Did you know that in 2015 alone, there were 638,169 legal abortions? If you said no, then you are not aware of just how serious of a problem that abortion has become in current society. The definition of abortion is a procedure in which medicine is given or surgery is performed to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The first recorded legal, physician performed abortion was in 1969 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). There was a lot of debate about whether or not abortion should be legal within the United States. Several states feel that it should be, while others disagree. Currently, it is legal in some states and illegal in others. Abortion should be illegal because aborting a pregnancy is the same thing as murder, it can cause psychological damage such as self-doubt and regret for the men and women who make the decision, and pregnancy does not miraculously occur on it’s own.
Abortion is Murder
Abortion should be illegal because getting an abortion is the same thing as committing murder. Conception, and therefore life, officially begins in the exact second that a male’s sperm cell meets a woman’s ovum, or egg cell (Ovulation, Conception, and Getting Pregnant, 2014). According to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, “the term ‘unborn child’ means a child in utero, and the term ‘child in utero’ means a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb”. It also states that, “If the person engaging in the conduct thereby intentionally kills or attempts to kill the unborn child, that person should be punished for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being” (Protection of Unborn Children, 2014). That baby that is being carried is completely innocent and one-hundred percent relying on others to care for it, that includes in the womb. Many agree that getting an abortion is manslaughter and immoral. Another reason abortion is murder is because every human being has a fundamental right to life. This is according to French geneticist, Jerome Lejeune, who was the one geneticist that discovered the chromosome abnormality that causes Down Syndrome. Among these reasons, is also the fact that murder goes against the word of God. The Bible itself talks about how life begins even before conception. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee” (Bible, Jeremiah 1:5). Also the Sixth Commandment states that, “thou shall not kill”, this applies to all humans, including unborn children. Abortion should be illegal because getting an abortion is the same thing as to commit murder.
Psychological Damage
When a woman gets an abortion, it can cause future psychological damage, such as self-doubt and regret. There are many stories out in the world that are told by women who have had an abortion in the past that admit that they regret the decision at this time in their life. One woman, Nicole, says that she only got the abortion because her boyfriend wanted her to and that she still suffers from regret and depression years later, and her boyfriend also still regrets the decision. Another woman, Heather, already had two daughters but was going through financial issues and literally couldn’t support another child, but even now, five years later, she can’t bear the sound of the music that was on in the clinic without shuddering and feeling shameful. According to the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, “Young adult women who undergo abortion may be at increased risk for subsequent depression”. Another source found that women who got an abortion had “significantly higher” anxiety scores on a Hospital grade test up to five years after they had the pregnancy terminated (BMC Medicine, 2005). However, women aren’t the only ones that have this issue. It also affects the men involved in the situation.
A study was done that asked 50 men their thoughts on the impact that abortion has on men. 72% of the men said that it isn’t completely thoughtless and forgettable. In fact, 40% of the men said that they had experienced thoughts of ‘what could’ve been’, and 76% percent of the men admitted to seeking council from close friends and family. Another survey was done with 69 men who had all been a part of the abortion process. 21.3% of the men thought that the experience was traumatizing, 17.6% said that they thought it would negatively impact their relationship with their partner, and 30.4% said that they would have liked to have been offered counselling (Lauzon, Roger-Achim, Achim, Boyer, 2018). One final study done had to do with men’s emotions after an abortion was done. 68 males were questioned for this study. Of the 68, 85% said that they had sadness, 47% said they were depressed, 33% said they were angry, 37% said that they were afraid of the consequences on their relationship, 22% said they were guilty, 26% said they felt like they had failed, 20% felt isolated, and 32% said they felt withdrawn. Crying (50%), irritability (38%), and loss of concentration (41%) was also reported by some of the men (White van-Mourik, Connor, Ferguson-Smith, 2018). Abortion should be illegal because it causes psychological damage to the men and women who choose to terminate the pregnancy.
Your Own Choice
Abortion should be illegal because babies don’t happen on their own. There has to be a man and woman who have sexual intercourse and create a baby. Conception cannot happen unless a man’s sperm cell meets up with a woman’s ovum while the ovum is in the Fallopian tube or the uterus. Whether a pregnancy is planned or unexpected, it happens in the same exact way. If you and your partner wish to be sexually active, that is fine. However, you must be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. Birth control, while a great option, doesn’t always 100% prevent pregnancy. Neither do condoms. There can be accidents, but this does not mean that all responsibility can be forgotten. The innocent baby that would be killed with an abortion didn’t choose to be conceived. It didn’t plan on coming and ‘messing up your life’. It does not matter if the sexual act is done for merely entertainment, or for affection but not reproduction. It was still a conscious choice to partake in sexual intercourse, therefore it is still a voluntary act. Abortion should be illegal because don’t happen on their own.
Counterclaims
Some people may say that if it’s your body, then it’s your choice; which is true. However, the fact that it is your body, doesn’t change the fact that you would still be killing an innocent human being. Experts say that life begins at conception. If it is an accidental pregnancy, you are still at fault because you should have avoided the actions that got you into the situation of an unintended pregnancy. In 2011 alone, nearly half (45% or 2.8 million) of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the United States were unintended (Guttmacher Institute, 2016). It may be your body, and therefore your choice, but you should choose life over abortion.
Another thing that may be said is that abortion can keep women from being at a financial disadvantage. This would be a good reason, except that just because you have a baby, does not mean that you have to keep the baby. The baby could just as easily be put up for adoption and go to a family that would be more than willing to take care of it. Around 140,000 children are adopted in the United States each year (Adoption Network, 2018). There are also lots of couples who want a baby but cannot have a biological one of their own. 10% or women in the United States are infertile and 7% of men are infertile (WomensHealth.gov, 2018). If you cannot financially support a baby, put it up for adoption; don’t get an abortion.
You might think that the baby is unaware of the fact that it is being killed and removed. This is completely incorrect. Studies have shown that the development of the neurological system of a fetus starts within just 7 weeks of conception. The neurological system is what causes human bodies to be able to feel sensations. Therefore, if you get an abortion, not only are you taking an innocent life, you are also causing this poor little human, unbearable pain as it is being killed and forcibly removed (Condic, 2013). Abortions are very painful for the baby being aborted.
One final thing that might be argued is that making abortion illegal will just cause women to find their own, possibly dangerous way to kill their baby while it’s in the womb. If this is the case, then women should be smarter than to get themselves into a situation where they could have an unwanted pregnancy in the first place. If you don’t want to risk a pregnancy, then don’t have sex. Women should take the proper steps before sexual intercourse to ensure that they don’t end up pregnant unless they want to be.
Conclusion
Abortion should be illegal because of many, many reasons. The reasons mentioned in this research paper are just a few. If you are ever in a situation where you have an unplanned pregnancy, be aware and knowledgeable of all possible options that are available to you. Abortion is just one option, and it’s extremely harsh towards the tiny human being you are heartlessly killing. Abortion should be illegal because aborting a pregnancy is the same thing as committing murder, it can cause psychological damage for both the men and the women involved, and a pregnancy cannot just happen on it’s own. Abortion is a complete tragedy and should be avoided at all possible costs.
