Abortion

 

Abortion

I.  Introduction

Definition

Abortion is the situation where a pregnancy is terminated by removing the fetus from the uterus causing its death or caused by its death.

A.  Abortion is the most controversial and important topic of today

i). Every 1 out of 4 fetuses in our generation is killed before they are born

ii). Voting blocks exist that vote purely according to the abortion issue

B.  Abortion has affected almost everyone

i). Most people know at least someone who has had an abortion

ii). Every 1 out of 6 women has had an abortion

II. Body

A.  History

i). The origin of abortion

ii). The origin of Planned Parenthood

iii). Court cases that brought about legalized abortion

1.  Roe v. Wade

2.  Doe v. Bolton

B.  Abortion today

i). Public perception

1.  Polls suggest opinions are at 50-50

2.  Majority of Americans would allow abortion for exceptions such as rape and incest

a. Majority of abortions are not for rape or incest cases.

b. The exceptions were included in the Congress proposed bans on partial birth abortion

ii). The abortion industry is quite profitable

1.  Planned Parenthood’s amazing Monetary Benefits

III. Summary

A.  Abortion remains controversial subject

B.  Abortion has affected almost everyone

i). A person either personally knows someone who has participated in an abortion or they have had one themselves

ii). Every 1 out of 4 fetuses have been killed.

1. Abortion shall ever be controversial and important

Abortion

Abortion is the situation where a pregnancy is terminated by removing the fetus from the uterus causing its death or caused by its death. There have been over 35 million deaths due to abortion since 1973 with the yearly figures increasing every year. Induced abortion has had much debate, activism and controversy. Voting blocks have been set up for people to vote and support or ban abortion. These blocks are open to the public. Since abortion is a common problem, it has affected majority of people all around the world. It could be a neighbor, friend, relative or even them, but every American over the age of sixteen years, knows a person who either has had abortion or has been affected by it. In America, out of every six women, one has had an abortion. Many of them were not aware of the risks involved.

Abortion dates back to ancient times where people used several different methods to do it. In America, the first case of abortion appeared in the 1820s when laws concerning it also began. Abortion had been banned by the 1900s. Planned parenting, generally known as family planning, surfaced in 1934 when an article was written by a journalist, Margaret Sanger, outlining how the law could be implemented. This was the first step in the partial legalization of abortion. The purpose was to give priority to mothers who did not want to have many children. Later on in the 1970s, court cases began to arise that played a big role in the legalization of abortion in America. An example of such a case is the case between Roe vs. Wade that occurred in 1972. The case was quite a significant case in that abortion issue in America. The case provided that, as long as there was a convincing reason for one to have an abortion then it should be legal. A similar case between Doe v. Bolton, updated the decision immediately after (Mohr, 1999).

Today, abortion is quite a sensitive yet controversial issue in America. A person’s position regarding the issue mostly relates to their personal values and principles since the issue falls on many realms including moral, ethical, philosophical and biological realms. Of course, the two main positions are those that support it and those that are against it. The American people are influenced by a lot in their decisions concerning abortion. The various factors include personal beliefs on its morality, personal ethics, religious ethics, and governmental influence. Due to this reason, most of the polls that have been conducted have divided the society into two equal halves – half of it supporting abortion and half strongly opposing abortion. Most Americans would only support abortion if it were for special exceptions like when one is raped or when one commits incest. However, statistics show that most abortions conducted in America have not been due to cases of rape or incest. However, the exceptions were placed in a ban for partial-birth that was proposed by Congress (Krieg, 2007).

Abortion in America is a very profitable institution since people are paying very high costs to get abortions performed on them. Planned Parenthood is America’s biggest institution that deals with abortion. It has 122 affiliate companies that manage more than 900 health centers in the country. This makes them the largest providers of abortion in the country. The company makes a lot of money in the business of abortion since it makes more than 800 million dollars per year. Statistics show that in four pregnancy tests given in their clinics more than one end up being aborted. Is the company promoting abortion or offering a choice to Americans? Abortion is and shall remain a very controversial subject and its effects can be attested by almost every adult American (Rosen, 1997).

 

 

References

Krieg, S. (2007). Abortion in the United States of America. München: GRIN Verlag.

Mohr, J. C. (1999). Abortion in America: the origins and evolution of national policy, 1800-1900. London: Oxford University Press.

Rosen, H. (1997). Abortion in America: medical, psychiatric, legal, anthropological, and religious considerations. Beacon, NY: Beacon Press.