Abortion - Is It Really Safe

Abortion

Is it Really Safe?

Shawn R. Stark

DeVry University

English 112

Professor Singleton

June 14, 2014

One of the most controversial topics of the day is that of abortion. People all over the world have very strong convictions about whether or not a woman has the right to terminate a pregnancy. Some of these convictions are based on the rights and health of the women having the abortions. Others are based on deep religious and moral beliefs.

These two opposing views are, for the most part, split down the middle. The side that bases their convictions on the rights and health of women call themselves Pro-Choice. The side that bases their convictions on their religious and moral beliefs call themselves Pro-Life.

The Pro-Choice side of the argument believes that women have the right to choose what they do with their bodies and no one else has the right to interfere with their decisions. They also argue that abortion should be kept legal in order to keep abortion safe. They support this view by stating the fact that between the 1880s and 1973, many thousands of women either died or suffered serious medical problems as a result of either self-inducing their own abortions or having them performed by unqualified practitioners. According to the National Abortion Federation, 97% of women who have safe, legal abortions before 13 weeks report no complications. ("Pro-choice and Proud," n.d.).

Pro-Choice advocates will also argue that a human fetus is not actually a human being and, therefore, has no right to life. The Pro-Choice Action Network states that, “Fetuses are uniquely different from born human beings in major ways, which casts doubt on the claim that they can be classified as human beings.” They support this view with the fact that a fetus depends solely on a woman’s body to survive. In addition, they state that, “Another key difference is that a fetus doesn't just depend on a woman's body for survival, it actually resides inside her body. Human...