Abortion, also known as ‘termination of pregnancy,’ is a deliberate process of getting rid of pregnancy often carried out during the first semester of pregnancy ( Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d ). For a long time, abortion has been and remains a controversial ‘rights’ issue whose debate arouses mixed reactions from different parties. Cumulatively, around the world, millions of lives are not part of the populace because of the concept of abortion (Potrykus & Higgins, 2014) . Since it is a very sensitive issue that spans ethical concerns, health concerns as well as rights of freedom, it has accumulated votes on either side of the debate, and the government is drafting laws that will address the issue of abortion. As the government is trying to formulate policies that will govern abortion, schools have introduced courses of sex education that aims at addressing elucidating in details about abortion. The courses address diverse objectives, themes and issues concerned with abortion such as its history, types, risks, politics on abortion, and factors that influence women to perform an abortion. Therefore, this paper elucidates on how the collaborative presentation on ‘abortion, politics on abortion, and why women perform an abortion’ relates to the course objectives, themes, issues, as well as offers a reflection on the process of working in a group on the topic.
Abortion is not a new concept in the United States due to its controversial nature, that is, discussions about abortion has existed for decades in the social, cultural, and political arenas. For instance, in the early 20th century undertaking abortion in the U.S was illegal but due to an increased rate of pregnancies and illegal abortions amongst unmarried women and teenagers, women rights movements advocated for the legalisation of abortion. They argued that women should be granted the power to choose what is best for their bodies. In the 1970s, some states legalised abortion with a restriction for it to be performed in cases where it aims to save the mother’s life. Subsequently, Jane Roe who wanted to have an abortion but her state did not allow her took the case to the Supreme Court. The case duped ‘Roe vs Wade,’ brought a heated debate as to whether or not abortion should be legal ( Pew Research Centre, 2013 ). Finally, the court ruled in favour of Jane Roe thus deciding that under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution a woman has the right to obtain an abortion. As indicated in the presentation, the ruling formed the basis of the debate we see today where liberals are pro-choice while the conservatives are pro-life. That is why despite its legalisation, there are still those who feel that abortion should not be accommodated in the society.
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The presentation offers two main types of abortion that one can choose from, that is a pill and surgical abortion. While it is a challenge to decide to terminate a pregnancy, the confusion adds up when faced with the question of which type of abortion to employ. That is why knowing the difference between the two types proves handy when it comes to deciding amongst the choices available. Knowledge is addressing when, where, and how the abortion should be performed is critical for the mother. For instance, surgical abortion is commonly performed in the first semester of pregnancy within the first fourteen weeks of gestation. Its complication rates are low when performed at the stipulated duration (Stopes, 2016) . Though the procedure may occur up to the second trimester, it may involve a more delicate and complex surgical procedure. Regarding duration, surgical procedures take about ten minutes although the preparation takes four to five hours (Stopes, 2016) . It is advisable that the procedure is performed in a hospital by a qualified physician.
On the other hand, medical/pill abortion is the most commonly non-surgical option that women use. It is performed within the first sixty-three days of gestation. The medical abortion is performed in two phases; the first one administered by the doctor or oneself to act by broking an effect of the pregnancy maintenance hormone progesterone, and the second is taken 24-48 hours after the first medication to open the cervix for the expulsion of the fetus and pregnancy tissues. Essentially, to choose between the two depends on someone’s personal preferences and circumstances (Stopes, 2016) . Most women prefer medical abortion since it offers more privacy and less invasiveness in access to a termination.
Undertaking abortion is faced with numerous risks may it be legal or not, public or private knowledge. Most people are always unaware of the risks. The presentation points out some of the risks women encounter during abortion procedures. The complications may be immediate and life-threatening or sometimes prolonged into the future with serious ramifications. Some of the complications that include experiencing chronic abdominal pain, vomiting, as well as second-degree burns. Additionally, the woman may experience excessive bleeding, perforation of the uterus, convulsions, and infections. In other cases embolism, fever, cervical injury, and haemorrhage are experienced. Thus, understanding the consequences associated with undertaking abortion helps the woman prepare mentally for the psychological and physical implications.
While it has been easy to reconcile parties regarding the social values, economic impacts of abortion, foreign policy, and democratisation process, the concept of abortion remains the central distinguishing issue in the political process. A clear disparity in opinions is witnessed between the liberals (democrats) and the conservatives (republicans). For instance, the liberals believe and are in full support of the 1973 ruling by the Supreme Court of the case of Rode vs Wade. The Democrats strongly believe women have a right to decide about their bodies and the pregnancy which entails safe and legal abortion.
On the other hand, the conservatives uphold the human life sacredness as well as insist that unborn children have the right to live and nobody should infringe. They are in full support of the constitutional amendments as well as legislation that serves in clarifying the fourth Amendment to encompass protection of the unborn child.
Legal or not, the decision to perform an abortion is a hefty one and therefore when a woman resolves to undertake it she must have a concrete reason (s). The presentation shows that women mainly undertake abortion because of health or partner related issues. That is, partner-related reasons such as unsupportive partner, new relationship, abusive partner, or simply a wrong guy are common abortion reasons (Stacey, 2018). Additionally, abortion comes in as a solution if the pregnancy may have serious health repercussions to either the prospective mother or the child. Though they seem to be the chief reasons for performing an abortion, other substantial reasons lead to women performing an abortion. For instance, some of the women are financially unstable or unprepared to raise a child. Others attribute abortion to either bad timing, unplanned, lack of independence or simply immaturity. Similarly, some women resolve to abortion since the pregnancy may interfere with their vocational or educational plans (Stacey, 2018).
Lastly, abortion is a controversial issue thus the group discussion played a major role in providing insights on the way different individual from diverse backgrounds and with unique experiences viewed the topic. In particular, the group offered an understanding of the way the group members viewed abortion at an individual level, their opinions and ideas, as well as the inconsistencies and variation of their beliefs and experiences.
Overall, the course addresses diverse objectives, themes and issues. Particularly, the presentation offers an understanding of abortion and how the debate has taken a high road since the Roe vs Wade case. Other major aspects of abortion in the course objectives, themes, and issues addressed in the presentation include the abortion types, risks, politics, and reasons that contribute to women undertaking abortion. To be precise, the presentation offers two types of abortion, that is, surgical and pill or medical abortion. Additionally, risks such as severe abdominal pain, cervical damage, fever, excessive bleeding, and perforation of the uterus are among the many that may result from performing an abortion. Also, in terms of politics, liberals remain vigilant that the woman has a right to decide the best thing for her life and that of the child she is carrying (pro-choice) while conservatives state that the child has a right to live and therefore the child’s life should not be tampered with (pro-life). Moreover, women perform an abortion due to several reasons cutting across social, economic, health, and political areas. Finally, it is beneficial to engage other people in a discussion entailing the concept of abortion since it enables someone to understand the members’ opinions and ideas as well as the inconsistencies and variation of their beliefs and experiences.
References
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Definition of ABORTION. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abortion
Pew Research Centre. (2013). A History of Key Abortion Rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2013/01/16/a-history-of-key-abortion-rulings-of-the-us-supreme-court/
Potrykus, H., & Higgins, A. (2014). Abortion: Decrease of the US Population & Effects on Society.
Stacey, D. (2018). How Women Decide Abortion Is the Right Choice for Them. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/reasons-for-abortion-906589
Stopes, M. (2016). Medical vs Surgical Abortion | Marie Stopes AU. Retrieved from https://www.mariestopes.org.au/your-choices/surgical-abortion-vs-medical-abortion/
