Debates concerning Abortions
Over the recent years, debates concerning abortions are incessant all over the world. Other countries were quite successful in the adoption of pro natal's policies in relation to their cultural and religious beliefs while others support the notion of abortion and formed policies to support the practice. Merriam-Webster dictionary states that abortion is "the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus." The Merriam-Webster dictionary also posits that the definition of pregnant means "containing a developing embryo or fetus within the body." The word "abort" alone simply means that something is being brought to a premature end because of a problem of fault. People are entitled to their own belief and thoughts concerning this controversial issue; therefore, this essay will speak plainly about abortion and what defines that medically. Taking biases and all opinions unsupported by facts out of the equation, medical abortion cannot be murder.
Introduction of Mifepristone
In 2000, mifepristone was allowed to be used in the United States as a form of nonsurgical abortion. Mifepristone is a drug that works to end a pregnancy by blocking the production of progesterone. Progesterone is a hormone needed for a healthy pregnancy because without it the lining of the uterus becomes thin. After a woman takes the mifepristone, they later take the Misoprostol drug that is administered 24-48 hours after the initial pills. Misoprostol works to make the uterus contract and expel any tissue or blood that remains.
Stages of Fetal Development
In addition, when an egg is first fertilized it is called a zygote. It is a microscopic bundle of cells that will begin to burrow and implant itself into the uterine wall. Another mass of cells outside of the zygote will become the placenta, which will provide the necessary means for the zygote to succeed in developing into a blastocyst, embryo and then into a fetus. Once the zygote burrows into the uterine wall it becomes a blastocyst, which consists of hundreds of cells that will keep multiplying. The blastocyst will start to collect fluid around itself, which is called amniotic fluid and will cushion the tiny ball of cells and protect it.
At four weeks in the gestation period, the blastocyst is now called an embryo. The embryonic period lasts until the 10th week of gestation, which will be the period of time where the organs will start to develop. Once the woman reaches her 10th week of gestation, the embryo is now just over an inch long, and the organs have not yet matured. Even surgical abortions are legal until the point of viability in which a fetus has a chance of surviving on its own. Over 66% of abortions occur before the pregnancy reaches 8 weeks (Guttmacher Institute 31.)
Terminology and Definitions
There are many individuals and groups that due to their own beliefs and values criticize the right for a woman to have an abortion. Many feel that it is morally wrong, but society has been conditioned into believing and criticizing. The terminology people use to define the "who" and "what" is being aborted is contributes largely to the debates and concerns that surround the abortion issues (Just Facts). According to the article, people who are against abortion use the wrong terms when referring to the fetus. The most commons terms that people substitute for the word fetus include "unborn baby" and "unborn child". Many dictionaries, for example, the blacks medical dictionary and the Webster college dictionary state that prior to birth it is right to refer to a fetus as a child. However, the dictionaries evidently assert that people use the term baby to refer to a child who is already born and onwards. There is a clear difference in the terms that people use when referring to the fetus leading to the contention that abortion is a murder. The illustrated medical dictionary defines the phrase fetus as an unborn offspring that is in the postembryonic period, after formation of major structures, in human beings starting from the ninth week of fertilization till birth. The dictionary clearly outlines that a fetus in human's beings is applicable only from the ninth week of fertilization until birth. Evidently, most news organizations and people against the idea of abortion use the word to refer to the period before and after birth. The practice of using common English words to substitute medical jargon is widespread hence confusing people and sometimes giving the wrong impression. Thus confirming that abortion is not murder since the fetus is not a baby until it is born.
The Moral Status of a Fetus
In addition, Lipp (326) posits that a fetus does not possess any rights or moral position thus any abortion conducted as a medical or minor surgical process is legal and quite acceptable. McCullough and Chervenak (34) confirm the argument by stating that the moral status and the duty to support and protect the interest of an individual, only includes the living, the offspring's of a human being and the ex utero. The article emphasizes the expression ex utero and states that a fetus is not obligated to receive any protection since it does not have moral status despite being in the womb of the mother. The moral status idea identifies with that of the legal status in the constitution of the United States. The constitution of the United States elucidates that the ex utero, the living, and anyone within the jurisdiction of the constitution has a prerogative to civil and constitutional rights (McCullough and Chervenak 36). Apart from a fetus in the mother womb lacking in terms of constitutional and civil rights but also the lack of moral status that makes the choice of having an abortion, not a murder.
Defining Murder
English (243) arguments believe that for an action to be labelled as murder it must meet at least six characteristics. One, the act of killing must be present. He then defines killing as ending the life of something that existed or was alive. Two, the killing has to result in the ending of life. Three, killing action does not imply any life but a human life. Four, the word intentional is quite common when defining murder. Thus according to English (244), the killing must involve the intentional ending of a human life. Five, a murder also has to satisfy the criterion of innocent. That is ending an innocent human life. The final criterion is "person". He thus defines murder as the killing of an innocent life that is of a person. When a murder does not involve a person then that is not murder. He goes ahead to define personhood as the memory self-awareness and consciousness of an individual. The object that enables an individual to be conscious, be self-aware and have a memory is the brain. When a person lacks a brain it is difficult to be aware of their environment, have a memory of their previous life and be conscious about what is going on in their lives. A fetus lacks a brain at the early stages of development, thus an abortion at the stages does not constitute to murder. This argument is synonymous with that of neuropsychologists who believe that a fetus starts to develop the brain during the 26th week to the 42nd week of the gestation period. This statement implies that a fetus from the first week of fertilization does not have a brain and the development of a nervous system is absent or insignificant. During this period, the fetus lacks personhood and is not conscious, self-aware, and does not possess any memory. Many medical abortions occur from the last day of a mother's period up to the 12th week of the gestation period. It is, therefore, safe to conclude that abortion is not murder when it occurs in the first trimester since the fetus is not a person.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the arguments clearly elucidate that abortion is not murder despite the cultural and religious beliefs people have. Some of the problems that lead to debates over the issue occur due to the substitution of medical terms to describe the fetus, which leads to wrong deductions. The constitutions in different countries also give rights to all living people and all ex utero beings thus rendering that an abortion is not an illegal practice and neither is it murder.
Works Cited
“Abortion.” Abortion – Just Facts, www.justfacts.com/abortion.asp.
“Abortion.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortion.
“Induced Abortion in the United States.” Guttmacher Institute, 31 Jan. 2018, www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states.
“Induced Abortion in the United States.” Guttmacher Institute, 31 Jan. 2018, www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0r7ji4PC2QIVwrbACh3vlAJ8EAAYASAAEgKqqfD_BwE.
“Medical Abortion Procedures: Types, Side Effects and Risks.” American Pregnancy Association, 26 Apr. 2017, americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/medical-abortions/.
English, Jane. "Abortion and the Concept of a Person." Canadian Journal of Philosophy 5.2 (1975): 233-243.
Lipp, Allyson. "A review of termination of pregnancy: prevalent health care professional attitudes and ways of influencing them." Journal of Clinical Nursing 17.13 (2008): 1683-1688.
McCullough, Laurence B., and Frank A. Chervenak. "A critical analysis of the concept and discourse of ‘unborn child’." The American Journal of Bioethics
8.7 (2008): 34-39.
Parenthood, Planned. “What facts about abortion do I need to know?” Planned Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/considering-abortion/what-facts-about-abortion-do-i-need-know.
