Abortion

WhyShouldItRemainLegal?
by:EmmaThompson

Abortionisatrickysubjecttodiscuss.ManyAmericansfindabortiontobea
constitutionalright;othersbelieveitshouldnotbetoleratedunderanycircumstance.
Abortion,whilecontroversial,shouldremainarightforwomenintheUnitedStates
andcontinuetobeawoman'spersonalchoice.Itshouldcontinuetobearight
becauseremovingthisrightviolatestheconstitution,stripsanoptionfromwomen
thatbecomepregnantduetosexualassault,anddoesnotcausethefetusanypain.

AbortionisaConstitutionalright.The14thAmendment,Section1states:
All
personsbornornaturalizedintheUnitedStates,andsubjecttothejurisdiction
thereof,arecitizensoftheUnitedStatesandoftheStatewhereintheyreside.No
Stateshallmakeorenforceanylawwhichshallabridgetheprivilegesor
immunitiesofcitizensoftheUnitedStates;norshallanyStatedepriveanyperson
oflife,
liberty
,orproperty,withoutdueprocessoflaw;nordenytoanyperson
withinitsjurisdictiontheequalprotectionofthelaws.

Liberty,bydefinition,isthestateofbeingfreewithinsocietyfromoppressive
restrictionsimposedbyauthorityonone'swayoflife,behavior,orpoliticalviews.
ThisAmendment,protectstheprivacyoffamily,marriage,motherhood,procreation,
andchildrearing.Inaddition,the9thAmendmentstates:
Theenumerationinthe
Constitution,ofcertainrights,shallnotbeconstruedtodenyordisparageothers
retainedbythepeople.
Insummary,nostateshallmakeorenforceanylawwhich
shallabridgetheprivilegesorimmunitiesofcitizensofTheUnitedStates.Bymaking
abortionillegal,violatesthe14thand9thAmendments.Prolifeadvocatessuchas

godvoter.orgarguethatnoonehastherighttoterminateapregnancy.Theybelieve
thefetusisapersonwiththesamerightsasanyotherU.Scitizen.Buttheembryo,
fetusorzygotewoulddiewithouttheirmothersnutrients.Itisnotapersonyet;it
cannotsustainitselfuntil24to28weeks.Evenuntilthen,thechancesofsurvivalare
veryslimunderthebestmedicalcare.Upuntilthispoint,whenthefetuscanliveon
itsown,itshouldnotbeconsideredacitizenwithrights.

Abortionbeinglegalgiveswomenachoice.Theyshouldbetheonestohave
complete,privatecontrolovertheirreproductivelife.Sowhyshouldwomenhavea
choice?Let'ssaythatshebecamepregnantduetorape.Shenowcandecidefor
herselftokeepthechild.AccordingtoPhysicianFeliciaH.Stewartandeconomist
JamesTrussell,itisestimatedthat333,000rapeswerereportedintheUSin1998and
causedabout25,000pregnancies.PlannedParenthoodfoundthatwhenamother
raisesarapeconceivedchild,boththetraumaticeffectoftherapeandthechild's
bloodrelationshiptotherapistcancreatesignificantpsychologicalproblemswith
motherandchild.Ifawomandecidestokeepandraisethechild,shemayhave
difficultyacceptingit,andbothmotherandchildfaceostracisminsomesocieties.
Mothersmayalsofacelegaldifficulties.InmostUSstates,therapistmaintains
parentalrights.ResearchbylegalscholarShawnaPrewittindicatesthattheresulting
continuedcontactwiththerapistisdamagingforwomenwhokeepthechild.By
keepingabortionlegal,25,000womenhaveachoice.SadlyProlifeequip.orgwishes
totakewoman'sfreedomaway.Articleonthewebsitestates:"Theunbornentityis
notanaggressorwhenitspresencedoesnotendangeritsmother'slife.Itistherapist
whoistheaggressor.Theunbornentityisjustasmuchaninnocentvictimasits
mother.Hence,abortioncannotbejustifiedonthebasisthattheunbornisan
aggressor."Thisiscompletelycrueltothemother.Forcingsomeonetocarryher
rapistsbabyforninemonthsishorrific.Alsothefetusisnotapersonyetanddoes

notfeelpain.Havingachoicewhattodowithyourbodyisthebestoption.Legalized
abortionallowsthemothertochooseunderherpersonalbeliefsandnottobeforced
undersomeoneelse'sbeliefs.

Manyareconcernedthatabortioninflictspainuponthefetus.Recentresearch
showsthatthefetusiscontinuouslyasleepandunconscious,partiallydueto
endogenoussedation.Furthermore,thefetusissedatedbylowoxygentensionofthe
fetalblood,theneurosteroid,andanestheticspregnenoloneinthesleepinducing
prostaglandinD2providedbytheplacenta;thereforethefetuscannotfeelpain.
Antiabortionistswillarguethatfetalkicks,facialexpressionsandothermovements
areallstrongsignsofconsciousness.Onthecontrary,MasseyUniversityandthe
UniversityofAucklandfoundthatelectricalsilenceandsporadicshortepochsofEEG
activitythecerebralcortexdoesnothavethefunctionalcapacitytosupportanystates
resemblingconsciousness.Thus,movementsofthebody,limbs,neckorheador
changesinfacialexpressionorgrimacingareconsideredtobesubcorticalreflexes.In
otherwords,thefetusmaybemovingbutisnotconscious.Itisclearthatabortionis
notharmingthefetusandshouldremainlegal.

Forcingwomentosubmittoanother'sbeliefiswrongandviolatesthe9thand
14thAmendments.Legalizedabortiongiveswomentheprivacy,freedomandcontrol
theysorightfullydeserve.Thefetusisnotapersonanddoesnotfeelpain.Abortion
shouldremainlegalforallwomeninallcircumstances.

Bibliography
:
PhysicianFeliciaH.Stewart
EconomistJamesTrussell
LegalscholarShawnaPrewitt
equip.org
MasseyUniversity
UniversityofAuckland
CornellUniversityofLawSchool
FetalViabilityFromWikipedia
DavidJamesMellor
TamaraJohannaDiesch
AlistairJanGunn
LauraBennet
http://altweb.jhsph.edu/