Overview of abortion: An unsolvable dilemma?

Definition of terms: Most web sites that deal with abortion do not pre-define their terms. This is important, because many conservative Christians and pro-lifers often assign unique meanings to common words and terms that are not shared by other people and groups. The three key terms that we use throughout this series of essays are:

"Life:" Any form of living animal or vegetable.

"Human life:" Any living entity containing human DNA. A spermatozoa, ovum, pre-embryo, embryo, fetus, newborn, and infant are different forms of human life. However, they are not all considered to have equal value.

"Human person" This is a form of human life which is considered to be a person whose life and health should be protected. No consensus exists about when this state begins. Many pro-lifers say it happens at or very shortly after conception, when a human life with a unique DNA begins. Many pro-choicers say that it happens later in gestation; some believe that personhood only begins after birth when the newborn is breathing on its own.

What is the question?: There are really two, different, very controversial abortion questions:

What is the best (or least awful) option in a specific situation? If a woman finds herself pregnant, and does not want to be, what is the best (or least worst) solution for her, the potential newborn that she is carrying, and all the other people involved -- including her boyfriend or husband and their families? 1) To take no action, have the baby, and raise it herself (hopefully with support from others).2) To take no action, give birth, and give the baby up for adoption.3) To have an abortion and terminate the pregnancy.

Should the state overrule the woman's or couple's decision? If a woman finds herself pregnant, discusses her options with her physician, perhaps her spiritual counselor, and other people involved, and decides to have an abortion, should the state override her decision? That is, should the state have a policy of enforced parenthood for all or most pregnant women?

The first decision is a personal one, between the woman, her physician and/or counselor. The second decision was answered by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Since that ruling, women have had the right to obtain an early abortion. She also has the right to have a later abortion if it is needed for health reasons. It is in this area of abortion access that there is a great deal of political activity, at least in the U.S. Many states are passing laws which would criminalize almost all abortions. Their apparent motivation is to force the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade and perhaps reverse their decision.

How often are abortions performed: In the United States, women choose to end about 25% of their pregnancies through abortion.

1. This number has been gradually declining since 1979. This is similar to the Canadian figure of 21%,

2. but is much lower than that of the former Soviet Union (60%) and Romania (78%) where contraceptives remain in short supply.

3. Opposing beliefs about when human personhood starts: Many, but not all, pro-lifers and pro-choicers believe that once human personhood starts -- i.e. when human life becomes a human person -- the person's life must be protected. Many religions, organizations and individuals have passionately held conflicting beliefs about when this happens. This naturally leads to opposing beliefs about when and under what conditions the state should intrude and deny a woman access to abortion.

To many, if not most, pro-lifers, human personhood begins at the instant of conception. Thus, they view each abortion as a form of murder. They often support this argument by noting that, at conception, a human life with its own unique DNA comes into being. The platform of the Constitution Party expresses this clearly. It "....is the only national political party that advocates a 100%, no-exceptions pro-life position in its platform. The Constitution Party platform states, 'The pre-born child, whose life begins at fertilization, is a human being created in God's image. The first duty of the law is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. It is, therefore, the duty of all civil governments to secure and to safeguard the lives of the pre-born'." 8,9 Many pro-lifers generally view an abortion clinic as a place where babies are murdered. Some pro-life groups and individuals have considered abortion clinics the ethical equivalent of a Nazi death camp.

To many pro-choicers, human personhood begins later in gestation or at birth. They note that a pre-embryo -- a just-fertilized ovum -- consists of a simple grouping of undifferentiated cells. The pre-embryo has no human shape, skin, brain, or other organs; it cannot sense the environment; it has no brain; it is not sentient; it is not conscious. Carl Sagan wrote an essay supporting this position.

4. The pro-life and pro-choice movements: These two groups differ about abortion access. Generally speaking:
Pro-lifers feel that abortion access should be restricted to special cases, or prohibited completely. Many are motivated by a belief that human personhood begins at conception. Thus, an abortion murders a baby.
Pro-choicers believe that each woman should be relatively free to follow their own ethical beliefs concerning the termination or continuation of a pregnancy. Many recognize that there is a diversity of beliefs about abortion access, and that the state should not attempt to enforce a common belief system on all pregnant women. Many pro-choicers believe that human personhood begins later in pregnancy.

Both groups would like to see a reduction in the number of abortions performed. Many pro-choicers promote support services for women in crisis pregnancies and/or seek legal restrictions on abortion access. Many pro-choicers promote better comprehensive birth control education in schools and greater access to contraceptives.The groups find it difficult to cooperate. They expend enormous energy fighting each other. If they were able to collaborate, they could make major reductions in the abortion rate, perhaps lowering it below the rate of most other developed countries. Within each movement there is a range of beliefs concerning restrictions on abortion, as described below.
Conflicting beliefs about abortion access: In spite of what the media might imply, there are not just two conflicting positions on abortion access -- pro-life and pro-choice. There is a spectrum of beliefs.

A small minority of the public believes that a woman should be free to terminate her pregnancy at any stage and for any reason that she feels to be valid.

Some feel that she should be able to choose to terminate the life of the pre-embryo, embryo or fetus for any reason before a certain point in gestation. This might be before:

26 weeks gestation -- the point when higher functions of the the fetus' brain are first activated and the fetus becomes a sentient being and is able to sense its surroundings, or
Quickening, or
It begins to look human, or
It loses its tail and gill slits, or
Its heart begins beating, or
The pre-embryo becomes attached to the inner lining of the woman's uterus.
Some would only allow legal abortions in one or more of the following situations:
If an abortion is needed to save the life of the woman, or
To prevent the woman from experiencing permanent disability, or
To prevent the woman having serious health problems.
When the fetus is so malformed that it will only live a matter of hours after birth.
When the fetus has a chromosome abnormality -- e.g. those that cause Down Syndrome.
Where the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.
A small minority believe that all abortions should be banned, even if needed to save the life of the mother.
We feel that it is naive for the media to imply that there is a unity of belief within the pro-life and within the pro-choice movements.

Status:

In the U.S., the pro-life and pro-choice movements are both powerful and active. Pro-life groups are particularly active at the state level and have successfully influenced legislators and governors into creating many laws that restrict abortion. Many of the laws have been ineffectual; they are so broadly worded that court injunctions suspend them shortly after having been signed into law. Courts often find that these laws are so vaguely worded that physicians are unable to determine whether a specific act is allowed or prohibited. Those laws which survive court challenges are not particularly effective; they often merely have the effect of deflecting abortion seekers to nearby states. Approval of the drug RU-486 has forever change abortion in America. Doctors are now able to prescribe the pills and women may be able to take the pill at their homes. Rural women will not have to drive long distances to abortion clinics; women will not have to run the gauntlet of abortion protestors.

In Canada, the pro-life movement has lost most of its funding after some groups started to harass abortion providers in the vicinity of their homes. This also terrorized the families and neighbors of the providers. During the late 1990's, two Canadian pro-life groups lost their charitable status with Revenue Canada because of excessive political activity. Abortion protests now fail to attract large numbers of supporters. The groups now do little more than conduct candlelight vigils, and issue press releases. With the exception of news about attacks by a lone, anti-abortion, "November 11th" assassin, abortion rarely is discussed in the media. The country does not even have a law to regulate abortions.

The law elsewhere in Europe:

· Italy: Abortion on demand is legal until the end of the 12th week. This law was introduced in 1978 and backed by a referendum in 1981.

· Ireland: A referendum in 1993 voted to keep abortion illegal, though it made it legal for the first time to travel abroad to have an abortion.

· Poland: For many years, abortion on demand was legal, but in 1993 the country outlawed abortion for all but strict medical reasons. In 1996, the Polish parliament passed a slightly more liberal law, but this was deemed unconstitutional by the high court.

· Spain: Abortion is legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, foetal abnormality, or risk to the pregnant woman's life or mental heath, according to a 1985 law

· United Kingdom: Abortion is legal in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, according to a law introduced in 1967, but only in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the 1967 law never came into force, so abortion is still not legal, though no law specifically prohibits it.

· Switzerland: Abortion is illegal, unless the life of the pregnant woman is in danger.

· Germany: Legal on condition that the woman has consulted a recognised counsellor.

· Sweden: Abortion is legal.

· Denmark: Abortion is legal until the 12th week of pregnancy.

· Romania: Abortion is legal until the 12th week of pregnancy.

References:

1. American statistics are listed by Baptists for Life, Inc. at: http://www.bfl.org/stats
2. Canadian statistics are listed by Action Life (Ottawa) Inc. at: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/
3. Bob Enyart is an extremely conservative talk show host. He has a "Bob Enyart Live Abortion Clock" on his web site. It lists the total number of legal abortions that have been performed since 1973. See: http://www.enyart.com/
4. Carl Sagan, "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium: Chapter 15" Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store Chapter 15 has been reprinted at: http://www.2think.org/
5. S. Boyd, "Give us liberty: The approval of RU-486 isn't about morals, it's about options," Salon.com at: http://www.salon.com/ (This may be a temporary posting)
6. A.T. Hyman, "The 'A' Word." This is an essay on the legal aspects of the abortion debate. See: http://members.aol.com/
7. Nellie Gray, president of March for Life, at the 28th annual March for Life, 2001-JAN-22.
8. "Constitution Party supports statewide abortion ban," Stop Abortion in Ohio, undated, at: http://www.ohioabortionban.com/
9. "Sanctity of Life," Platform, Constitution Party at: http://www.constitutionparty.com/
10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/121970.stm