Abortion: The Right To Life
Professor Zuluaga
November 15th, 2012
By: Katelyn Davis

Katelyn Davis November 12th, 2012
English 101- Professor Zuluaga Research Paper- First Draft

Abortion: The Right To Life

Abortion has undoubtedly become to a controversial social issue that's affecting our society

today. It is without surprise that most American citizens feel that abortion is unethical because it is

killing a life that hasn't had the chance to live as we have. On the other side of the spectrum, there are

people believe who that it is a woman’s constitutional right to choose whether or not it is her

responsibility that she keeps the child, especially in certain unfortunate situations such as incest, rape,

or health issues that can threaten the mother’s life. Killing an innocent child is unethical, especially in

how the procedure is performed. There are many ways to significantly cut down the percentages of

abortions in the United States.

Our country is known for our freedom and constitutional and unalienable rights given to its

citizens. It is my observation that we take for granted the rights that some countries yearn for. Each

country has its legality and prevalence of abortion. The United States has heated political and religious

debates on the topic of abortion, surrounding the pro-life and pro-choice campaigns. Most governments

in developed countries have legalized abortion. Many developing and underdeveloped countries

have not legalized abortion and also have no say in what their medical practitioners do.

As of recent, abortion and childbirth complications have been responsible for the most maternal deaths in the entire world; however, in the midst of the 21st century, they have declined. This has been the result of increased education on the proper use of family planning as well as the proper use of contraceptives (i.e. condoms and birth control). Voluntary abortion is defined as the “removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.” ("Abortion," )

Believe it or not, abortion has been in practice since the late 1800s. There is a very interesting history of women helping other women to abort their children as well. This included the physical practice and the training of other women to perform these procedures. Back then, abortions did not have legal consequences.
Davis 02
The State didn't prohibit abortion until the 19th century, nor did the Church lead in this new repression. ("History of abortion," )

In 1803, Britain was the first country to pass antiabortion laws that became more and more strict as centuries past. The United States followed suit not long afterward, and soon enough, abortions became illegal except in certain situations by 1880. These included the endangerment of the the woman's life. The practice of abortion became a crime and a sin for countless reasons. A spurt of humanitarian reform in the mid-19th century likened liberal support for criminalization, because during that time, abortion was a dangerous and risky procedure. Not only was it practiced with crude methods, doctors used few antiseptics and there was research done of high mortality rates. This alone cannot excuse the attack on abortion. For instance, other risky surgical techniques were considered a necessity for people's health.

There are many types of abortions that can occur. A doctor's determination of what type to use is primarily determined by how far a woman is into pregnancy. In most cases, a woman will have the choice of undergoing a surgical or medical procedure within the first trimester. If a woman is more than nine weeks into her pregnancy, a medical procedure is out of the question. In the third trimester of a pregnancy, which is the last stage, an abortion may not be performed, as it is illegal in many