Essay, Research Paper: Abortion - History Of

Ever since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, Abortion has
changed its course in society. With the new decision made by the United States, abortion
was now legal. Many abortions were performed before the Supreme Court decision, but
the settlement made it less risky for the doctors involved. Abortion has caused society to
be divided by a pro-choice group and pro-life group. Two groups with struggles that will
never end.
There are many different types of abortions that can be preformed. The type used
depends on how far along in the pregnancy the woman is. In the very early stage of the
pregnancy, up to 49 days after conception, the woman has two choices. The first is to
take a combination of drugs. This is called a medical abortion. The embryo is then passed
out. The other method is to use a syringe, and gently suck the embryo out.
The next type can be preformed six to fourteen weeks after conception. The
method the doctors use is to insert a tube in the vagina, and then hook it up to a suction
machine. The fetus is then removed. This procedure takes about ten minutes.
The second trimester abortions are called D&E, which stands for dilation and
evacuation. These are preformed up to the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy, and usually
take ten to twenty minutes. The way they are preformed is the woman is given absorbent
dilators which open up the cervix and absorb the fluids. After this is left in overnight the
woman then is ready for the evacuation stage. The fetus is easily removed with
instruments and suction.
In the last trimester of the pregnancy abortions are preformed mainly if the
woman’s life is in danger or the fetus is severely deformed. Only one out of every
ten-thousand abortions are preformed this way. The main way that is used is by injecting
a salt solution into the vagina, causing contractions. The baby is then born stillbirth.
The other way is called a partial-birth abortion. Here the woman’s cervix is dilated
and the fetus is removed half-way feet first. The surgeon then jabs a sharp object in the
back of the fetus’ head and the brains are extracted with suction. This allows the fetus to
be removed more easily.
With all of these methods many United States citizens have come up with their
own morals and ethics about abortion. Today there are two main sides; pro-choice and
pro-life. These two groups have been debating over the issues of abortion for many years
now and all have strong feelings about it.
The pro-choice group believes that the choice of having an abortion should be left
up to the woman. This issue goes back to even to the bible. When people say that
abortion is a sin to God, there is proof in Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man
from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man
became a living soul.” This point shows that first God formed the body, and not until he
breathed into it did it come alive.