Abortion, like any other controversial issue, is not a black and white matter.

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TABLE ON CONTENTS

ABORTION                                                                                2

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PRO-LIFE?                                4

A PRO-LIFES AIM                                                                5

THE GEO-POLITICAL HISTORY OF ABORTION                                6

METHODS OF ABORTION                                                7

SCIENTIFIC / BIOLOGICAL ISSUES:                                                 9

MEDICAL PROBLEMS                                                                10

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES                                                 12

RIGHTS OF THE MOTHER VERSUS RIGHTS OF THE ‘Human’ BABY        13

THE NEED FOR ETHICAL / MORAL BEHAVIOUR.                                14

RAPE                                                                                        16

CONCLUSION                                                                        18

BIBLIOGRAPHY                                                                        19

ABORTION

Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus

Any of various procedures that result in such termination and expulsion.

Also called induced abortion.

The premature expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus; a miscarriage. Cessation of normal growth, especially of an organ or other body part, prior to full development or maturation “

Abortion, like any other controversial issue, is not a black and white matter. The two widely held stances’ --chiefly in the NEWS, which rarely make any fine distinctions --are “pro-choice" and "pro-life."

At first glance these would seem to be rather indicative ‘options’, but carefully coined words are very significant when trying to rally up support for your cause, more often than not, only to be abused by politics (where the need for ‘appropriately’ coined terms is of ultimate magnitude).

The result? - Few people wish to be counted either as being against freedom of choice or as opposed to life. Opinions are polarized and minds are clogged. The extent of rivalry transforms into arrests, intense lobbying and many a legislative spectacle.

This paper examines the nature of a ‘Pro-Lifer’, the issues they contest for, the rationale from a multi-faceted view; from an ethical and scientific perspective. This paper will also briefly cover a Pro-Lifer’s ultimate aspirations and how they go about achieving them.

Before we advance onwards, a clarification on the different manners of abortion:

The term spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, is used to indicate delivery of a nonviable (incapable of living) embryo or fetus due to maternal feature, in contrast with intentional/induced abortion. Spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages, happen for many reasons, not to mention disease, strain, genetic defect, or biochemical incompatibility of the mother and fetus. A missed abortion is a condition where the fetus dies in the uterus, but fails to be expelled from the body.


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PRO-LIFE?

Being Pro-Life, not necessarily, usually insinuates the following to a certain level. Primarily that the unborn fetus is a human being and human being have a right to life regardless of their age, gender, sex, wanted ness, location, stage of development or condition of dependency. Another frame of thought is that the ‘act’ of abortion is a Civil Rights Issue.

Contrary to popular belief; It is, obviously, possible to be Pro-Life and not being religious. The only distinction being that a solely materialistic (secular) Pro-Lifer does not have the relief of believing in an Infinitesimal, All-Merciful God.

As Katha, Pollitt put it very irately down “One has to assess the question of when human life begins, the personhood of the fetus and its putative moral and legal status, and acceptable versus deplorable motives for terminating a pregnancy and the philosophical groundings of each one -- not to mention the interests of the state, the medical profession, assorted religions, the taxpayer, the infertile, the fetal father, and even the fetal grandparent. Farfetched analogies abound: abortion is like the Holocaust or slavery”

A PRO-LIFES AIM

In a Utopian world a Pro-Life wouldn’t exist, or more correctly, would not need to exist. However, considering the current state of affairs the ‘Prime Directive’ is an amendment to the U.S Constitution (and the Canadian Charter of Rights) that would eventually facilitate equal security under the law, to all human beings, from the point of conception until natural death. As one can imagine this ultimate aim still remains unachievable without some, necessary, instantaneous aspirations.

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These include parental notification and consent for abortion for minor daughters; specific public health regulation of free-standing abortion facilities; women’s right to know, or informed consent laws; forbidding of certain types of abortions (covered below); forbidding of abortions for certain reasons, such as sex selection and after a certain age of fetal development. Legislations; to stop the use of tax money. There have been many cases where federal money has been given to pro-abortion organizations, e.g.  Family planning which includes abortion as a possible method. Government support for institutions that have encouraged and referred for abortions should be ended ...

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