Abortion Essay Research Paper From 1973 to

Abortion Essay, Research Paper From 1973 to 1987, over 22 million abortions have been performed. Pro-lifers would call that a terrible waste of humanlife. True, 22 million lives were taken, but I believe that we are better off without those. Webster’s dictionary defines abortion as “the expulsion of anonviable fetus.” Abortion might possibly be the mostcontroversial topic right now. I’m sure by now that you’ve heard of all the different types ofabortion. Almost all abortions performed in the US are surgicalabortions, where the fetus is removed by suction or other means.(Medication offers another option, to be discussed later in thisreport.) During a suction abortion, the fetus is dismembered anddisposed of by a small tube. This process takes but about 10 minutes,

and the mother experiences very little or no physicaldiscomfort. Pro-lifers immediately say that emotional trauma andguilt haunts every woman after she has an abortion. However,during my research, I found numerous women who led (and continueto lead) prominent and scot-free lives after their abortions. Ithink that the mental state of the mother depends very much onher personal feelings toward abortion, and the actual experiencethe had before and during the abortion. I have found that most of the time,they employ the use of a few strategies for making their viewsknown. One tactic pro-lifers use to convince people of theirviews is to play on fear and emotions. Their graphicdescriptions and gruesome pictures are a crude attempt to “scare” people out of abortion, while their pious

talk andsobbing try to make us feel sorry for them and the unborn.Another popular strategy of pro-lifers is to protest things like”Life begins at conception! The fetus is human!” Science hasproven these facts, and pro-choicers are by no means trying todeny them. However, pro-choicers feel that the rights of theparents (namely the mother) override the rights of the unbornchild.Neither of these tactics work on pro-choicers like myself. True,pro-lifers are entitled to voicing their opinion (just as I am),but I feel that some of their methods (as illustrated in thenext section) are very unorthodox. A new bill was introduced in April 1994. The Freedom of Accessto Clinic Entrances Act (aka FACE or FACEA) protects womenseeking abortion, and the facilities performing

them.Specifically, FACE protects reproductive health service staffand patients from violent threats, assault, vandalism, andblockades. FACE was signed by President Clinton on May 26, 1994,but angry pro-lifers still violate this law. The consequencesfor a first-time offender cannot exceed one year in prisonand/or a $100,000 fine. Repeat offenders face a maximum 3 yearprison sentence and/or a $250,000 fine. If any injury isincurred, the sentence jumps to 10 years. If death results fromthe offense, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.I think it is about time for FACEA. Pro-lifers have gone farenough with their “demonstrations” in front of clinicsnationwide. Many news clips have shown pro-lifers throwingthings at women as they walk into a clinic. In one extreme case,an

off-duty police officer (acting as a bodyguard) and thehusband of a woman seeking an abortion were shot at bypro-lifers. The police officer died—the husband was severely wounded. Even though FACEA will not put a stop to the violencetoward abortionists and clients, I think it will definatelydecrease it. Different medications are offering a safe and privatealternative to clinic abortions. RU486 is an abortion inducingpill that allows women to have non-invasive, safer and easierabortions in the privacy of their own homes. This option alsoeliminates any contact with livid pro-lifers and theirantagonistic methods. RU486 also offers great medical promise inthe research and possible cures/treatments of breast cancer,endometriosis, prostrate and brain cancer. Right now, pro-lifersare