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Pro's and Con's of Abortion

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Pro's and Con's of Abortion
Abortion
The definition of abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: (a) as spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation; (b) induced expulsion of a human fetus; (c) expulsion of a fetus by a domestic animal often due to infection at any time before completion of pregnancy ("Merrium-webster dictionary," 2012). The first recorded evidence of an abortion was from 1550 BC in Egypt (Glenc, 1974). From the first records until the 18th century they have had a variety of ways to perform abortions, from standing over steam pots in Asia, to tightening a girdle, to using plants for a botanical abortion. It wasn’t until the 19th century before doctors introduced the surgical side of abortion. Madame Restell was a Victorian-era abortionist who performed surgical abortions and dispensed pills in the northern United States for over 40 years was the first well-known abortionist (Olasky, 1988). Abortion has been a highly debated topic for many years. The view of pro-choice is viewed as being “pro-abortion”. Pro-choice implies that an individual choice should be up to the woman carrying the fetus. Abortion has been a religious issue considering they are the backbone of the anti-abortion movement. Studies show 91% of abortions are done within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and only 4% after 16 weeks. Most late abortions are done due to medical reasons. Less than 3% of abortions are results in fetal abnormalities where they have tested positive due to an amniocentesis. Legal abortions helps parents limit their families to the number of kids they can afford ("Legal abortion: Choice," 2000). Unwanted children shouldn’t have to stay with a mother who has the choice to abort the fetus within the laws that have been enacted. In 2010 408,425 children were in foster care, only 254,114 of them exited the facilities. It also states that 48% of children go to a



References: Abortion: Some medical facts. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ASMF/asmf16.html American life league. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.all.org/nav/index/heading/OQ/cat/MzQ/id/MjQ0NA Glenc, F. (1974). Induced abortion—a historical outline. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4610534 Merrium-Webster dictionary. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortion Olasky, M. N. (1988). Crusading on social and political issues: Personalization and persistence. Prodigal Press: The anti-christian bias of the american news media , Retrieved from http://www.worldmag.com/world/olasky/Prodigal/c11.html

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