine, war, poverty,overpopulation, or simply because a woman felt she was not ready for achild (Whitney 40). No one ever questioned a woman’s right to thisprocedure. After all, who but God had the right to judge what a woman didwith her own body? This thought process lasted till the 1800’s. Duringthis era of change people began to turn their attention in a newdirection, the fetus. They began to protest abortion as cruel, inhumane,and murderous. Filled with a new sense of purpose and the glory of afresh, righteous cause to uphold this new morality swept the countrysideenveloping everyone in its wake. Abortionists who were once revered anddepended upon were now scorned and threatened. Though abortions stillhappened with regularity, they were kept silent and seen as a matter ofshame. “Over the next hundred years, public sentiment for the fetuscontinued to rise until the inevitable happened in America during theearly 40’s; Abortion was made illegal.” (Cohen 17). There was much backpatting and congratulations among the pro-life supporters. And why not?They had succeeded in saving the lives of the hundreds of innocent babieswho would have been senselessly slaughtered for the convenience ofselfish, ignorant, and irresponsible women. Because of this new law,women would settle down and raise families or give these beautifulchildren over into the hands of the hundreds of loving couples who werejust waiting for a baby to call their own. It seemed that the perfect lawhad just been passed. Or had it?It has been proven time and time again throughout history that thehuman spirit will not allow prohibition. Something inside us feels theneed to strike out at that which restrains us and holds us from the lifewe want. Just as prohibition of alcohol made a black market for liquor (avirtual underworld was immediately erected to fulfill the new need forabortions). Government, through regulation, had once again created a needthat would be fulfilled by the lawless. Most doctors, fearingincarceration, refused to treat the women who so desperately wantedabortions. Women, seeing no other solution to their problems, were oftendesperate enough to turn to these “Back Room” clinics. These clinics werelocated in poverty-ridden sections of the city and their conditions weredeplorable. The places themselves were layered in filth and disease.
Inexperienced butchers using dirty and crude equipment treated the girls.
As if these backroom clinics were not bad enough, there was an even moreappalling decision a woman might face. If a she were unable to pay theexorbitant price for the illegal surgery, she would often perform the actherself. “Knitting needles, coat hangers, antiseptic douches and poisonswere used most often” (Welton 123). “Emergency rooms primarily in themore urban areas were reporting higher numbers of intractable bleeding tothe point of death. Pelvic inflammatory disease and other forms of lifethreatening sepsis were on the rise. Self induced poisoning was anothercomplication.” (Boyer, 98). Partial abortions were also commonplace.
One thing most people do not think about is the fetus. If, as some say,life and the sense of self begins at conception, how many atrocities havebeen caused by the incompetence shown during this time? Some may wonderwhat drove these women to such extremes just to have and abortion. Whydidn’t they just have the baby?The answer lies in our most basic human instinct: to survive as bestwe can. These women want to live their lives as they choose, not as it ischosen that they live it. Being forced to bear a child could mean havingto support and give up dreams of a better life. Also they might bepressured into a “shotgun wedding” to save their reputations. In the bookBack Rooms, by Ellen Messer, a woman named Liz, explains her reasons forreceiving an abortion. “People have said to me, How can you be in favorof abortion? If you’d had one, you wouldn’t have these beautifulchildren.’ But I would have had them. It just would have been later whenI was better prepared to care for them. And maybe they would have a nicerman for their father. I would have been more prepared and all our liveswould have been so much easier. Even though I love my children dearly, Iregret that I did not have an abortion when I was given the option. Ishould never have let others influence my decision.” (29)For other women, being forced to bear a child would mean placing itinto the system. It is commonly thought that every orphan is justtemporary. That there is a family out there just waiting for it with openarms. The truth of the matter is that many families did not want childrenunless they were white and healthy. Most of the others were eithershifted through the system until they were 18 or sent to live with fosterfamilies who were sometimes uncaring or even abusive (187). Women wereaware of these realities and many refused to bring a child into the worldand have it live in such a manner. Also was the fact that many womenwanted to hide their present state from families or employers. They knewthat they could be disowned or fired for their “shameful state”. Theywere desperate to keep their secrets, so desperate in fact that they werewilling to risk their lives. This was a risk they should not have had totake. In the book Abortion: A Positive Decision, Mrs. Lunneborg statesthat “The desire not to have a child is by far the best reason for anabortion. There are enough unwanted children in the world already.” (18)And so these women risked, and often lost, their lives in these illegalabortions. If they were caught afterwards, they were charged with murder.
But is abortion murder?Abortion is defined as “The induced termination of a pregnancy beforeit is capable of survival as an individual” (Frohock 186). Consideringthis definition, at the time of most abortions, the fetus is not anindividual. The definition is far too simplistic. One needs to take intoconsideration the developmental stages of the fetal life span.
Most abortions occur soon after the confirmation of pregnancy,(usually prior to 12 weeks gestation.) The first twelve weeks is known asthe first trimester or the embryonic phase. At this time the fetus isabout 3-3.5 inches long having a weight of 15-20 grams. The neurologicalsystem is primitive at best, demonstrating only vague swimming motions(Rosenblatt 37). The second trimester heralds a time of rapid growth. Atabout 20 months the mother usually first perceives fetal movement. At 24weeks the brain resembles that of a mature person. The fetal weight isabout 650 grams. (39) The third trimester is from 24 weeks to birth(approximately 40 weeks.). At 26 weeks the nervous system begins toregulate some body processes. (40)”When making the conscious decision to terminate the life of thefetus one must take into account the development of the fetus. Oneapproach might be that of assessing the neurological development. It isonly logical that the more complex the neurological system the more likelyyou are to induce pain or end a sense of self if in fact that sense existsprior to birth” (Frohock 28). In many ways it is similar to the decisionto pull the plug on a comatose person. Here, one must decide whether ornot to withdraw that which the person needs to survive. Yet the decisionto terminate is not considered murder but an act of the deepest humanity,an opinion that contrasts greatly to the shame and animosity faced by anaborted mother during the time of the mass anti-abortion sentiment. Howlong would women suffer this mental anguish? (Haddok 132)Based on this information, presented in the Roe vs. Wade case, theSupreme Court ruled that a woman was allowed by the Constitution’s 14thAmendment to receive an abortion before the first trimester. It nowappeared that the pro-choice advocates had won the political tug-o-war atlast. However, violence continues between the two groups as the animosityand resentment has grown to new heights. Now, more than ever, researcharticles are coming out about a woman’s right to privacy vs. a fetus’sright to life. The law may have been passed, but the war goes on.
It is difficult to gain valid and subjective information on thetopic of abortion. This is because much of the research has been coloredby the personal beliefs of the group or individual that collects it. Theremay not be an intentional or even conscious effort to skew the facts inthis manner but it happens none the less. A person writing a paper on thetragic effect of abortion on society’s moral values may tend to twist thereal statistics slightly to better serve his or her purpose. Anotherdoing a paper on the same topic may use the previous one as a referencepoint and exaggerate the information even more. One can see how, verysoon, the “facts” are no longer recognizable as truth. Anothermetamorphosis may occur in the way the original research is collected. Inorder to prove a certain point, a researcher may choose to collectinformation in a very select genres of people instead of wide and randomtest groups taken from many diverse areas. A pro-choice researcher maypoll a feminist rally while a pro-lifer may choose a Catholicorganization. Thus the information becomes so varied and conflicting thatthe objective data gets lost in the muddle. It is a case of ignoring thewhole truth and focusing on the part of it which best suits a specificperson and their ideals. Unfortunately, because of this lapse, manyAmericans are confused as to the reality of the situation and tend toavoid it as we have a tendency to do with subjects we do not understand.
Others simply grab the information they like best and sling it at theiropponents in the matter. The other side looks at this information andsees that it contrasts with their own. Thus they dismiss it as lies. It isa vicious circle and it has caused many deaths and injuries on both sidesfrom riots, bombings, and fights. Carrie, a San Diego nurse in an abortionclinic, tells us what it was like when the building was bombed by pro-lifesupporters.
“At the initial explosion, I was knocked to the floor. A wave ofheat burst through the room followed closely by the fire. Burning papersfell from my desk and caught on the leg of my scrubs. The pain wasunbelievable! I now know what hell must be like. I began to crawl to thedoor when I heard a cry behind me. One of the young patients was runningdown the hall with her gown on fire. I grabbed her and made her roll. Thenwe got out… I suffered second and third degree burns on my legs and armsand my lungs were filled with smoke and had to be flushed out. Still, I amlucky to even be alive. Two of my best friends died in that bombing andseveral of my co-workers. I can not help but think now, that it is abitter irony that the people who claim they are trying to save lives arekilling people to accomplish it.” (Interview with Carrie)According to Jannet Lennelborg, “We must find an uncommon ground onthis issue.”(18). It is clear that these two groups will never join intheir ways of thinking. There is too much passion and conflict involved inthe debate. What we must do is find a compromise and “agree to disagree”(18). If, just for a moment, we could just stop the finger pointing andname calling, and just listen to what our so-called opponents have to say,we may find that both sides have their points. Only then can we stop thehatred and violence that has so ripped America in the last few decades.
In conclusion, my research leads me to believe that, while abortionmust be legal, a woman should also be provided with all the correctinformation she needs to make a responsible and rational decision. Ibelieve that this is the only solution we can have which will concludethis “private war” once and for all. The misinformation and violencesurrounding this issue has turned human against human for far too long.
Most of the negativity regarding the issue of abortion comes from thereligious rights who believe that the right to the life of the fetussupercedes all else. Unfortunately there will always be a disparitybetween logic and religion.
WORKS CITED:~Boyer, Mark. Abortion: The Straight Facts. Boston: Houghton Mifflan,1992.
~Cohen, Marshall. The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion. New Jersey:Princeton Press, 1978.
~Frohock, Fred. Abortion. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1989.
~Haddock, Martha. Abortion Today. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
~Interview- Interview with a former San Diego abortion clinic nurse whowas present when it was bombed in 1985.
~Lunneborg, Patricia. Abortion: A Positive Decision. New York: Bergin& Garvey, 1992.
~Messer, Ellen. Back Rooms. New York: St. Martin’s press, 1989.
~Rosenblatt, Rodger. Life Itself. New York: Random House, 1993.
~Welton, K.B. Abortion…Is Not A Sin. California: Pandit Press, 1989.
191-95.
~Whitney, Catherine. Whose Life? New York: William Morrow and Co.,1992
