Abortion Should Not Be an Option

Are women being fully informed of the possible consequences of abortion? A child does not deserve to die because his or her mother or father were irresponsible. Abortion should not be allowed because not only does it kill a human being but it also physically and mentally hurts the mother, and has an affect on relationships with the baby’s father, family, and friends.

Even if the baby is not yet out of the womb and fully developed, it is still living, from the moment of fertilization a new human life is in existence. A child did not decide that his or her parents would have sex or that they would use ineffective contraception; therefore, the baby is innocent and should not be punished by losing his or her only shot at life. Surgical abortion is done by inserting a long plastic tube connected to a suction device, called a cannula, into the uterus to suction out the fetus and placenta. This procedure is called Aspiration, which is done during the first six to fifteen weeks of the pregnancy. Another process called dilation and evacuation is done after sixteen weeks of the pregnancy. At sixteen weeks, the baby’s legs are much more developed, his head is almost fully developed, his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head, and the ears are closer to the final position, so the baby is pretty well developed (“Your Pregnancy: 16 Weeks p. 2-3).

The process of dilation and evacuation is done by inserting a cannula, then using a curette (surgical instrument shaped like a scoop or spoon) the lining is scraped to remove any residuals and if needed, forceps are used to remove larger parts since the baby is a bit more developed than at six to fifteen weeks. The last process is called dilation and extraction, this procedure is done after twenty one weeks of the pregnancy. At twenty one weeks, the baby is around ten inches long and is already moving, the eyebrows and eyelids are present, and if the baby is a girl her vagina has begun to form (“Your Pregnancy: 21 Weeks p. 1-2). In this process, the fetus is rotated and forceps are used to grasp and pull the legs, shoulders and arms though the birth canal. A small incision is made at the base of the skull to allow a suction catheter inside, which removes the cerebral material until the skull collapses. The fetus is then completely removed (“Surgical Abortion Procedure | American Pregnancy” p. 4, 7, 10).

This is brutal, if doctors are not allowed to do this type of procedure on a grown adult then why is this allowed to do to an unborn child? In New Zealand, between the years 2009 and 2011 there were 877 women admitted to a hospital for treatment of complications following abortions. The total number of bed days totaled 1,047, these statistics show that abortion does not only kill an unborn baby but can result in damage to a woman’s health. A Canadian study showed that twenty five percent of women required psychiatric help after abortion and were more likely than others to require psychiatric help. The National Cancer Institute conducted a study lead by Dr. Janet Daling and her colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who found a link between abortion and cancer.

They concluded that among women who had been pregnant at least once, the risk of breast cancer in those who had experienced an induced abortion was 50% higher than among other women (“Abortion” p. 1-3). Some other physical risks that women could suffer are excessive bleeding, infection, incompetent cervix, perforated uterus, bowel, or bladder, scarring, sterility, and ectopic pregnancies. Psychological and emotional risks that women could suffer are depression and anxiety, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, relationship and sexual difficulties, smoking, suicide, and post abortion stress syndrome (“Abortion Risks”). Women are not being told the possible side effects of abortion before making their decision, because if they were they would not go through with the abortion knowing that they might suffer from any physical, emotional, and psychological side effects. Abortion does not only affect the child who is being killed and the mother having the abortion but it also has and affect on family and friends close to the mother.

There has been at least seven documented studies that show that women who have had one or more abortions are more likely to have shorter relationships and more divorce. Also, 30-50% post abortive women experience difficulties in following relationships, including aversion to men and sex, painful intercourse, and promiscuity. Women who have gone through with an abortion and show specific symptoms like depression, inability to function normally, inability to manage personal responsibilities, self-harm, self-destructive behavior, suicidal thoughts or activity, and the desire to get pregnant, are said to have Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS). PASS is a condition which is triggered by a traumatic experience that reduces the victim unable to cope. Other psychological and emotional risks that go along with abortion include difficulties with normal functioning (keeping up with school, job, or family responsibilities), child abuse, avoidance behavior, irritability, outburst of anger, and violent behavior (“Abortion Risks” p. 12, 16 18).

If a women is suffering from any psychological and emotional risks from abortion it makes handling their daily life difficult because they find it very difficult to cope. If the woman is suffering from irritability, outburst of anger, or violent behavior then this type of behavior can affect her marriage or if she has other kids then it will affect her relationship with her kids. Many of these behaviors will not only hurt the mother who had the abortion but will also affect those around her. Many women think abortion is the “right” thing to do, maybe because they are tight on money, they are afraid their husband/boyfriend might leave them, they do not feel prepared to raise a child but the option of adoption does exist and there is a lot of help given by the government. Abortion should never be an option because the baby is alive once fertilization occurs. At sixteen and twenty one weeks the baby is pretty well developed and abortion is still being done at this stage of the pregnancy, if the cerebral material is being sucked out until the skull collapses that is definitely murder and it should be stopped.

Works Cited

“Abortion.” Timaru Herald: 10. Apr 21 2012. ProQuest. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. “Abortion Risks.” Birth Mothers. Birthmother Ministries Inc. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. . “Surgical Abortion Procedures | American Pregnancy.” American Pregnancy Association. 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. . “Your Pregnancy: 16 Weeks.” BabyCenter. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. . “Your Pregnancy: 21 Weeks.” BabyCenter. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. .