Individual Assignment #3: Abortion

Emily Caillier-Waye
PHIL8110
Professor Lewis Silvestri
1 December 2014

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There can be many long-term effects on women and their significant other after
she has gotten an abortion. However, depending on the person, it could be very beneficial
to have an abortion for hers and his life choices. An estimated number of about 40% of
pregnancies in Canada are unplanned. Half of those pregnancies are carried to full-term
while the other half are terminated. For religious people, having an abortion is considered
not to be a personal choice but a major offense to God and His creation as well as
abortion being a sin that perpetuates evil. For others, they are pro-choice. Although
abortion procedures have become more common in Canada and the US, they are still not
completely socially accepted within certain communities. A woman should be allowed to
do whatever she pleases with her body and no one else should try and manipulate those
kinds of decisions.

As a woman, finding out youre pregnant can be frightening and surprising

enough. For some women, it is just not possible for them to be able to raise and take care
of a child at that point in their lifetime. Whether it is career choices, family issues, their
financial states, or cases of rape or incest. In these cases, abortion would be in the
womans best interest. On the other hand, some women believe that abortion is cruel and
unnatural, seeing it as killing a preborn human being, let alone someones child.
Abortion can be seen as morally wrong and it is considered to be taking the easy way
out. This should not be the case. A womans decision to abort her preborn child is
entirely up to her and would be the smartest and most responsible decision she should
make regarding the circumstances she was given. A study in the US that calculated

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psychological responses after abortion, showed that many women that had an abortion
within the first trimester of her pregnancy did not feel any sensations of sadness or regret
but instead does not pose any type of physiological threat to her (Adler, 1990). Thus,
proving that considering the woman is sure of terminating her pregnancy imposes nothing
but a sense of relief and reassurance. For example, Nancy Adler also states in
Psychological Responses After Abortion, After first-trimester abortion, women most
frequently report feeling relief and happiness Two weeks after first-trimester abortions,
76% of women reported feeling relief, while the most common negative emotion, guilt,
was reported by only 17% (Adler, 1990). Many women can end up feeling negative
emotions such as loss and social disapproval however; it is not greatly experienced as
opposed to positive emotions after abortion. Most women find out they are pregnant
while within the first trimester, and with the thought of abortion set in stone, women
should know the possible repercussions of having an abortion and if she will be satisfied
with herself there should be no problem.

Preferably, I do not believe that a fetus is truly a human being until the day that it
is born and takes its first breath. A fetus is simply the idea or possibility of a child, the
same as if an egg is a possibility of life. Since the legalization of abortion in Canada in
1969, health risks have decreased over time. A woman in cases that have been raped or
cases of incest, abortion allows them to terminate that unwanted pregnancy (Reasons for
Abortion, 2011). It also allows termination of the pregnancy if there are any fetal
abnormalities. If a woman is at risk to serious life threatening illnesses relating to

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pregnancy or if the child would be at risk in getting a genetic disease that can have
serious consequences if passes on, then abortion would be the smartest decision
(www.prochoiceactionnetwork-canada.com). Some women are not ready to rear a child
simply because they are not financially stable and are aware that they would not be able
to take care of their future child to the best of their ability. Abortion is an option to
alleviate those social or economic problems. Finally, abortion allows a woman to be in
control of her own body and to control their own reproduction. If a woman is not ready to
be a mother, she should not be forced into keeping a baby that she is nowhere near ready
to take care of. For adolescents, psychologists had to reevaluate abortion issues that
pertain to teenagers involved in unwanted pregnancies (Harris, 1997). Some supporters of
the parental notification laws have argued that by enforcing parental participation; can
reduce serious harmful psychological effects on the adolescent. For instance, as she
contemplates terminating her pregnancy, parental involvement could be crucial for
needed psychological and emotional support (Harris, 1997). Many adolescents or
teenagers feel extremely fearful when having to tell their parents that they have made a
mistake that involved an unplanned pregnancy. Thus being why some laws require
parental consent for a young person to have an abortion. Abortion is a personal choice
made by a female solely based on individual morals, environment, upbringing and
circumstances she was given.

People believe that God put everything on this earth for a reason. They also
believe that it is morally wrong to deprive an unborn child of its given rights (Fryman,

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2009). Religious people describe abortion as terminating a child of God is a moral sin and
that sexual intercourse is for the sole purpose of procreation. In an article called Abortion
as Stigma: Cognitive and Emotional Implications of Concealment, Richard H. Gramzow
and Brenda Major state, Despite the prevalence of abortion, women who have one in
America do so within a society that is sharply divided about the morality of their action
(Gramzow, Major, 1999). Women who sought out to have an abortion often cope with
the potential stigmatization of it by keeping it a secret due to the fear of rejection and
social disapproval (Gramzow, Major, 1991). People often get upset knowing that since
they are taxpayers; some abortion clinics actually rely on taxpayers money to keep them
running. Its difficult to see abortion as something positive when you first think about it,
from most perspectives it is considered murder. Some women may have to realize that
going through an abortion procedure could possibly mean that she will never get pregnant
again because of health reasons (Fryman, 2009). Women now have a choice. Just because
she finds out she is pregnant, does not mean that she is mentally and financially stable
nor is she ready to take on this big responsibility of raising a child. If a woman whom
was addicted to narcotics or something that could potentially harm a fetus, abortion
would be the best way to go. People need to understand that it is not their bodies that
have to go through this nor does it affect anyone but the mother going through the
procedure, so they cannot keep saying what is right and wrong for someone else.

In conclusion, I am pro-choice. A woman should do whatever she needs to make

sure her life is on the right track in the given circumstances. If abortion is not fit for one,

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does not mean it isnt the right choice for all. Studies have shown that there have been
minimal feelings of shame, or loss after abortion within the first trimester, but instead
feelings of relieve and happiness. Yes, there is potential for a preborn baby to become
something great in life but if the person raising it is not ready, financially or mentally
stable then there would be no point in raising a child.

Works Cited
"Facts & Figures: Abortion." Facts & Figures: Abortion. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov.
2014.
"Misconceptions About Abortion." THE PRO-CHOICE ACTION NETWORK.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
"Reasons for Abortion." About.com Contraception. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
Harris, Yvette R. "Adolescent Abortion." Society 34.5 (1997): 20-1. ProQuest.
Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Major, Brenda, and Richard H. Gramzow. "Abortion As Stigma: Cognitive And
Emotional Implications Of Concealment." Journal Of Personality And Social
Psychology 77.4 (1999): 735-745. PsycARTICLES. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
Adler, Nancy E., et al. "Psychological Responses After Abortion." Science
248.4951 (1990): 41. ProQuest. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.