Gender Studies Essay

Different views of abortion, both pro-life and pro-choice and a role of a man
By Mria Drobkov, 2BASm

Many unplanned pregnancies end up in abortion as a solution. Abortion is defined as:
a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus (MerriamWebster, 2014). In a majority of the countries all over the world, the abortion is a legal way
how discharge the fetus from growing inside a females womb. The idea and process of
abortion has been a controversial subject in many societies throughout the history. Reasons of
the controversy surrounding this topic are of the moral, ethical, practical, and political nature.
The concept of the abortion rises many different kinds of questions leading to arguments and
creating opposing sides. Different opinions on the subject create two disagreeing groups of
people. The first one is pro-life (against abortion), the second one is pro-choice (to have the
choice for abortion). This essay presents both views and claims that pro-choice is better
solution but with certain reservations and objections. The aim of the essay is also to support
an idea that the man should be more involved in deciding about the life and death of his child,
and presenting cases when not. The essay deals with an induced type of abortion which is
either surgical or chemical, not with a spontaneous abortion which is called miscarriage and it
is not intentional.
One of the most discussed and questionable topics concerning the induced abortion are
statements: No one knows when life begins. It's a blob of tissue. To state whether the fetus is a
human being or just some connection of cells and differentiate those two is a basic border
whether the abortion can be done or cannot. Usually it is allowed to be done in the first
trimester. This is questioned by many people and they argue about the claim whether the fetus
is the human being from the first moment or not. According to me, the notion of being a
human being or not, should not be a condition for undergoing the abortion. One of the reasons
is taht: [d]uring this stage, all of your baby's major organs and body parts begin to develop.
The cells of the embryo (called embryonic stem cells) multiply and change into the hundreds
of different types of cells needed to make a whole human body and [t]he last 2 weeks of the
first trimester are the beginning of the fetal stage. In those weeks, fingernails and toenails
form and the kidneys start working. By the end of the 12th week, which is the end of the first
trimester, your baby has tripled in length to about 3 inches long (Family Doctor, 2011, par. 410). This means that human body is already developing during the embryo stage, it has
foundations of organs which actually start to work and this happens what is during the first
trimester; embryo is not just a bunch of cells.
This does not mean that abortions should be banned, it means that reasons should be
more important conditions for abortion, even if I am aware of the fact that reasons are hard to
measure and justify. Underlying the opinion of pro-choice side is also supported by history.
History tells us that abortions were done in the past, during the times when it was just done,
when it was criminalized, when it was considered to be illegal and it caused that: [t]housands
of women died from poisoning and injury. Thousands of others lived, but with the pain of
permanent injuries and disfigurement (Socialist Worker, 2005, p. 6-7). This suggest that
women will always found a way how to get rid of an unwanted child, and for their sake and
health it is important that it will be done in a proper way.
Furthermore, this sets that having the option of abortion should be favoured over not
having this opportunity, but it is important to include a choice and will of a father of a child as
well. Nowadays, the general feeling is that the abortion is still perceived as being a womens
matter. This feeling is also supported by Armin A. Brott in BBC article: A woman can legally
deprive a man of his right to become a parent or force him to become one against his will
(Brott, 2014). This clearly says that women are in charge of a baby and paternity. However,
getting pregnant is always caused by two people, not only by a mother. (To the shortness of
this paper, cases as rape, not known father and so on are not considered.) According to me, if
any of the parents wants to keep a child, it should be kept if it does not endanger a life of a
mother. Keeping a child if mothers life is in danger should be her decision.
When the decision is made, getting rid of an undesirable child should be reconsidered
properly, with all sorts of information about it. Todays world provides various options for
adoption, what is a more human way, how to get rid of a child. There exist many centres and
adoption companies for such children. This way would help many couples who desperately
long for a child and have one on their own and it is an only way for homosexual couples to
have children. There are also many parents who decided to help such children, take care of
them.
Last statement presents cases when a decision, about bringing a child into this world or
not bringing it into this world, becomes even a more difficult matter. Those are the cases when
mother is told that her child will be different, sick, mentally or physically deformed. In a
harsh way it can be represented by the following statement: It is wrong that a wrong child is
brought to this world. This statement is presented by Daniel Greenfield as used by abortion
supporters. Greenfield also states that according to some people, aborting defected children is
not immoral, immoral is to have a choice and do not abort them (Greenfield, 2014).
Personally, I think that, aborting a child in this way and trying to have a right one, is not moral
at all.
To conclude this paper, it is important to mention that the topic of abortion is broad
and repeatedly discussed, what is causing its vastness. Therefore, while writing this essay, I
found it difficult to make it three-page long paper. In spite of this, the paper tries to present
and favour the pro-choice opinion on the abortion within the realms of possibility set by the
length of the paper. It also states that keeping a child should by also a decision of a father, that
father should be more involved in general, but cannot have a decision-making power when the
health of a woman is concerned (Paper does not discuss extreme cases when a mother is in
come and so on.). It follows from the paper that the subject of abortion deserves more
extensive discussion and research than it provides. Nevertheless, the paper sets basic grounds
of this notion at least and it can be only developed to the greater extend.
References
1. Brott, A., 2014. Ethics guide: Fathers' rights. BBC, 2014. Accessed on 21.11.2014,
available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/fathers.shtml
2. Daniel Greenfield, 2014. Frontpage Mag: Why is it Wrong to Abort Downs Syndrome
Babies,
But
Not
Other
Babies?
Accessed
on
21.11.2014,
available
at:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/why-is-it-wrong-to-abort-downssyndrome-babies-but-not-other-babies/
3. Family Doctor, 2011. Your Baby's Development: The First Trimester. Accessed on
21.11.2014,
available
at:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/pregnancy-
newborns/fetal-health/your-babys-development-the-first-trimester.html
4. Merriam-Webster, 2014. Accessed on 21.11.2014, available at: http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/abortion
5. Socialist Worker, 2005. An era of tragedy for women: When abortion was illegal.
Accessed
on
21.11.2014,
2/562/562_06_Abortion.shtml
available
at:
http://socialistworker.org/2005-

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Different views of abortion, both pro-life and pro-choice and a role of a man

By Mria Drobkov, 2BASm

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