Religion and Abortion: Discrimination of Abortion in Religious Views

History of Abortion

Abortion can be traced back to a thousand years ago. At that time, it was perfectly legal to abort your unborn child. As the constitution was being finalized, you could see the aborion uprising being openly advertised and performed. This was until the 1800s when the legislation that made abortion illegal were passed by many countries. The reason such laws came into effect was because of the rising U.S. birth rate. government officials who were concerned that these rates would be higher than Anglo-Saxon women. Practices of abortion were very risky at the time and threatened the life of any who would peruse this procedure. Some of the highest-educated physicians were still unfit for the operation (National Abortion Federation).

With today’s technology we have developed antibiotics and other medications to fight of infectious bacteria. With this in mind females who wanted an abortion would persue it illegally through Back -Alley Abortion. Back -Alley abortions is defined as, the use of a unfurled coat hanger to remove said zygote-unwanted freeloading life from themselves in a back alley-preferably in a semi-residential urban area (Urban Dictionary). In 1973 the Supreme Court passed the Roe vs. Wade law which stated that any woman is illegible to get an abortion from a trained practitioner. This of course led to a decrease in pregnancy-related injury and death(National Abortion Federation).

Types of Abortion

Vacuum aspiration (also known as suction aspiration) is one of the methods of abortion commonly used. This is done during the first twelve weeks and/or first trimester. The doctor begins by injecting a numbing medicine near the opening of the cervix. Then proceeds to insert a tube through the cervix to the uterus to remove the tissue. This procedure can take up to five to ten minutes to complete.

Medical abortion is another common method used during the first seven weeks of pregnancy. This procedure is done by taking two medications in the form of pills: mifepristone (Miferex) and misoprostol (Cytotec). The first medicine, Mifepristone, is given by the doctor or nurse in the clinic. When the pill is consumed it begins to block the hormone progesterone that is needed for the embryo to implant and grow. Misoprostol is the second pill that is given to the patient to take at home within a few hours or up to four days after taking the first pill. Misoprostol will cause the uterus to contract and evacuate the pregnancy tissue thus completing the abortion process. The procedure is very safe and has a high success rate.

Induction abortion can be used after the the 24th week of pregnancy and when Dialation and Evacuation (D&E) is no longer an option. The medicine that the patient receives puts them straight into labor. The uterus will begin to contract until the pregnancy is expelled. It may take up to several hours or days to recover from this procedure.

Age Group

Approximately 2% of women in the United States under the age of nineteen are having abortions. Having a child at this age can be very controversial to the point where the young female makes unconscious decisions. Although pediatricians do not offer abortions they are more than certified to help with counseling for the young lady who is considering abortion or has already had one. About 51% of pregnancies are unintended and 40% of those pregnancies end in abortion.

Approximately 614,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 were pregnant in 2010, and 17.6 percent chose abortion. The most common reason adolescent girls choose abortion is because of class, choice of carrier, and Financial stability. 90% of abortions in the U.S. were performed prior to the twelve weeks of Gestation.

A qualitative study for abortion was conducted evolving Teens & Adults. They noticed that this timing is due to difficulties in making arrangements to obtain a termination and delays in discovering the pregnancy and gestational stage. Researchers concluded that teen participants within the study were more likely to take one week longer than adult participants to confirm there pregnancy.

The cost of the abortion can vary depending on the Clinic setting, and gestational stage of the patient. Due to the Hyde amendment federal funds cannot be used for abortion, except in cases of life indangerment, incest, or rape. Several Clinic’s are able to give a rough estimate to the patient over the phone. In 2005 the standard amount paid for a 10 and 20 weeks gestation ranged from $ 413 to $1,300. Some teenagers may have abortion coverage but may be reluctant to use Insurance due to the fact that the bill will be sent to the caregivers. Even though abortion care is confidential, their bill’s will still indicate that they had an abortion.

All teens have the legal right to secure sexual health services and private treatment choices in the event of unintended pregnancy. Nevertheless, if a female wants to have an abortion, she may be impacted by restrictions on parental involvement. The laws governing parental involvement vary from state to state and including the laws governing parental notification and parental consent.

Religion and Abortion

In the Magisterial Document Donum Vitae (The Gift of Life), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that, ‘From the moment of conception, the human being must be honored and regarded as a person; and hence, from that moment on, his rights as a person must be acknowledged, including in the first place the inviolable right to life of every innocent human being.’ (Sec I.1) ( Diocese of Phoenix).

Abortion is seen in the eyes of the Catholic Church as a mortal sin. Abortion was recently decriminalized in a landmark vote in Mexico City, where the Catholic Church exerts considerable political and cultural influence.( Lawful Sinners: Reproductive Governance and Moral Agency Around Abortion in Mexico). Since Roe vs. Wade was decided, opposition to abortion by U.S. Catholic bishops has been unflinching. The bishops ‘ current strategy is to limit access to abortion as a prelude to a complete ban on the procedure.( Religion and abortion: Roman Catholicism lost in the pelvic zone).