Conner Jessop

12/02/2015
English 2010
Professor Alva
The Meaning of Life

Many people believe the issue of abortion to be dead and settled after the Roe v.s. Wade
case reasoned abortions to be legal on a federal level. This was certainly how I felt about the
issue when first deciding to write about abortion. To my earlier understanding, those pressing to
ban abortion were just religious fanatics trying to force their ideology through legislation while
those arguing for legal abortions were womans rights activists. I believed the reasons why
abortions are legal today was because the arguments for its legalization were completely sound
and anybody trying to rehash the issue was just digging up a lost cause. Its my understanding
now that the topic of whether or not abortions should be legal is a multi-layered issue, and is
defiantly still worthy of reconsideration.
While first researching my topic I sought out the hard facts. I first found that abortions
became legal on a federal level in 1978 when they decreed a womans right to an abortion is
supported by her rights to privacy and the rights to the people. This essentially is the bedrock of
the pro-choice argument, asserting that abortions are an entirely private and individual decision
by the woman. As Marianna Karakoulaki argues in her article Abortions and Womans Rights in
the US, Infringing upon a womans right to choose and abortion would be a violation of civil
liberties. Abortion is seen by the Supreme Court as an equality issue from the due process cause

which is why the Supreme Court defends abortion rights. Liberty cases have asserted the
government cant force gender stereotypes on woman. Karaloulaki presses that preventing
woman from abortions would limit woman more than men financially and economically.
What else one needs to be reminded of is that even when abortions were illegal, abortions
were still being performed. According to the world health organization, 20 million unsafe
abortions are performed each year with over 40,000 woman dying annually as a result. For those
desperate enough to get an abortion, its important that it be done in a safe environment done by
experts. Since the legalization of abortion in the 70s there have only been an estimated 400
deaths from legal abortions. To anyone who thinks this number is high, Slates health and science
article asks us to consider that just giving birth is the sixth leading cause of death for woman in
the US.
Pregnancy and birth carry high risks for a woman, and have a tremendous toll on the
womans body. An article from slate by Laura Melmuth points out that childbirth was an ordeal,
with an estimate of around 1200 deaths for every 100,000 births occurring in the 1600 and 1700
century. Thanks to modern science that number has drastically been reduced. Nonetheless deaths
still occur from childbearing which is why the Supreme Court ruled a woman can get an abortion
during any state of pregnancy if the womans health is at risk.
Since the Supreme Courts decision, states that had more conservative abortion laws are
doing everything they can to make it as difficult as possible for woman to get an abortion. An
article titled An Extreme Overreach into Women's Ability to Access Reproductive Health
Care." From National Womans Law Center draws attention to the many states restricting
womans ability to have an abortion. They are also making abortion providers get unnecessary
admitting privileges. Womans delay for an abortion in some states are tripling, and doctors also

give the patient unproven information prior to the abortion in hopes they will change their minds
or shame them out of it. Many of these restrictions are being tested whether or not they are
constitutional.
So whats the deal with the states trying to prevent woman from getting an abortion?
Arent they concerned about the womans safety? Do they not care about the womans life too?
Well the Supreme Courts ruling for a woman to get an abortion on the grounds of protecting her
health doesnt just apply to her physical health, but includes her mental and emotional health as
well. This broad allowance for a woman to get an abortion is what bothers prolife activists the
most, arguing that a woman can get an abortion for almost any reason.
Pro-life supporters are aware of a particular emotional threat that may excuse an abortion.
In the case of rape, most prolife supporters believe its okay for a woman to abort the fetus. As
the bioethicist and pro-life supporter Andrew Varga states, It is argued that in these tragic cases
the great value of the mental health of a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape or
incest can best be safe-guarded by abortion. It is also said that a pregnancy caused by rape or
incest is the result of a grave injustice and that the victim should not be obliged to carry the fetus
to viability. This would keep reminding her for nine months of the violence committed against
her and would just increase her mental anguish. It is reasoned that the value of the woman's
mental health is greater than the value of the fetus. Instead, what the prolife supporters want us
to consider, is the staggering amount of abortions occurring not related to womans health or
rape.
A statistic posted by The New York Times shows only 1% of abortions are because of
rape, while 95% of them are used as a womans birth control! The question that follows is does
the choice of the woman to have an abortion trump the life of the fetus? If the womans life,

health or sanity from rape arent at stake, should a woman still be able to pull the plug on a
developing human being? And who am I to say what another human being can or cant do?
To better consider these questions I thought it would be useful to consider exactly how
each side is defining human life and when it begins. One commonly used citation is from the
Declaration of Human Rights which states All human beings are born free and equal in dignity
and rights. This wording definitely offers support for the pro-choice argument. The Declaration
of Independence has some different wording however, saying All men are created equal. The
philosophical legitimacy could be debated over the wording in a religious context, but from an
evolutionary standpoint it is philosophically sound.
As the Senior Vice President of Family Research Council Rob Schwarzwalder argues,
once the sperm makes contact with the egg, the fetus begins development. Because of the growth
involved and the fact that DNA is present, Schwarzwalder believes that is what makes a human
being. From that point forward, the fetus is engaged in the process Aristotle calls becoming.
All living things at the point of their creation are continuously growing in order to reach
its actualized state. This actualized state is known as Eudaimonia, meaning human flourishing,
fulfillment, or happiness. It is a state of being which Aristotle believed to reflect a fully realized,
balanced human being. All humans are trying to attain that state, from the growing fetus to the
mother that doesnt want it.
Of course one cant compare a fetus to an adult woman. The woman is self away, has the
ability to reason, and can see herself as something distinct from others and its
environment. But what about a baby? Certainly a baby doesnt have such capacities, yet
the babies life is never a subject of debate. Does the unborn entity only gain our moral

consideration by being born? Following this logic Scott Klusendorf, the pro-life writer
from the Christian Research institute asks us to pause and consider why its being argued
that its okay to abort a fetus at any stage of pregnancy for economic reasons, but why we
consider it a crime to kill babies for the same reasons. Both entities are on the track to
becoming self-actualized adults, yet one act is legal while the other will land a first
degree murder charge.
From viewing these different views I found myself questioning the moral grounds
for abortions, and became more sensitive to the people who feel like abortions are wrong
if rape or threat to the womans life are not involved. Nothing captures this anguish more
than the man who killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.
A CNN article covering this topic said the man burst out in court, saying I am a warrior
for the babies!
Its clear there are many unsatisfied with the ruling, but I dont think making
abortions a crime would solve anything. As weve seen in the past, abortions still occur,
even when theyre illegal. If stopping abortions all together is unreasonable, I thought it
would be important to understand why most woman get abortions. According to a poll on
WEBMD, most woman get abortions because of financial insecurity. Because of the
financial burden of children, woman struggling just to make ends meet cant afford to
take care of a child. Niel Siegel from UCLA Law argues that the state cannot govern
when a woman is ready for motherhood. Having a child before shes ready will
negatively affect the mother and her child for the rest of their lives. If this is true, this
could greatly hinder the mother and child from ever reaching Aristotles actualized state
of Eudaimonia.

One pro-life supporter recognizes this very real problem. Stephen Boyd from
RELAVENT Magazine states in his article Pro Life Is More Than Anti-Abortion. that if
the state, and more specifically the church are to be so against abortion, they need to
address the fundamental concerns woman have when faced with unplanned pregnancy.
Instead of merely condemning woman for getting abortions for economic reasons, the
church needs to offer relief to struggling mothers. As Boyd puts it, The church cant
only be against death, but needs to be about improving the quality of life.
While this may prevent some woman from getting abortions if they can receive
support, a more realistic approach to reduce abortions would be to prevent unplanned
pregnancies. Prolife supporters suggest the best method of doing this is to increase safe
sex education. New Mexico and Mississippi either dont teach sex education or only
teach abstinence. The two of these states have the highest unplanned pregnancy rates,
while New Hampshire which teaches safe sex education, has the lowest rate of unplanned
pregnancy. According to research done at the University of Washington, teenagers that
received sex education were 60% less likely to cause another to get pregnant, or get
pregnant themselves, while abstinence only programs didnt change the likelihood of teen
pregnancy at all. With a standardized comprehensive sex education taught in schools,
pro-life supporters believe this will reduce abortion rates nationwide.
While it can be agreed upon that the world would be better if abortions never had
to occur, the reality is there is a need for them. Until the needs are met for the individuals
seeking abortions, the procedure will always be sought by woman who cannot physically
or mentally support children. I do believe pregnancies resulting from irresponsible sex
shouldnt ethically conclude with an abortion. However the decision should remain with

the individual, not the state. If were going to reduce the amount of birth control
abortions the solution isnt to ban abortions but to prevent them. By increasing safe sex
education, we can reduce the amount of unplanned pregnancies for woman of today and
the generations that follow.

Annotated Bibliography

Abortion." Justia Law. Justia, 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: This article discusses the Roe V.S. Wade case discussing the due process
cause justifying the womans right to determine whether or not to bear a child.
According to the language of the Constitution, a person and the rights guaranteed
to say persons do not extend to unborn people. The Federal act also prohibits states
from preventing a womans abortion based on ethics or dangers posed to medical
procedures. Another point drawn by the court is that a fetus cannot support a life of
its own without the support of the woman, thus concluding the issue comes down to
the mother.

"An Extreme Overreach into Women's Ability to Access Reproductive Health Care." National
Women's Law Center. National Womans Law Center, 2 July 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: Many states are restricting womans ability to have an abortion. A lot of
states too are making it difficult for teens to get abortions. They are also making
abortion providers to get unnecessary admitting privileges. Womans delay for an
abortion in some states are tripling, and doctors also give the patient unproven
information prior to the abortion in hopes they will change their minds or shame
them out of it. Many of these restrictions are being tested whether or not they are
constitutional.

Bridges, Emily. "Unintended Pregnancy Among Young People in the United States." Unintended
Pregnancy Among Young People in the United States. Intern Advocates for Youth, Oct. 2011. Web.
19 Oct. 2015.

Unplanned teen pregnancies

Helmuth, Laura. "The Never-Ending Battle Between Doctors and Midwives. Which Are More
Dangerous?" Slate.com. Prudential Financial Inc., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Tells the risk of childbirth for woman and babies.

Henderson, Haley, and Stephen Boyd. "Pro-Life Is More Than Anti-Abortion." RELEVANT Magazine.
Relevant Media Group, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: The article takes the churches stance, arguing that if they are being so
strict on abortion laws, they shouldnt be as strict about the woman having to take
full responsibility for the child too. With no abortion laws, kids will be born to broken
homes, impoverished states and to teenagers. The church needs to take a stand on

offering relief to such situations. The church cant only be against death, but needs
to be about improving the quality of life.
Karakoulaki, Marianna. "Abortion and Women's Rights in the USA."Abortion and Women's Rights in
the USA. The Globalized World Post, 15 June 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: The article begins by giving an overview of the prolife and prochoice
stances for abortion. Prolife supporters believe life begins with the fetus. Once the
fetus begins development, prolife supporters believe abortion is murder. People who
favor prochoice assert that the womans sovereignty over her own body is the most
important thing. Prochoice supporters also believe a person becomes a person at
birth. The United States made it legal on a federal level in 1978 when they decreed
a womans right to an abortion is supported by her rights to privacy and the rights
to the people. The more recent controversy the paper covers is the new act by the
Obama administration that enables an insured woman to get an abortion without a
copay. Republicans argue this is a violation of religious freedoms. Liberal supporters
of this argue it has nothing to do with religion at all but is a matter of womans
rights.

Klusendorf, Scott. "Pro-Life Arguments and the Vanishing Pro-Life Apologist - Christian Research
Institute." Christian Research Institute ProLife Arguments and the Vanishing ProLife Apologist
Comments. Equip.org, 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: The author of this article realizes the flaw in the pro-life argument.
Although the argument that killing an unborn human is morally sound to most
people, they fail to address the needs or concerns of the mother involved.
Regardless of this realization, the author insists pro-life supporters continue to state
that abortion is killing babies. The author asks us to consider why some think its ok
to abort a fetus for social or economic reasons, but why we dont kill babies for the
same reasons.

Schwarzwalder, Rob. "Family Research Council The Best Pro-Life Arguments for Secular

Audiences. Cathy Ruse, 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2015

Summary: Whats argued in this pro-life article is that once the sperm makes
contact with the egg, the fetus begins development. Because of the growth involved
and the fact that DNA is present, the author believes that is what makes a human
being. The author is outraged by the Supreme Courts decision to make abortion
legal and asserts that most abortions are done by healthy woman killing healthy
children.

Siegel, Neil. "Equality Arguments for Abortion Rights - UCLA Law Review."UCLA Law Review. 60
UCLA L. Rev. Disc. 160, 05 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Summary: The article argues for womans rights and equality. From the state
legislating abortion, this impacts when a woman is ready for motherhood. If a
woman is not ready for the responsibility of a child, this can affect her and her child
economically and socially for the rest of their lives. Abortion is seen by the Supreme
Court as an equality issue from the due process cause which is why the Supreme
Court defends abortion rights. Liberty cases have asserted the government cant
force gender stereotypes on woman, and cant govern her pregnancy to restrict her
socially and economically.