Abortion, is it Wrong or Right?
Amy was scared. No, she was absolutely terrified. She had gone to one little party and done something dumb. It all started when she and her friends started drinking. She met this really cool guy and knew his name but not much else. Because Amy was drunk he had convinced her to have sex with him. Within a couple of days, She then found out that she was pregnant… pregnant at age sixteen.
So many thoughts and questions overwhelmed her. Should I tell the boy that got me pregnant? Should I tell my parents? What would my friends and everyone else think of me? Was there some way to just make it all disappear? An abortion, that would take care of it, she thought. But then again that was like taking the easy way out. Maybe she should have the baby and put it up for adoption. She couldn’t take care of a baby right now She has plans for college and a job.
Amy wrestled with her problem but she could not yet come to grips with the fact that she was ready pregnant. She knew that the Pro-life groups and the Pro-choice groups would have totally different opinions and struggled to decide which was right for her.
Many girls these days have had to make this decision, and most that go through with abortion do not even what it h. There are many different opinions on this procedure that I will discuss but first, what is an abortion? The dictionary defines abortion as the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.
There are about 1.6 million women who have legal abortions each year in the United States. Of those 1.6 million, about one in four are teenagers. This is the main reason it is such a controversial procedure. Whether you side with those teens that think girls should have the right to abortion or those who think girls should not, you can always find support for your point of view.
One group is called “Pro-life” or “Right-to-Life.” They believe that a fetus’s right to life comes first, before the right of the pregnant woman. From a religious perspective, they believe it is immoral.
The New Testament strictly says it is wrong. The pro-life movement has pursued this debate of immorality for twenty years. They say that interests and personhood exist in the fetus from its origin, and rights flow from society’s recognition of these interests.
Just as society recognizes the interests of future generations, it should recognize the interests and rights of the unborn fetus. American culture places high value on human life and should sanctify it in all its forms.
On the other hand, there is the “Pro-choice” group. They believe it is a woman’s fundamental human right to decide when and whether or not to have a child. They think abortion is a moral choice that protects women from involuntary parenthood.
In their religious perspective, a fetus is not a person until its eighth week. The Catholic Church doctrine today, holding that all abortions are the killing of human beings, contradicts its own historical position.
The argument that abortion disregards the sacred character of human life is distinct from the contention that it violates the rights or interests of the fetus. The pro-choice groups say that if early abortion is wrong, it is not because it violates the interests of the immature fetus; well, the early fetus has no interests. So, after all this information of what an abortion is and the point of view of both sides, you ask yourself who is right? You will have to decide for yourself. Your view on abortion is distinctly a personal choice.
