English 102
August 14, 2013
English 102 Research Writing on Abortion
Over four million babies are born each year in the United States and the details of how, when and where each child is born shifts. Many people view the “American dream” as a vision that includes having a child or maybe even multiple children. While the size of your family should depend on the decision of a couple, sometimes women become pregnant unexpectedly which, in turn, could end in the choice of an abortion. Abortion is the term of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. The world contains different views on abortion; some people are completely against the procedure, some are “ok” with the thought of it, and some think it can or might be a necessity. There are Pro-choice groups and anti-abortion groups who fight for opposite “human” rights. Some might suggest that abortion be banned completely while an argument against banning abortion would propose that the banning of abortion would lead to an increase of illegal abortions which could pilot an escalation of improper care before, during and after a “back-alley” abortion. “Back-alley” is a reference to unsafe, illegal abortions. Whether you believe in the availability of abortion to women or are against the idea some questions have been frequently debated: Would the prohibition of abortions eventually lead to an increase in “back-alley” or illegal abortions? Would it be best to completely ban abortions to avoid the increase of illegal abortions?
The United States pro-life movement (also known as the United States anti-abortion movement or the United States right-to-life movement) is a social and political movement in the United States opposing on moral or sectarian grounds elective abortion and usually supporting its legal prohibition or restriction. Advocates generally argue that the human fetus (and in most cases the human embryo) is a person and therefore has a right to life. (United States pro-life movement) NARAL Pro-Choice America is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion and expand access to abortion. NARAL is often used as a short form of the name. The organization was formerly known as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then the National Abortion Rights Action League, and later the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. (NARAL Pro-Choice America)
According to the National Abortion Federation “Back-alley” abortions did not reduce the number of women who sought abortions. The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in North America. The mission of NAF is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care, which promotes health and justice for women. The National Abortion Federation states that “In the years before Roe v. Wade, the estimates of illegal abortions ranged as high as 1.2 million per year.” (National Abortion Federation, 2010). NAF strives to ensure that women receive proper care and professionals have opportunities to take advantage of quality education and professional support that is needed to provide the highest quality abortion care.
When I think about women and the possibility of having to consider abortion I am often reminded about growing up as a child and what we, as children, seen in our futures. As children we all had an imagination of where we hoped to live, what we wanted to be when we grew up, who we would marry, and how many children we wanted to have. Many of us might agree that abortion was not a typical thought a child. I think that during the earlier days if a woman decided to get an abortion she did so with a high degree of confidence. Young children did not seem to be aware of abortion because it may have been an uncommon procedure. My mother had to make the difficult decision of enduring an abortion after birthing nine