“Everyone Has the Right to Live”
Jessica Jolliff
Essay #1
Pols 101

There are many controversial topics that exist in the United States, abortion being one that has been debated over for years. This is a very touchy topic for some individuals to discuss because it is associated with a person’s morals, beliefs, and religion. Having an abortion is allowing someone to take away one’s ability to live. The fetus does not have a say when they are in their mothers’ womb and if the mother decides to abort the baby then the baby’s life is unfairly taken away. Abortion is allowing a person to commit murder without being penalized. It is wrong because the mother is taking away the life of a person without their consent, she could possibly be harmed in the process, and there are other options that she could consider rather than being selfish and aborting the fetus. A fetus develops a heart soon after fertilization, which means that it is a living thing at that time. If it is considered a living thing then it would be murder to abort the baby. ("When Does A Baby Have A Heart Beat?") A woman is not able to tell whether she is pregnant right when the egg is fertilized, but once she is pregnant there is already a life there. People who are pro-choice believe that there is not life until after a few weeks, which is incorrect. In the first “eight or ten weeks of gestation, the fetus has formed a beating heart, a brain, is recognizably human form, and the fetus feels pain” (Lee, 14). If a fetus is that developed in that short amount of time then how is it not considered a living being? As for a religious or Christian standpoint on abortion, the bible states it working against god if a woman has an abortion. “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female created them (Genesis 1:27)” (Pavone). This shows that god values every life that he creates. If one believes in the bible then they should also believe that every human life is sacred, as God does. (Pavone) If one is Christian then they should believe that the life they have created, even if it was on accident and unplanned, is still something of value and is a gift. Another important factor about abortion is that it could be harmful to the mother, not only physical but also psychological. The mother will be faced first with the side effects of the surgery. “The American Pregnancy Association stats that serious complications occur in less than one out of 100 early abortions and one in 50 late-term abortions” (livestrong). The mother could have damage to her cervix, scarring in the uterine lining, infections, or perforation of the uterus. These are the more common side effects that a mother could suffer from but there also is the chance of death during surgery. Although this is rare, there still is that chance that mother could be that rare case. (Jones) As for the psychological side effects, the mother will deal with “flashback and feeling a need to replace the lost child” (Jones). Many times the mother becomes depressed after the abortion because her hormones will be unbalanced and also having an abortion is not a positive procedure to go through. I do not think many expecting mothers consider the psychological side effects of having an abortion, they think that they are solving their problem and that is all. They need to also recognize the harm they are causing their body and the issues they will need to face. If a woman gets pregnant on accident, she should not turn straight to abortion to solve her problem. If she is making the decision to have sex then she needs to realize the consequences that her and her partner might have to face. There are other options that woman need to consider instead of terminating the pregnancy. The first question a mother might ask herself is if she is able to take care of the child. If she is a teenager she could ask her family for help in raising the baby. Some are