TERMINATION

Termination: The Feat of One, the Fall of Many

Tiana Philippe, Samantha Souza, Hannah Gould, Ariana Grenier, Jasline Carranza, Angela
Rossner, Ashley Abreu, and Keisha Parra
Rhode Island Nursing Institute Middle College

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Abstract
While some may view abortion as the slaughter of an innocent baby, others see it as
simply the act of wishing away an obstacle that could ruin their future. Many nations have
abortion under a tight control where women may find it an impossibility, and some nations even
completely prohibit the act under every circumstance. However, since 1973, in the United States,
abortion is legal under any
circumstance up until a certain point in the pregnancy, which varies by state. The main point
surrounding this topic is the morality of the decision. Pro-life and pro-choice supporters argue
over what the right thing to do is.

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Termination:
The Feat of One, the Fall of Many

Morality is a very controversial topic, especially when people have differing views of
what's right and wrong. The mind is complex, some people may even feel, under certain
circumstances, murder is right. Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been one of the
most discussed topics in the United States for decades. The crucial question surrounding the
topic being: should it be legal or illegal? The pro-life and pro-choice supporters are in a constant
battle of what is acceptable. Currently, the pregnant woman makes the final decision on whether
or not to abort the fetus. Or is it a baby? Regardless of what it is deemed, the woman's choice
should not be swayed by false, or exaggerated, information. Nonetheless, the feud between the
two groups have put a lot of pressure on the woman considering abortion, pushing a wave of
guilt and depression over her.
The Start of Legalization
Until the year of 1973, abortion was legal only under certain circumstances. Those
circumstances being: the woman pregnant endured a health problem or the woman was
impregnated through rape or incest, but Norma McCorvey set the new standard on abortion. In
June of 1969, McCorvey had discovered that she was pregnant. Since she wished against
becoming a mother, she tried to have a legal abortion by falsely claiming to be a victim of rape.
After her plan failed, determined to have an abortion, she turned to two attorneys. Although she
gave birth before the lawsuit was over, the case had made its way to the Supreme Court and
there, against the defendant Henry Wade, abortion was made legal under any circumstance. The
United States wasnt, and still isnt, the only country with this problem. Around the world,

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abortion is still illegal in most countries, except if it regards health issues. Has the United States
made the right decision in making abortion legal, or are they just as delusional as the women
considering abortion?
Process and Statistics
There are many different ways to get an abortion, primarily determined by how far along
a woman is into pregnancy. According to Planned Parenthood, 89-92% of abortions are done in
the first trimester. While in the first trimester, the first 12 weeks, medical and surgical abortion
procedures are offered. These procedures can be used until around the 9th week of pregnancy.
Mifepristone and Misoprostol (the abortion pill), a manual vacuum aspiration, and suction
curettage are the available medical and surgical procedures. During the second trimester dilation
and curettage (D&C), dilation and evacuation (D&E), and an induction abortion are offered.
During the third trimester, the fetus becomes viable, or able to live outside the womb. With that
said, abortion becomes illegal after the second trimester. Many people wonder why women get
abortions. Planned Parenthood claims that the most common reasons for abortion are inability to
afford or care for the child, the child would interfere with work or school, and the father is
absent. 85.3% of women who get abortions are unmarried. More than half of women getting
abortions are 25 years and under. Usually, these young women are afraid for their future and get
an abortion out of fear, 51% claiming they used contraception and 40% claiming that their
parents did not know. Since 1973, 421 women have died from legal abortion. That number is
surprisingly small, considering in 2014 an approximate 954,000 abortions were done. Every
year, almost one million fetuses are aborted.
The Beneficial Components of Abortion

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Abortion will never cease to exist, despite the act being legal or not. According to the

Ugandan Center for Health, Human Rights, and Development, an approximate 400,000 women
have unsafe abortions in Uganda every year (Ministry of Health Uganda, 2015). In order to stop
women from having an unsafe abortion, the option for a safe and healthy abortion needs to be
available. Death from safe and professionally done abortions is very rare. According to the CDC,
in 2008, only .64% out of every 100,000 abortions, with a total of 712,061, were fatal. The
chance of dying is increased by 14 times while giving birth. It is more than likely that the
percentage will only decrease as time goes on because of the technological advances in the
United States. In places like Uganda, where abortion is illegal, the practice is done dangerously,
with a high mortality rate. If abortion had been legal in those countries, clinics that offer safe
abortion would have been available, and the women would have more than likely survived.
Contradicting many arguments against abortion, the fetus usually does not feel pain during a
legal procedure. The fetus does not have a working nervous system until 20-24 weeks of
pregnancy. Which, coincidentally, at 24 weeks abortion becomes illegal in most states.
According to Planned Parenthood, 89-92% of all abortions are in the first trimester, or the first
12 weeks. Therefore, the abortion will unlikely have a painful effect on the fetus. On the
contrary, born, living, and breathing children can certainly feel pain. Many mothers birth
children without wanting them, causing the child to grow in an unhealthy environment. The
children may be put up for adoption. In 2014, there were almost 110,000 children waiting to be
adopted, moving in and out of foster homes. On average, 29% of the children are in foster care
for at least 3 years. While some are in foster care for just weeks, some are there for more than
half their adolescent life. Some foster homes aren't healthy, and may direct even more abuse and
neglect towards the child than the birth parents were causing. Roughly 135,000 children were

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adopted in 2014, 41% of them coming from foster homes. That means, about 55% of children are
being adopted every year, and this doesn't include the children who aren't put up for adoption but
aren't wanted at home. If a mother doesn't want her child, it is not fair to give them a miserable
life. Abortion gives the mother an option to save the child from a world of abuse. Many pregnant
women, even young teenagers, have abortions because they were impregnated by their rapist. Of
course, a mother would not want to birth a product of rape. A mother looking at her child and
seeing her rapist will only cause psychological damage, a pain the child and the mother will both
endure. A mother may resent their child because of this, leaving the child abandoned or, as
aforementioned, being put up for adoption. Also, if the rapist is willing to rape a woman, he
undoubtedly is mentally ill, and that might pass on to the child genetically. The United States
does not need any more rapists in the country. The same is said for a woman being impregnated
through incest, in addition there is a very high chance the child will have serious birth defects.
There is also the common risk that the mother will die giving birth to the baby. Of course, a
woman should not be forced to give her own life away for a new one to begin.
Risk Factors and Disadvantages of Abortion
The beginning of a new life is an idea often referred to as a miracle. Pro-life supporters
argue that no one being should be able to end the life of another. One huge reason people are
against abortion is because of their religious beliefs. Abortion defies the word of God, deeming it
a sinful act. According to the Bible, murder is wrong (Gen. 9:6) and the unborn fetus is a baby
(Luke, 1:44), and therefore, it can be implied that the Bible says abortion is wrong. Life begins at
conception, and ending a life is wrong. A woman who has an abortion may undergo
complications in the future. There is a chance a woman will miscarry often after an abortion
especially if there is conception soon after the abortion. Women may even experience infertility-

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the inability to conceive-after having an abortion. There are many infertile women wishing to
adopt a child. Adoption can give a child a chance to live and a woman a chance to be a mother.
Abortion lowers the amount of adoptable babies. Having an abortion will likely result in some
sort of psychological damage for the woman. A study directed by Elliot Institute found that out
of the 260 women surveyed, 89.3% of them said they experienced negative or ambivalent
feelings after the abortion. 8.7% said they were unsure while a measly 2% of women said they
had no negative or ambivalent feelings at all. Psychological guilt can lead to many different
mental illnesses. Another study, involving almost 60,000 Californian patients, revealed that
women who had an abortion are 160 times more likely to be treated for psychological disorders
than women who have given birth. 44% of the women who had an abortion claimed having
nervous disorders and 37% had endured sleeping problems. Almost all of women who have an
abortion will feel guilty, or even wish the could take it back. An anonymous testimony, written
by a woman who had her first abortion at 15, states I willingly went through the process, and
when I awoke, a major piece of me died along with my baby. I slept for the rest of the day,
broken, ashamed, and guilty (Anonymous testimony against abortion, 2015, par.10). This
woman reflects most of the emotions women experience after aborting. Although there arent a
great deal of prevalent physical risk factors, the psychological damage is very serious and
common.
Conclusion
The topic of abortion arises many debates and arguments. However, there are
undoubtedly both advantages and disadvantages to having an abortion. Morality is the biggest
issue mentioned when discussing this topic. Should an expecting mother of an unwanted baby
choose the fate of the unborn fetus? Is it a justifiable solution to the problem of the fetus being a

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product of rape, or the birth of the baby being risky to the mothers life? When is it justifiable, if
ever? There are many different answers to these questions, because it is simply an opinion.
Morality is personal. Everyone has a different stance on whats right and whats wrong. With that
being said, is abortion really the slaughter of innocence? Could it be the slaughter of human
rights? Is innocence and human rights referring to the mother or the unborn baby? The benefits
and risks of abortion are discussed so one can form their own opinion on if it should be accepted
or not. It is for everyone to decide.

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Citation
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