| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Response Thirteen

Page history last edited by perrinatisha 12 years, 4 months ago

Is it really just about a stage of life?

 

     It is a topic that is a major dilemma in almost every political campaign, it is a controversy that is discussed in every college classroom, and it is a problem that occurs all over the world. Abortion is not “just” a controversial topic, it is not something that we just talk about, and to some it may be a solution but to others it may be another problem to add to their list. According to Wikipdia.com, “Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before it is viable” (n. pg.). Viable means capable of living. As the definition states, abortion is ending a pregnancy before it is viable or before the fetus is able to live. These doctors and physicians look at it this way, if I were to take this fetus out right now would it live, would it be able to grow and have life? A major argument in abortion is at what stage of pregnancy does life begin? People are focused on this stage; I will show you that abortion is more then just when life begins? I will show the facts and side effects and how many people do not look at the consequences and trauma abortion can leave on a woman.

           

     I have been attending Catholic schools ever since the sixth grade. Everyone in my class believed in the same thing Jesus is the Son of God, we shall not kill, we shall not steal, we shall not covet anyone’s goods, we shall worship one God, and so on. I have learned a lot through my faith and religion but one thing I do wish I had was a more open mind in high school. I wish I were able to experience other religions and what they thought about certain topics such as gay marriage and abortion. Coming to Wayne State completely changed my view on many things. I am not this close-minded person anymore because I have seen and heard what others think. I have argued and I have sat back and listened to many different stances on different controversies. Abortion seems to get people confused and many college students tend to stay away from talking about it either because they simply do not care or they do not have much knowledge on the topic. This is why I have chosen to speak on abortion because people need to know why it is wrong and it is not a simple answer or explanation. Abortion is more then just killing and it is more then just taking away an innocent life.

           

     Facts, people want the facts, they want the numbers and the statistics, and they want the truth and proof. According to the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, worldwide, there are approximately 42 million abortions preformed every year; that is nearly 115,000 abortions per day. In 1996 it was reported that in the United States there were 1.37 million abortions preformed; that is approximately 3,700 abortions per day. That was 15 years ago; 3 years ago in 2008 it was reported that there were nearly 1.21 million abortions that took place in the U.S. The reform also states that, “52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%” (n. pg.). They also state that, “1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient)” (n. pg.). The thing that struck me most was that 93% of women go through with an abortion for social reasons because the child is unwanted or inconvenient. I understand and have seen that some people cannot afford to have a child or they may be too young to handle a child but abortion is not the answer, abortion is not the solution, it is just another problem that will make someone miserable.

 

     There are many counterarguments to abortion. Some typical responses to support abortion sound something like this: What if she is raped, what if she is unable to support a baby, what if having the baby will kill her, and even what about giving a woman her rights? A girl is raped and becomes pregnant, is the first solution abortion? Is this the only way out? Do these people think about the side effects? Do they know the consequences? According to the American Pregnancy Association:

 

“The side effects following an abortion vary from woman to woman but  these consist of, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, spotting and bleeding, heavy or persistent bleeding, infection or sepsis, damage to the cervix,

scarring of the uterine lining, perforation of the uterus, damage to other organs, and even death” (n. pg.).

 

There are numerous side effects and these are the physical effects, there are also emotional and psychological effects that a woman goes through after an abortion. According to the American Pregnancy Association some emotional effects may be, “Regret, anger, guilty feelings, shame, isolation, insomnia or nightmares, relationship issues, suicidal thoughts and feelings, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.” Abortion is more then just taking a fetus out of a woman’s body. It leads to all these side effects and can soon lead to DEATH. Is abortion really worth the depression, no sleep, is it worth the shame and anger? If a woman goes through with an abortion she will never forget about it, she may even need to go through therapy at some point in her life. Many people believe that abortion is a solution, it’s a problem solver but I have clearly shown that it only brings about more problems and the only solution it may bring about is just getting rid of the baby. Is it worth it?

 

     I have given you the facts and the side effects; now the question is, what are the reasons women have abortions? Is rape really the main reason? According to Mlive.com:

 

Mr. Downing states that abortions due to incest are 0.03 percent; rape 0.3 percent; and protection of the mother’s life, 0.2 percent. That’s less than 1 percent of all abortions for his three reasons. The study found most abortions occur because of three other common reasons: not feeling emotionally/financially capable, contraceptive failure and concern that having a baby would drastically alter the mother’s lifestyle or goals” (n. pg.).

 

Many people want to keep abortion legalized because a woman should not have to keep the baby if she is raped or if it will kill her to give birth, but as you have seen Mr. Downing states that less then one percent of abortions occur for this reason. The rest of these abortions occur because of convenience, because the girl or woman cannot afford to take care of this baby or this baby was a mistake. Sometimes when we think life is at its lowest we tend to act on our impulses and we tend to try to fix a problem in the quickest and easiest way possible. This mentality is displayed through out all of life, there are some who are heavily over weight and the first thing they might think of to solve their issue is a gastric bypass surgery. Some people have a stressful life through work, family, and school and their impulses might tell them to find peace through drugs and alcohol. There is always another option as for people who are over weight why not try working out and eating healthier. For those with stress, find peace in other things rather than drugs and alcohol such as finding the spiritual side to life or even just taking a vacation, a couple days away. Of course these other options are not easy, they take time, but their reward in the end is much greater then the reward of a simple and quick solution.

 

            Abortion also has many other options. On of the first is adoption; there are many willing parents out there who are incapable of having a child and would love to adopt. Now some might say that adoption is hard because this mother literally has to give her baby away. The child you aborted could have been an astronaut, they could have been a famous surgeon, they could have been the next president, and they even could have been a normal, happy person living a good, simple life. Why would you want to take that away from a child by killing them? Adoption allows this baby to live and there are also options for open adoptions where the adopters allow the parents of the child to be active in their child’s life. Some women cannot give their baby away and simply cannot do adoption. There are other options such as receiving support from crisis pregnancy centers and sometimes the best support comes from those who surround you with love and care such as your family and friends. It never hurts to ask for help because wouldn’t you want to give this baby a chance at life? A chance to know what love is…

 

            In high school I was never against abortion. I thought if a woman is raped or a pregnancy can lead to death then abortion should be allowed. It took me a long time to think about this issue. In my senior year one of my friends called me, Lindsey, and she told me about an idea she had. She wanted to go to an abortion clinic once a week, stand in a circle holding hands, and pray for these women right outside of the clinic. I remember her telling me this and at this time I had no care for abortion. She began to tell me how she feels and that it will help these women; I basically told her she was crazy. I did not think standing in a circle, praying, would really make a difference. I decided to try it out. It was a Saturday in October, during the life of Pro-Life.  We stood outside with 15 other people, in a circle holding hands, praying together for these women. We were there for nearly ten hours. The parking lot was packed with cars and we had to stand on the sidewalk because we weren’t allowed on their property. These girls who walked in were staring at us as they walked into the clinic. I vividly remember one girl, she was tall and had brown hair and we made eye contact as she opened the door to the clinic. A couple hours later she came out, wobbling, I just continued praying for her. As I left that day I just thought the whole thing was weird, it was a great experience but I just didn’t feel like a group of people praying would really help at all.

           

     What we did differently than other groups who stand outside of abortion clinics is that we did not hold up signs and march around the building, we were not screaming and yelling at these women as they walked out, we were peaceful, all together in one circle, just standing there praying, and I like that. I continued to go because my friend needed my help leading the group. After a whole year I still did not feel like we helped anyone.

 

     The following year we went back and began praying together again. I will never forget this day. It was an extremely cold day in November. We only had about five people praying with us. There were no cars in the parking lot, it seemed like the clinic was closed for the day. I told the group that maybe we could say a short prayer and then head home because it was freezing. All of a sudden a car pulls up and 2 women, one older and one in her twenties/thirties, got out of the car. The younger woman kept looking at us, even from inside. We decided to stay and pray for her until she left. About two hours later an ambulance came rushing through the parking lot. The nurses came out of the building while the paramedics went inside and came out with the younger woman. One nurse came by us and told us that we needed to leave, but by law we are allowed to stay because we are on the sidewalk, which is not owned, by the clinic. Soon the older woman who was with the one in the ambulance came out running to her car. We stopped her and asked what happened. She was the mother and her daughter wanted an abortion. They were inside and they made a deep incision and she told the doctor to stop, screaming the mother explained to us. Supposedly she told her mom that she didn’t want an abortion and later she told her mom that it was because she saw the people outside standing, holding their rosaries, and praying. She said she knew we were praying for her.

           

     After a year of praying every week for hours, I finally received a sign that what I was doing was being noticed and it was helping these women. That day made me realize that abortion can be stopped even during one! It helped to see in the years to follow that there are other options and to never give up. I stood outside, in the cold, for a whole year praying and did not even know if anything good was coming out of it. I kept trying and never gave up. Just like these women, why should they give up? There are always other options and there is a solution to every problem no matter how bad it may be. When you keep trying you will gain something, I kept trying with these prayers in front of the clinics, three years later and the abortion clinic that we have been praying at which is in Southfield is on its way to shutting down! There are great rewards when you work hard. Adoption and even keeping the baby is extremely difficult but in the end it’s all worth it.

 

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.