The Abortion Debate Essay Example for Free

The Abortion Debate Essay The history of the abortion debate has continued for decades. In today’s society the topic is very demanding and controversial. Prolifer’s as the name proceeds, frame the debate as the right to life for the baby. Individuals who are for Pro-choice may or may not address whether the fetus is in fact a life, and frame the debate in terms of woman having the right to choose what’s best for their bodies without worrying about the government getting involved. In the following paper I will illustrate and discuss the following questions. 1.My personal opinion on the debate 2.The impact of the infamous Roe vs. Wade case 3.A firsthand view of the after effects for those who choose abortion. Abortion is defined as the Termination of pregnancy, and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival. Abortion challenges a variety of external and moral issues. Much of the debate over abortion tends to place emphasis on the issue of rights – specifically whether a woman’s rights to an abortion outweigh a fetus’s rights to life. Whether she is pro-life or pro-choice both sides rely heavily on legal, scientific, and human right arguments to support their arguments. Growing up I was against abortion. I completely condemned it, when you live in a two –parent church going home the Ten Commandments seem to become apart of your everyday life. I would soon find out that judging individuals for the choices they make would come back to hunt me. It is necessary for you to look at the pros and con’s of both a pro-lifer’s stand point and a pro- choicer’s stand point. It has been a proven fact that while, most individuals that oppose abortion, they would do very differently if put in an uncompromising situation. For example let’s take the individuals who stand in front of abortion clinics and rant about the individuals going into the clinics. While taking a journalism class in my last year of high school, my assignment was to get the viewpoint of someone who opposed abortion and why. I traveled to Gainesville, Fla and was blessed to get the chance to speak to Amanda Givens. Amanda was an activist for an organization that’s mission was to deter individuals from having abortions. Amanda was very strong minded on the opinion and during the interview she would take the time to chant out things such as â€Å" Murder† â€Å" Low Life† and the infamous â€Å" Your going to burn in hell â€Å" quote. As I took in a deep breath Amanda advised me that life began at conception and these individuals were cold hearted murders, she even asked me to take pictures of them in which I refused due to the privacy. Although I was against abortion I didn’t know the reason that these ladies where seeking one so out of respect for them I didn’t ask because it was appropriate. Scientific studies show that conception starts at day fourteen of conception. With that being said is it valid to say that abortion is pre-meditated murder? Or is it considered immoral only if it doesn’t endanger the mother’s life. As I asked Amanda these questions she stayed calm but I knew she was furious at the thought that second guessed her considering the circumstances behind it. Amanda finally replied â€Å" Listen these are innocent lives and I don’t care what reason you have a abortion It’s wrong and it’s damn murder† This interview took place December 2000, when I left I gave Amanda my cell and email address so that she could keep in touch and keep me posted on how successful her mission was coming along. Surprisingly two years later to my amazement Amanda had emailed me citing a urgent meeting and needing to speak with me about the mission, she even offered to make the three hour drive to meet up with me and assured me that what she had to say would be life changing. Of course I agreed but I was dumbfounded, I was thinking maybe she acquired my help on the mission, so we agreed to meet the following day at a local Star Bucks cafà ©. I sat patiently drinking my freshly brewed coffee when Amanda pulled up in her freshly was Honda Accord looking nothing less than fabulous. I greeted her with a hug and a smile, but something wasn’t right, her demeanor for some odd reason was different and I was anxious to hear the news she had for me. I ordered her a cup of coffee and we began to catch up where we left off in Florida. Before I could ask about the mission Amanda told me that she was no longer against abortion. I stood up in astonishment as she told me to have a seat I was amazed at what she said next. She began to tell me it was a Thursday night and it was her turn to gather the signs and brochures for the next day‘s rally, she was excited that she had deterred two teens from abortion and was ready to go home and celebrate. As she walked back to her car, (by this time Amanda had started crying and I became real suspicious of what was to come). She had left the most vital part of her story out so she insisted that she start over, earlier that week she had made the acquaintance of a African American man that informed her that God had sent him to her to help out with the mission surprised as she was she advised him to be there at 7:00am to help set-up because the clinic opened up at 8:00 am. The man whom said his name was Charles was there bright and early talking teens out of abortions and doing a marvelous job of even helping adults making decisions. Amanda said she felt like this was what her mission was missing. To Amanda’s shock Charles never came back again until, a week later on the night in question. Amanda said while she was walking back to her car with a handful of signs a familiar face dragged her by her hair into the bushes and proceeded to rape her It Was Charles! Amanda said she cried to God and whoever could hear her for help but as dark as it was no one could hear her. After Charles was done raping Amanda he ran off into the night. Amanda noticed that Charles didn’t have protection on and that she had, semen leaking from her vagina. After contacting police Amanda laid there praying that she wouldn’t get pregnant and that her new husband of four months wouldn’t find out. Unfortunately Amanda said her prayer went unanswered and weeks later she found out that she was pregnant, she insisted that her only option to saving her marriage was to take a trip to Columbus, GA and have an abortion. Amanda insisted that the decision was based mainly to save her marriage and to keep her family from disowning her for having an interracial baby. Amanda says that while having an abortion was the hardest thing that she has ever done, it literally saved her life. She admits that without the abortion that she would have committed suicide than to live the existence of what was growing inside of her. In conclusion Amanda states that although she still feels abortions are wrong, women should have the option of making the decision themselves privately rather deal with rallies like that of Amanda took part in publically. On the way out the door Amanda said something to me that I will never forget â€Å" The best prayers are unanswered ones† Amanda hoped that her story would change my mind on how I felt about abortions and realize that you cant make a generalization about another individuals decisions until you have experienced it firsthand yourself. The Roe vs. Wade case is known to date as the most legendary abortion case in the world cases like this made it possible for individuals in situations like Amanda’s and those with other circumstances to make decisions for themselves without the governments say so . According to Alters (2010) â€Å"Thirty Year’s later congress has passed the Partial birth abortion ban act of 2003, president bush signed it into law, becoming the first president to ever place a federal ban on abortion (p.133 para 2). Although the Roe vs. Wade case wasn’t established until two years after Jane Doe had her baby, it was the landmark case known to day in all high school and college text books and around the country. The more that Americans understand this case the more they regard it as illegitimate. While people have realized the act of abortion on certain grounds should be legal. In some cases you will find individuals that feel like Amanda felt and feel as though abortion is wrong on all grounds. According to Morgentaler (2001) â€Å"Abortion is an act that corrupts national morality and harms women by encouraging irresponsible and predatory male behavior. More importantly a woman’s right to an abortion ignores the rights of the unborn child- and individual should be legally protected (p 321). While both the prolife and pro choice side has equal substantial debates from listening to Amanda’s situation I am now for abortion although I feel that granted the circumstances unless rape, or endangerment to the mother there are enough contraceptives and knowledge circulating that you should know how to refrain from getting pregnant.