Issues on abortion.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Abortion

There are many issues in abortion that are still a huge debate. Not just an age limit or whether you should also have the fathers consent, but whether abortions should be allowed at all.

Sarah and I have decided that we would like to do our project on the many different sides of abortion, from people’s different views on abortion, to the reasons behind wanting one.

Religious Views

Buddhist:

To the Buddhist religion it is strictly forbidden.

Christians:

Teaching place the highest value on human life, so it condemns it.

The Church of England:

Says “abortion has no moral justification and represents the unwarranted destruction of human life that is made in the image of God, in the great majority of cases.” They view it as generally undesirable.

Roman Catholic:

They believe that it is a serious sin in all cases. They

Say that life begins at the conception.

Humanists:

They say that abortion should be available on request.

Protestants:

They say that abortion in certain cases is acceptable.

Islamic:

They also believe that abortion is a big sin.

Definition of Abortion

Doctors use the word abortion to mean any death of a baby in the womb and its expulsion from the mother’s body. If it happens of its own accord, it is usually known as a miscarriage. We usually mean a procured abortion, which is when a foetus is deliberately killed and removed. This is usually unpleasant, so it is sometimes known as a termination.

The definitions in the dictionary are:

Premature expulsion of the foetus from the womb.
Operation to cause this

The Law

For many centuries it was regarded as a serious crime to destroy a baby in its mothers womb. Over the last 30 years, the British parliament has debated the abortion issue several times. Following the 1990 act, the law on abortion now lists the following conditions.

That the pregnancy hasn’t exceeded its 24th week and the continuous of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy was terminated of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant women or any existing children in the family; or
That the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant women; or
That the continuous of the pregnancy would involve risk to the live of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or
That there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

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Abortion is now legal if two doctors agree on the following:

Continuing the pregnancy means that there is risk to the woman’s health or that of her existing children’s health greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, allowing up to 24 weeks of pregnancy; or
Continuing the pregnancy would involve serious damage to the woman’s mental or physical health greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, or there is a strong risk of severe handicap in the expected child or the woman’s life is at risk if the pregnancy continues without time limit.

The 1967 abortion act ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Abortion is now legal if two doctors agree on the following:

Continuing the pregnancy means that there is risk to the woman’s health or that of her existing children’s health greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, allowing up to 24 weeks of pregnancy; or
Continuing the pregnancy would involve serious damage to the woman’s mental or physical health greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, or there is a strong risk of severe handicap in the expected child or the woman’s life is at risk if the pregnancy continues without time limit.

The 1967 abortion act was brought in to stop ‘back-street’ abortions. Previously, 75,000 women were badly injured or died every year because of badly performed and controlled procedures. The act allows a woman to have an abortion if two doctors agree.

The doctors can give consent if they believe:

Having a baby would be worse for your physical or mental health than having an abortion.
There is a risk the baby would be seriously disabled.
Carrying on with the pregnancy would be more risk to your life than an abortion.

Different doctors will have different views. One may refuse an abortion but another may agree. If your GP or Hospital doctor refuses you an abortion, you can ask doctors somewhere else. You can have an abortion within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. If you are under 16, you normally need your parents consent to have an abortion. But doctors can perform one without your parents’ agreement if they believe you are mature enough to understand what abortion involves. In Northern Ireland, abortion is illegal but your doctor can help you arrange an abortion in Britain.

Development

Here shows how developed the foetus/child is up to 5 months.

25 days – The heart beats

28 days – Legs and arms begin to form

6 weeks – Bones appear

7 weeks – Fingers and thumbs formed

10 weeks – Organs nearly formed

12 weeks – Vocal chords and sexual organs formed

16 weeks – Half birth length

5 months – Eyebrows and eyelashes begin to grow

Fact: Premature babies can be born as early as 25 weeks.

Procedure

There 4 ways of abortion, but which one you have depends on how far into the pregnancy you are.

Before 12 weeks:

The most common method is vacuum aspiration, where the contents of the womb are sucked out with an electric pump. It is normally done under local anaesthetic and takes a few minutes.
You can also have a medical abortion, where you take a pill two days before the operation. On the day, another tablet is placed in the vagina. This brings on a miscarriage.

After 13 weeks:

This procedure is called the surgical termination. This is performed under a general anaesthetic. The procedure entails a sterile tube being introduced to the uterus. Suction is applied through the tube and the pregnancy terminated. Most women leave the hospital on the same day. Some pain is felt in the abdomen but can be cured with ordinary painkillers. There is some bleeding for a few days.

Between 20 and 24 weeks.

This procedure is called Medical Termination and is used for later abortions. It entails the woman taking a tablet from the doctor and then returning 48 hours later where she receives a course of different tablets. The termination occurs within 12 hours of the second course of tablets. The woman passes the pregnancy vaginally. Pain is often experienced but pain relief will be available.

Abortion Costs if Performed Privately

Initial consultation

£50

Medical Abortion up to 9 weeks

(RU486 – The Abortion Pill)

£350

Surgical Abortion up to 12 weeks- day-care

(Non-General anaesthetics)

£325

Surgical Abortion up to 14 weeks – day-care

(General anaesthetic)

£385

Surgical Abortion up to 19 weeks – day-care

(General anaesthetic)

£560

Surgical Abortion up to 14 weeks

Overnight stay

£410

Over 14 weeks- 19 weeks

Overnight stay

£625

Conscious Sedation to 14 weeks

£355

Most pregnant teenagers get an abortion with the NHS because they cannot afford to do it privately.

Reasons

Rape: If a woman was raped and then fell pregnant she could have really suffered and the child would bring back memories of the awful experience that she could not handle.

Wealth: The family could feel they didn’t have enough money to bring up a child.

Health: The women could be killed or seriously hurt if the pregnancy was to continue or the child could have serious disabilities.

Teenage Pregnancy: The teenager may not feel mature enough to look after a child.

Accidental Pregnancy: A couple may have sex and the condom could split, causing the woman to fall pregnant but the couple may not want the child.

Violence: A woman may have a violent husband that she couldn’t feel she could trust around a child.

Inconvience: Some people may find a child inconvienient in their life at the time they fall pregnant.

Divorce: A women could fall pregnant with her husband and then have a divorce leaving the woman not up to caring for a child.

Not wanted: The boyfriend may not want a child.

Between 1969 and 1974, on average, 28 women in every 100 of childbearing age experienced an abortion whilst by 1990 this had risen to an average of 42 in every 100. At this rate, unless there are improvements in the provision and delivery of contraceptive services, 50% of women will have an abortion at some time in their lives. In terms of percentage of conceptions ending in abortion, approximately half of all conceptions in girls under 16 are terminated, as they are for women aged 40 or over. This is the highest percentage. About 10 girls age 15 or less in every 1000 have abortions. Also, women under 20 are twice as likely as older women to have an abortion at 20 weeks or later.

What are the Arguments For and Against Abortion

People who support abortion argue:

All women should have the right to choose whether or not to go ahead with their pregnancy.
Every child born should be a wanted child.
An early abortion is less risky to the woman’s physical and mental health than the later stages of pregnancy and childbirth.
The foetus is not capable of living outside the woman’s body in early pregnancy, so an abortion is not the same as killing a baby.

People who oppose abortion argue:

Human life begins at conception (when the sperm joins the egg) and therefore abortion destroys life.
Abortion is unnecessary because lots of people without children want to adopt babies.
If abortion is easier to obtain, more women will use it instead of contraception.

People’s Views

I asked the people in my class what they thought about abortion. This is what they said:

Louise: Abortion is wrong because there are other solutions, like adoption, fostering or keeping the baby your self. It doesn’t give the baby a chance at all. It is basically just killing a human, and could be called murder.

Abby: Wouldn’t do it, but it is good for some people.

Olivia: Wrong in some situations, right in others, for example if they cannot bring the baby up properly.

Chris: Good because if not in stable relationship, too young or uneducated it can ruin your life.

Rosie: Women have to right to choose, but men should have their say and be allowed to try and stop it.

Ffion: Also believe that the women should have a right to choose.

Anna: Disagrees in all cases. Very against it.

Angharad: Against it. Can be good in teenage girls because not ready.

Helen: Should only be allowed if they have a good reason.

Matt: Should only be allowed if the woman was raped or has a very good reason. Not because they don’t feel like they want one.

Anthony: Shouldn’t be allowed because it is murder.

David: If required. Only if they have a good reason, for example if it is an accident.

Daryl: Only in emergencies. It isn’t really a person.

Will: Great!!

BLQ: Bad! Very wrong. Only allowed if the partner is bad or in the case of rape.

James: Bad! Involves murder

Keri: If you don’t want it-have an abortion.

Miss Barnett: Wrong!! Shouldn’t be allowed because it is killing a human.

Conclusion

When Sarah and me started this project, we both felt that there wasn’t really a problem with abortion. We both felt that there was many reasons that are person would want one and they are all valid! However, My opinions have changed very much while doing this project, in that I now think that no matter what the circumstances, there is always a solution where you don’t have to kill the baby.

At first, I was willing to fight with anyone that if someone was raped, for example, they would want to have the out of there body as soon as possible, as it would be almost a punishment to the woman. But I now realise that it would show great strength of character to give birth to the baby, and then even have it adopted, because there are thousands of couples that would give anything for a baby, so they could have a chance to be happy with the child!

I was talking with some friends about the subject of abortion if we were to have one now because we fell pregnant as teenagers. At first, almost everyone said that they would definitely have one, but after I told them about the procedure, they all quickly changed their minds.

I have not asked Sarah what she thinks now, but I know that my opinion has been changed forever, because I now feel that abortions are unnecessary. I do not agree, however, with the campaigning of some anti-abortion sides, by saying that this is a modern holocaust. I do not believe that the situation has reached these dramatic levels, but I think that more should be done to make teenagers like myself more aware of what abortions are really like.

The fact is-you wouldn’t kill this would you?

Isn’t abortion the same?