Argument Paper on Abortion

Yun Li

February 9th 2012

Abortion causes immeasurable harm.

I arouse my concerns about abortion rate these days since more and more people I know are not taking this problem seriously. In this essay I will canvass the main arguments of the abortion debate, with the hope of sharpening that debate. My goal is to clarify ideas, rather than to defend a political position; and I will focus on the harm abortion will cause. The abortion rate has declined comparing to decades ago. However, according to the new report from the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization, the proportion of unsafe abortion is still increasing. The study also showed that abortion ends one in five pregnancies worldwide which is relatively very high. To a great extent, abortion has caused much harm to women and generally to the whole society in various ways.

First, abortion has caused serious harm to women. “Abortion has completely failed as a social policy designed to aid women,” writes Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life. “It is a reflection that we have failed women.” Abortion will do harm to women both physically and psychologically which might result in affecting the relationship between these aborted women and their families in the future. Women who have one abortion will double their risk of cervical cancer, compared to non-aborted women, while women with two or more abortions multiply their risk nearly five times. Abortion increases the rates of breast cancer, placenta previa, pre-term births, and some more psychological problems. One of my best friends has been suffered from child abuse ever since she had the abortion done. A great of studies have demonstrated the high relationship between abortion and a rise in sexual dysfunction, loss of intimacy, unexpected guilt, extramarital affairs, traumatic stress syndrome, personality fragmentation and even maternal suicide. All types of deaths and diseases are higher with women who have had induced abortions. Yet,...