Reasons Why Abortion Should Be Banned and Illegal
According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, there were 638,169 abortions from 49 reporting areas in the United States. While the number has decreased from 2014, it is still a staggering number of unborn children whose lives are taken away. Pro-choicers and pro-lifers have been debating the issue for years, with the central question being whether abortion is right or wrong. Not only is it a horrific act of murder, but it is also unconstitutional to take the life of a child. It goes against the 14th Amendment to deny our future generations the right to live. Furthermore, the practice of aborting based on whether the baby is viable outside the woman's womb is not a strong argument, as technology has progressed, and the process is cruel and unjust. Therefore the reasons why abortion should be banned are discussed in this essay.
Why abortion should be banned
The debate between a woman's right to choose and the baby's right to life has been ongoing for decades. Abortion is controversial because pro-lifers argue that the baby has potential life that could be lived, and it should have the opportunity to live its life. On the other hand, many people believe that it is the woman's choice because they believe that the child is part of the mother and that it is a parasite that she can get rid of. Pro-lifers disagree with this argument.
Pro-choicers argue that it is the woman's body, and thus she can do what she wants with it. Many pro-life advocates agree with that statement, that women can do what they want to their body as long as they do not negatively affect the unborn child's life. However, some unborn children should be protected from a destructive mother. Many pro-lifers believe that society has to realize that the unborn child cannot be treated like property, and that no one can own another human being. Abortion is a dangerous process that can cause long-lasting damage to the woman's mental state, for example, "A 2002 study of this data found that women who had an abortion were about 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide in the eight years following this event than women who delivered a child." Moreover, it is a process that terminates another human life, and possibly, two lives could be lost due to abortion.
Firstly, abortion is straight-out murder. Murder is defined as an unlawful killing of another human being with some level of intent. This is precisely what abortion is - someone killing a defenseless human being with the intention of getting rid of their mistake. Furthermore, life, in scientific terms, is defined as anything that adapts to its environment, reproduces, uses energy, and has the ability to grow and be responsive to stimuli. From a scientific point of view, life begins at conception and does not end until natural death. Based on this information, an unborn child is a life that can adapt to its environment, potentially reproduce, uses energy, has the ability to grow, and could be responsive to stimuli. An abortion after conception is an unlawful killing of a potential human being. Abortion goes against the law created to protect all living human beings - a law that prohibits taking someone's life. Abortion is a murderous act of taking an innocent unborn child's life, and it should be treated as such. We, as a people, should protect the right of a child to live.
In conclusion, there are many reasons why abortion should be illegal: it violates the fundamental right to life, goes against the principles of the Constitution, and can have negative long-term effects on women's mental health. Abortion goes against the 14th and 9th Amendments to the US Constitution. It denies unborn children their right to life. The Constitution states that no one should "deprive any person of life," and the 9th Amendment states that "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
The debate over whether it is the woman's right to choose or the baby's right to live has been ongoing for decades, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of society to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. An unborn child is a life that deserves protection, and we must work towards creating a culture that values life and promotes alternatives to abortion, such as adoption. As the late Mother Teresa once said, "I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it is a direct war, a direct killing, direct murder by the mother herself." It is time to put an end to this direct killing and promote a society that values and protects life at all stages.
References
- Schumm, W. R. (2018). Abortion and child abuse: Testing for the link. Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect, 80, 39-47. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.02.014
- Reardon, D. C. (2003). The abortion and mental health controversy: A comprehensive literature review of common ground agreements, disagreements, actionable recommendations, and research opportunities. SAGE Open, 3(1), 2158244012473691. doi: 10.1177/2158244012473691
- Lopez-Gonzalez, L. A., Hernandez-Sanchez, A., & Fuentes-Pardo, B. (2017). Maternal mortality in the context of unsafe abortion and legal restrictions: A qualitative study in Chiapas, Mexico. Reproductive Health Matters, 25(51), 71-80. doi: 10.1080/09688080.2017.1409283
- Heritage Foundation. (2021). Abortion. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/life/report/abortion
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2019). The importance of abortion access to women’s health. Retrieved from https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/position-statements/2019/the-importance-of-abortion-access-to-womens-health
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