Abortion 9 Essay Research Paper General Studies — страница 2

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of the issue. Not only do we find a certain class of humans devaluated and abused, but again we find the medical profession in the forefront of the killings. The top five abortionists in NSW earn $1.5 million per year from Medicare alone. Someone has profited, but not the woman who undergoes one; the abortion industry makes $500 million dollars a year, and the sale of preborn children s parts could push that figure into the billions. The women must also undergo a humiliating procedure, an invasion deeper than rape, as the interior of her uterus is crudely vacuumed to remove every scrap of life by Frederica Mathewes-Green, Vice President for Communication with the U.S. Feminists for Life. Abortion, in most States remains a criminal offence. Yet the Family Court is unable to

restrain what maybe a criminal act. It is also unable to allot any rights at all to the father or the fetus. The heartache of abortion, of giving up a baby or of caring for an unwanted child is usually endured by the woman alone. Abortion is considered a women s issue and nothing is closer to the being of a woman than bearing or not bearing a child. But it is more than that. It is also a question of human rights. Every year, 80,000 abortions are performed in Australia. Since 1901, the NSW Crimes Act has stated 10 years imprisonment for unlawful abortion. In 1970, a judge of the District Court held that abortion to preserve the physical or mental health of the mother was not unlawful. Since them in practice, not wanting a baby (for reasons ranging from the most serious to the most

trivial) has been enough. In every State any woman who wants an abortion can get what the law (except in South Australia) still says she should not have. Many women who have had abortions suffer from a condition known as Post Abortion Syndrome. Swedish studies (where there s a long history of legal abortion) claim: 1/4 had severe guilt feelings (emptiness, breakdowns, etc.). In Japanese studies, 3 out of 4 women felt anguish over what they had done. Also not commonly known is that in N.S.W the ratio of abortions to live births is 1:2. The average age of an aborted unborn baby is 8 weeks. The womb is disturbingly enough the most dangerous place for an Australian to live. Euthanasia is another argument demanding choice for the people concerned and this time it s the patients right

to chose themselves. Everybody agrees that patients should die where they like, with whom they like, and in comfort. Not everybody is agreed that they should have the right to say when. This, not surprisingly, engenders debate. In Victoria patients have the right to refuse further medical treatment which is considered a form of Euthanasia, as if the medication isn t received in certain situations the patient will die. The dilemma of Euthanasia commonly arises most with rational patients, suffering stable but persistent illness (severe stroke etc) who want the right to die and the help to achieve it. Many of our more literal thinkers want the law changed for this purpose, as do some patients, to specifically permit active euthanasia. To those with this view are interfering with

their freedom. There are undoubtedly situations where patients are not getting what they want. The idea that Euthanasia would be an easy over the counter act is ridiculous. Legal, active euthanasia will be a complex and bureaucratic process involving laws, regulations, multiple opinions, certificates and signatures. The only other option is palliative care, a form of care for those with life threatening diseases such as cancer. Broadening our palliative care services to help those with the progressive diseases ought not to be impossible but till then what is there for the victims of such diseases. Pain and a long drawn out death which is not always wanted. Professor Singer of the Australian Medical Board quotes 62 per cent of doctors support Euthanasia and Sir John Holland of the

same board states that 75% of Australians support Euthanasia. And yet the idea that Euthanasia be legislated again as in Northern Territory seems very unlikely. The idea of legislating laws for Euthanasia in Australia seems incomprehensible after such incidents in countries such as the Netherlands. Reports alleged that 20% of assisted deaths in the Netherlands are carried out without the patient s permission has initiated renewed debate on the country s euthanasia laws. A survey of more than 400 doctors found that many had intentionally terminated a patient s life in spite of the fact that the patient had not explicitly expressed a wish to die. Dutch doctors are obliged by law to report cases where they have assisted death. Euthanasia can only be carried out at the “patient s