Late Term Abortion Essay

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In today’s society, a rising debatable topic within America is that of the legalism of late-term abortion. Even though deciding to abort a fetus is seen to be the right of the mother under the Roe V. Wade case, choosing to end the life of a fetus when it is viable is murder. The unique genetic code that is given to a fetus is proof that life also begins at conception. The legalization of late-term abortion should be abolished in all fifty states due to evidence that show that it is legally and ethically wrong and also that abortion does not have to be an option. Fetal viability is determined when a fetus is able to live outside the womb. Tara Culp-Ressler states in her article that “a number of babies born at twenty-two weeks were able to survive..” This gives proof that fetuses are viable by twenty-two weeks into pregnancy, therefore terminating a pregnancy around this time is against the law. Kermit Gosnell was arrested for performing abortions at twenty-four and a half weeks gestation. Kermit Gosnell was a doctor since 1979 who ran an abortion clinic in West Philadelphia (Kliff). Gosnell’s clinic was raided after an investigation on illegal drug prescriptions, then later the district attorney 's office became aware of the death of patients during procedures and complaints about the practice. After a full investigation of the clinic, the investigators realized that Gosnell was performing illegal abortions. Gosnell was found guilty on three of four charges of murder of babies born in his clinic and of involuntary manslaughter (Kliff). Cases like that of Kermit Gosnell’s are many cases in which late-term abortion is practiced. Not only were the fetuses killed when they were viable but some were removed from the womb then killed. Maureen Condic, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy and Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, explains that the “most primitive response to pain, the spinal reflex,” is developed by eight weeks gestation, and adds that “There is universal agreement that pain is detected by the fetus in the first trimester.” This shows that if a fetus is aborted from beyond twenty weeks of gestation, that there will be pain caused to the fetus, excruciating pain (Kanwaljeet Anand (Abortion.procon)). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists state that there is “no legitimate scientific information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain.” This statement is strong although during abortions the only tools used on the fetuses are syringes that inject a drug to kill the fetus, an ultrasound to monitor fetal heart rate, and the tools used to remove the fetus. During the abortions, the only pain monitored that of the mother’s, thus fetal pain can not be observed but only known through the knowledge of spinal reflex development. Dilation and Extraction is an abortion procedure used on mid and late term babies, from four to nine months. Forceps are used to grasp one of the baby’s legs from inside the uterus and pull it out of the birth canal except for the head. The baby is still well alive and most likely kicking and flailing. The abortionist jams …show more content…
When a woman decides that she wants to have sex she also makes a conscious decision that she wants to create life. Even though sex is a desired pleasure among the sexes, the fundamental reason for sex is to reproduce. This also gives rise to the debatable topic of “what if the woman was raped”. A woman who becomes pregnant due to an act of rap is a victim of a horribly violent and demoralizing crime. It is said that the best choice for a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape is abortion. This argument is fault because conception does not occur immediately following intercourse so pregnancy can be eliminated if the woman seeks immediate medical attention or she takes a morning after pill. It also says that the woman is constantly reminded of that traumatizing event as she carries the child for nine months and gives birth to it. This is also false because the fetus is not an aggressor if it does not pose any threat to the mother’s life (ChristianAnswers.net). A woman who does not want to raise a child who reminds her of the traumatizing event that happened to her and the afflictor can easily give her baby for

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