FREE ESSAY ON ABORTION

ABORTION

May, 1990, Bill C-43 was passed into legislation, this was the bill stating that abortion
should be treated like any other medical procedure. Regrettably, by 1991 this bill was
passed into law. What had been considered an illegal act, could now be purchased for a
small fee. The murder of unborn children would now be accepted by the Canadian
government. Abortion goes against religious doctrine, it causes severe psychological
effects in women who follow through with the procedure, and should be considered murder.
The theologians of the catholic religion have shown that aborting fetus' goes against the
will of God.
According to the bible an unborn child is considered holy and sacred. Before I formed
thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before I camest fourth out of the womb, I sanctified
thee (Jer. 1:5). In Gods eyes a fetus living inside a woman is a human being. Ending the
life of another human being goes against religious beliefs. The bible states that
judgment will be bestowed upon those who do not protect the lives of others. Those who
claim ignorance will still be held accountable for their actions. Rescue those who are
unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to disclaim
responsibly by saying you didn't know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows
yours, and He knows you knew! And He will reward everyone according to his deeds
(Proverbs 24:11-12). God creates babies in the womb fully alive and filled with emotions.
For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb
for joy (Luke. 1: 43-44). The church stands by its beliefs against abortion. The most
recent development of church position on abortion has been to condemn abortion on the
grounds that what begins as human life [and not necessarily a full human being] is
morally entitled to the 'right to life' (Terkel 99). Once an abortion has taken place a
life has ended, this could be why so many women suffer from the after effects of an
abortion.
Women can suffer from what has been diagnosed from what is called Post Abortion Syndrome
(also know as PAS). Post Abortion Syndrome may cause women to have symptoms such as
feelings of guilt, depression and anger:
I went through, and still go through, severe mental problems - visualizing the procedure
in my mind, hating my self, grieving and wanting to escape from the whole situation. The
abortion precipitated years of drug and alcohol abuse, and eating disorder and eventually
a serious clinical depression. That supposedly safe procedure has had fourteen years of
serious repercussions. (Terkel, 55). 
This type of depression can surface immediately after terminating the pregnancy or even
years later. Women can still struggle with these symptoms throughout their lives. One
woman accounts an abortion as the worst decision of her life: 
I thought that by having an abortion my problems would be solved as, at least, I would be
able to get a job not showing that I was pregnant. Little did I know how wrong I was. I
grieved and am still grieving ever since. I have suffered major depression and have
contemplated suicide various times. I wish I never had a abortion. I have constant
nightmares about a baby crying. This was worst choice of my life and a very bad decision
indeed (Ursala's story).
In fact, women who do proceed with an abortion had nearly a five hundred percent greater
suicide risk in the twelve months after, compared to women who carried to term. (stats -
birth and abortion). Although abortion has been legalized, the burden of guilt will still
remain with women who have terminated their pregnancies because they know the existence
of a life has been extinguished at their will.
The Canadian Criminal Code prohibits any person from killing another human being, when
such an act occurs a punishment will be dispensed to that individual. It has been
scientifically proven that even an embryo at just fourteen days individually exist from
fertilization. The embryo is specifically human, and begins to organize itself at once,
to interpret and execute the instructions in the DNA code it carries. It is complete,
unique, human and alive. (Early Human Development). At five weeks old, a slowly
developing eye can be seen behind the brain. an appropriate sequence because a refined
eye is useless with out a refined brain to read and interpret messages it sends
(Development of the Pre born Child in the Womb). Even though the child is unborn it still
shows signs of intelligent life. By twenty-eight weeks the eye is so sensitive to light
that if a physician peers into the uterus with a fetoscope, the child will try to shield
its eyes with its hands (Development of the Pre born Child). How can this not be
considered a human being? Unborn children are human beings and under the law should be
protected. Advocates of the fetus's moral right to use its mother's body argue that the
fetus is innocent and therefore entitled to be born. It never asked to be born but was
conceived by two other people whose rights are not as compelling as the fetus's right to
life (Terkel 128). Society is obligated to defend an unborn child's right to life. Like
others who are incapable of making rational decisions - the comatose, the senile, the
severely mental disabled - a fetus is vulnerable and dependent on others to make its
moral decision (Terkel 131). Terminating a pregnancy should be illegal and classified as
a murderous act. Society does not tolerate a 14 month child, a 10 year old, a 45 year old
or a 98 year old to be murdered or any living human being. Doesn't a six month old fetus
have the right to be classified as a human being?
Religious doctrines support the right of life to an unborn child. Scientifically, the
embryo is proven to be a separate entity and individual from the mother. Mothers who
terminate their pregnancies can suffer from long term effects of Post Abortion Syndrome.
The supporting evidence proves that abortion should be classified as a form a murder and
be deemed illegal.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Abortion. The 1998 Canadian & World Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1997.
Development of Pre Born Children. http://www.lifecall.org/develo.asp. (10 Jan 2001).
Early Human Development. http://www.abortionbashing/earlyhum.com. (12 Jan 2001).
Jer 1:5 . http://www.lifecall.org/ourfavo.asp. (10 Jan 2001).
Luke 1: 43-44. http://www.lifecall.org/ourfavo.asp. (10 Jan 2001).
Stats - Birth and Abortion. http://www.lifecall.org/stats.asp. (10 Jan 2001).
Ursala's story. http://www.lifecall.org/twowomen.asp. (10 Jan 2001).
Terkel, Susan Neiburg. Abortion Facing The Issues. New York: Franklin Watts, 1988.