Gilbert De Ycaza 11 September 2013 Persuasive Essay: Abortion

Planet Earth. It is the home of one special and unique life in the known universe. In this blue sphere, we find plants, microorganisms, insects, reptiles and mammals. There, on top of the mammal world we find ourselves, the human race. Like our fellow mammals, we share a common denominator: we are warm blooded, female mammals give birth to live young, grow hair, and produce milk. But the similarities stop there. Humans have a very evolved brain, we use a complex communication system, we feel pain, we fell love, and we feel the urge to better ourselves. In the beauty of our humanity lies a dark side; we inflict pain, we hate, and we destroy one another. One of the most notorious and destructive acts is abortion. This inhumane act has followed our human history for centuries. McLaren Angus wrote In 1566 Henri Estienne referred to midwives being brought to private homes to provide abortions (463). Not only have we made this atrocity legal; we beautifully justify murder. Women who walk the path of abortion have done so for a number of reasons. Abortion activists argue it is a womans body and they can do what ever they want to it. That statement is true to a certain level. If there is a baby inside a womens womb, that baby has to be protected and has the same rights as the mother. Other reasons are unplanned pregnancies and the despicable and horrendous act of rape. Killing an innocent life does not repair the damage. Having an abortion has a huge ripple effect, not only on the life that is about to be destroyed, but also on the woman who commits this legal murder. In January 22, 2008 marked the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade case; 50,000,000 babies have been slaughtered since then. Fifty million represents a population greater than any state, greater than California (OBannon).

There is no doubt our bodies were created to be a perfect biological machine. A perfect example is conception. From the very moment a sperm enters an egg, a new human being is created; the new babys genes and sex are written. If the sperm carries an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl. If it carries a Y chromosome, the baby will be a boy. Fertilization of the egg is the fist step of a newly conceived life. Under the law, the zygote embryo is not considered human; therefore it is legal to dispose of . Under Gods eye, it is a new son, a new daughter. In the Bible, Psalm 139:13 says For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. And in Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Whether you believe in Gods creation or not, the authors of these books have a crystal clear vision of lifes preservation. Women, who decide to end the life of their unborn child, transform their wombs in sepulchers.

After the legal murder has been committed, physical and psychological effects can be expected. An article posted on the American Pregnancy Association lists the immediate side effects following an abortion. They can last as long as 2-4 weeks: Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, spotting and bleeding. Some of the most severe side effects are: infection or sepsis, damage to the cervix, scarring of the uterine lining, perforation to the uterus, damage to other organs and even death (Medline Plus, Bethesda M.D. & National Library of Medicine). If a woman is lucky enough to survive an abortion, there are psychological effects as well. The Elliot Institute study found:

A study of medical records of 56,741 California Medicaid patients revealed that women who had abortions were 160 percent more likely than delivering

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women to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment in the first 90 days following abortion or delivery.

These women had suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, child neglect or abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic relationship problems and repeated abortions. This quick fix has no rewards and many losses.

In 2004, according to a study done by the Guttmacher Institute, women listed the following reasons to have an abortion: 74% though having a baby would dramatically change their life, 73% could not afford a baby, 48% did not want to be a single mother were having relationship problems, 38% had completed childbearing, 32% were not ready for another child, 25% did not want people to know they had sex, 22% did not feel mature enough to raise a child, 14% had a husband or partner who wanted them to have an abortion, 13% had possible problems affecting the health of the fetus, 12% were concerned for their health, 6% had parents who wanted them to have an abortion, 1% were victims of rape and less than 0.5% became pregnant as a result of incest (Finer, Frohwirth, Dauphinee, Singh & Moore 114).

In algebra, adding two negative numbers equals a negative number. In the old saying two wrongs dont make a right. Killing a baby, an innocent human being who is not at fault, who did not ask to come into this world is fatally and morally wrong. When a woman is a victim of rape (a despicable act itself against the integrity and wellness of any human being) and the outcome of such crime is pregnancy, there are other options to resolve it. But one of them is not murdering the innocent. For teenage girls who become pregnant after having premature sex, their life will certainly make a 360-degree turn. School, social and family life will be affected. But there are many programs that offer financial and emotional help to those who need it.

Humans are the most advanced mammals on Earth, but with the most flaws. We always invent new ways to kill the living and the unborn. Perhaps, we should focus our powerful brain to those mammals who do not envy, do not hate, do not speak an eloquent communication system like our own and learn from them. They do not seek the annihilation of one another, and most certainly do not kill their unborn; they kill to protect it, (e.g. bears, rhinoceros). One question comes to mind: Will the human race survive the destructive path we are headed towards? Or will we live to build a road to survival, understanding and love? The choice to live or die is ours.

Works Cited American Pregnancy Association. Anticipated physical side effect following abortion.

5 Medline Plus (Internet). Bethesda (MD). National Library of Medicine (US). 24 Feb. 2006. Web. 9 Sep. 2013. McLaren, Angus. "Abortion In France: Women And The Regulation Of Family Size 18001914." French Historical Studies 10.3 (1978): 461. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. 10 Sep. 2013 Elliot Institute. Abortion Risk: A list of major psychological complications related to abortion Elliot.org. 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Sep. 2013. Guttmacher. Reasons U.S. women have abortion By Lawrence B. Finer, Lory F. Frohwith, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, Susheela Singh and Ann M. Morre. Sep 2005. Web. 9 Sep. 2013. O'Bannon, Randall K. "Fifty Million Lost Lives Lost Since 1973." National Right To Life News 35.1 (2008): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.