Abortion Debate Fact

Unconstitutional Anti-Abortion Laws Threaten Women's Health

Let's start with the first cold, hard fact about abortions after 20 weeks – only 1.5% of abortions occur this late in the pregnancy. Here's the other part of that statistic – most of those late term abortions are of wanted fetuses where something has gone horribly wrong.

A slew of blatantly unconstitutional new anti-abortion laws have gone into effect in several states in the last couple of years banning abortions after 20 weeks, a threshold at which, defenders of the laws claim, fetuses can feel pain. This is in direct contradiction with the biological evidence that the threshold is 24 weeks, but it is also beside the point.

The pregnant woman can certainly feel pain. She can also suffer impermanent and permanent injury and death from having medical care withheld.

Late term abortions have always been the most controversial part of the abortion debate. It is at this stage in the pregnancy that the baby looks recognizably human, and, after 24 weeks, even stands a chance, if it is healthy and advanced medical care is given, of surviving outside the pregnant woman's uterus.

Previous to this rash of laws, fetal viability was the marker of strict control of pregnancy. Now, in six states, with several pending, an unscientific marker of fetal pain, contradicted by the evidence of neurology and biology, has become the new standard. And for the time being, these unconstitutional laws will stand – with an unsympathetic Supreme Court, women's groups and pro-choice organizations have little stomach for a court battle.

Most late term abortions take place in hospitals under emergency conditions. The end result of these new draconian laws will not be to 'save fetal lives', as their proponents claim, but to cause unnecessary suffering including medical complication and even death to pregnant women whose doctors hesitate to act on the worry that the health condition the woman is suffering does not rise to the level specified by the new laws, as illustrated in this New York Times article .

Abortion Debate Facts Article

An honest look at abortion debate facts should involve careful consideration of the complete picture concerning this controversial topic. This would include taking a look at the methods that are utilized in these procedures as well as statistical data. Of course, a consideration of the moral consequences of terminating an unwanted pregnancy is crucial. There are varying opinions regarding the morality of legalized abortions. Those who favor the procedure believe that the top concern when a woman faces an unwanted pregnancy is the right of the mother to decide whether or not she should carry the child to term. Groups and individuals who favor abortion rights maintain that no woman should be forced to continue a pregnancy that she did not plan and does not want. For those on the other side of the issue, the top concern deals with the value of life itself. These individuals and organizations strongly believe that human life begins at conception. To end the life of an unborn child is equal to murder in the mind of those who stand against legalized abortions. The priority to protect innocent life is seen as the most important concern by far. When taking a look at abortion debate facts on both sides it is important to remember that these two opposing viewpoints are what drives this contentious discussion.

Statistics can provide some of the most compelling anti abortion debate facts. It is estimated that roughly half of the pregnancies that occur in the United States were not, in the strictest sense, planned. Among these unintended pregnancies, roughly forty percent are estimated to be legally terminated each year in America. Since abortions were legalized thanks the the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, multiple millions of abortions have taken place. In fact, over one million abortions are conducted each year in the United States alone. Rates in the United States are higher than those in Canada and most Western European countries. However, countries such as China and those in Eastern Europe tend to have far higher abortion rates than those that occur in the United States. The majority of abortions utilize the D & E method, also known as dilation and evacuation, or the CDC method, also known as curetage, dilation, and evacuation. These procedure involve causing the woman's cervix to dilate through artificial means. Once this is accomplished, a cutting tool is inserted into the uterus and the unborn child is cut into pieces.

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