Introduction
It is a scientific fact that human growth begins at conception, abortion conducted at whichever stage of pregnancy is considered as murder hence immoral. Whether the practice of abortion is moral or immoral has been a global contentious issue for a long time. The morality and other cultural factors regarding abortion differ substantially. Society shies away from issues concerning sex education, young people lack adequate preparation for sex education.
This contributes to wrong decisions about sexuality being made by young people. Abortion is one of the wrong decisions made by people, some end up dying and others develop health problems that may negatively affect their reproductive system. Abortion involves the annihilation of pregnancy through the removal of fetus or embryo from the uterus hence causing its death (WHO, 1999, P. 112). Abortion can be either induced or spontaneous, however; abortion in this essay will refer to induced abortion as spontaneous abortion is considered a miscarriage. Miscarriage is beyond human control and it is not considered immoral individuals do not choose to have the embryo killed.
The right to life is one of the most fundamental human rights. Abortion violates the rights of the growing fetus and embryo. Human life is considered a sacred gift and no one has a right to willingly take it away. A human being should be allowed to live from the time conception up to the occurrence of natural death (Marquis, 1989, p.185). The essay seeks to quantify why abortion is termed as immoral by addressing scientific facts and other reason which portrays procurement of abortion as immoral.
Discussion
Unborn fetuses or embryos are small creatures undergoing human development, they are alive and that is why they are growing. Immortal objects do not grow and so unborn fetuses or embryos are living human beings, terminating their lives is murder. Conception marks day one of human life on earth, unborn fetus and embryo have the right to life and abortion would be a definite violation of their right to life.
When an individual argues that some pregnancies are unwanted this does not make the right of the fetus invalid. Furthermore, it was not their responsibility to be conceived, a woman and man had sex and conception are one of the possible outcomes. If conception takes place both parties should take the responsibility of pregnancy until birth without any intentional interference. Scientific discovery has shown that human life begins at conception, before which people use to argue that abortion of embryo or fetus could be conducted any time before the third trimester of the pregnancy.
English common law prohibited abortion only after the fetus started to make movements in the womb. They thought that this is the time when the embryo started living however, scientists have proved it otherwise. During termination of pregnancy fetus or embryo are exposed to painful procedures, exerting unnecessary pain on a human being regardless of their age or status is immoral. Whether adopted abortion methods are medically done or not they cause a lot of pain to the unborn fetus (Cline, 1980, p. 45).
Vacuum abortion which is one the commonly used methods involves the removal of the fetus, placenta, and its membrane through suction. The procedure can be done manually using a syringe or electrically using by the use of an electric pump. The fetus is cut into pieces which is a very painful procedure both for the mother and the unborn embryo. This method may cause damage to the uterus forcing the doctors to remove it; the woman is not able to have more children.
Expectant mothers need to be advised on the adverse effects of this form of abortion. Women can be persuaded to carry the pregnancy up to when the unborn child can survive under medical management usually at the beginning of the third trimester. At this point, women can have the fetus removed and be put under medical management instead of having the child killed. The woman may be considered as a social outcast especially in African countries where children are valued as part of the family assets. Abortion may cause health problems for instance anemia due to excessive bleeding leading to prolonged headaches and dizziness.
Death also occurs especially when abortion is conducted by unqualified persons, the mother leaves their families with no one to take care of them. This increases cases of single parenthood, children lack motherly love, and in some cases stepmothers mistreatment them. Mothers may experience mental problems after abortion, emotional attachment exists between the mother and the unborn fetus. Once abortion is conducted the mother may feel guilty of her action resulting in stress and hallucination which may lead to mental illness. The mentally related problem is referred to as a post-abortion syndrome, if abortion is moral women who go through it should present with great joy.
However, this is not the case many of them regret later and live with so much guilt later. Reasons, why many women opt for abortion, have no moral stand; most of them are for personal gain and comfort. For instance, women go for abortions to delay the time of childbearing, secure jobs, avoid interruption of education, and due to financial instability. These reasons do not always add up because children are God-given gifts to parents (Abortion Is Immoral, 2007, p.17).
Women who procure abortion determine the destiny of the unborn fetus, unfortunately, their destiny is being sent to the graves in their early days of life. No one has the power to determine the destiny of other individuals apart from God; expectant women should give the unborn fetus opportunity to live until the occurrence of natural death. Abortion causes the death of many individuals who could contribute greatly to national growth.
It kills potential leaders, employers, and family persons who are expected to be the pillars of national growth. Abortion brings about social conflicts whereby in some communities individuals who procure abortion are regarded as social outcasts. Attempt to seek personal identity may result in social conflicts, leading individuals to be chased away from their native land (Warriner& Shah, 2006, p. 122).
Legalizing abortion is immoral, the unborn child is regarded as a product of the pregnancy and never viewed as a miracle created by women. Sympathy for the unborn fetus has been drowned under by the demands of human rights which do care about the right of the unborn child. Every day pregnant women argue that they have the primary right to choose whether to carry their pregnancy to term or not they acknowledge that the unborn child growing in their womb has any rights. Never, in contemporary times has state laws permitted anyone to away the life of another individual to solve their economic and personal problems.
Why the kill pre-born children because of financial constraints, job security and retention of owns status quo. Once an embryo is murdered there is no other exact human being who can serve as a duplicate of the poor unborn fetus so let it live to serve its unique purpose on earth. Expertise who could have found a cure for HIV/AIDS could be killed through escalating incidences of abortion. Better ways to solve personal and individual problems can be devised to avoid the killing of an unborn fetus. A fertilized ova is one of the best miracles, a small innocent being is not a mere mass of tissue. It is a living human being in need of love and cares if it is a mere collection of tissue no debate could exist about it (Lennart, 1990, p.91).
Conclusion
Abortion is the killing of an unborn fetus, human growth begins at conception. The unborn fetus is a living creature that is sensitive to any external influences. Scientific discovery has shown that human life begins at conception, before which people use to argue that abortion of embryo or fetus could be conducted any time before the third trimester of the pregnancy. Sex education should be given to young adults notable women on the dangers of procuring abortion rather than shying off from this topic.
This would reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and eventually the number of abortions. Women and the entire should be made aware of the scientific facts regarding the development of the fetus. Studies have shown that those who procure abortion are not aware that life begins at conception. Ultrasound fetoscopy shows that unborn children experience pain, the increased fetal movement was noticed during the process of procuring abortion.
It also causes health problems to women especially when it is conducted by inexperienced individuals. Abortion can be either induced or spontaneous, however; abortion in this essay will refer to induced abortion as spontaneous abortion is considered a miscarriage. Miscarriage is beyond human control and it is not considered immoral individuals do not choose to have the embryo killed.
Since unborn children are living beings, an expectant mother should not violate their rights in an attempt to solve their economic and personal problems. Women should be advised on alternative problem-solving methods to prevent escalating incidences of murder. Children who are born out of unplanned pregnancy can be put in children’s homes if the mothers can not bring them up. This encourages expectant women to carry their pregnancy to term and has their children adopted rather than killing them before they are fully developed. It violates the rights of the unborn fetus or embryo which if given a chance to live they can become a great individual in the future. It may also lead to increased death of women notably when conducted by unqualified persons.
Reference List
Abortion Is Immoral (2007) Abortion Is Immoral. Web.
Cline, A. (1980) Ethics of Abortion: Is it Moral or Immoral to Have an Abortion? Web.
Lennart, N. (1990). A child is born Garden city, New York: Doubleday.
Marquis, D. (1989). Why Abortion is Immoral The Journal of Philosophy.86:4. Web.
Warriner, K.I & Shah, A. (2006) Preventing unsafe abortion and its consequences – Priorities for Research and Action. Web.
World Health Organization (1999). Abortion in Viet Nam: An assessment of policy, programme and research issues. Web.