Abortion
... glory of a fresh, righteous cause to uphold this new morality swept the countryside enveloping everyone in its awake. Abortionists who were once revered and depended upon were now scorned and threatened. Through abortions still happened with regularity, they were kept silent and seen as a matter of shame, especially in the Gulf countries as our culture differs a lot. “Over the next hundred years, public sentiment for the fetus continued to rise until the inevitable happened in America during the early 40’s abortion was made illegal.” (Cohen). There was much back patting and congratulations among the pro-life supporters, and why not? They had succeeded in saving the lives of the hundreds of innocent babies who would have been senselessly slaughtered for the convenience of selfish, ignorant, and irresponsible women. Because of this new law, women would settle down and raise families or give these beautiful children over into the hands of the hundreds of couples who were just waiting for a baby to call their own. It seemed that the perfect law had just been passed. Or had it? It has been proven repeatedly throughout history that the human spirit will not allow prohibition. Something inside us feels the need to strike out that, which restrains us and holds us from the life we want. Government, through regulation, had once again created a need that would be fulfilled by the lawless. Most doctors fearing incarceration, refused to treat the woman who desperately wanted abortions. Women, seeing no other solution to their problems, were often desperate enough to turn to these back room clinics. These clinics were located in poverty-ridden sections of the city and their conditions were deplorable. The places themselves were layered in filth and disease. Not only were these back rooms bad enough, inexperienced butchers using dirty and crude equipment treated the girls. There was an even more appalling decision a woman might face. If women were unable to pay the price for the illegal surgery, she would often perform the act herself. The most common, which was used for abortion, was Knitting needles, coat hangers, antiseptic douches and poisons were used most often. One thing most people do not think about is the fetus. If, as some say, life and the sense of self begin at conceptions, how many atrocities have been caused by the incompetence shown during this time? Some may wonder what drove these women to such extremes just to have an abortion. Why didn’t they just have the baby? The answer lies in our most basic human instinct: to survive as best as we can. These women want to live their lives as they choose, not as it is chosen that they live it. Being forced to bear a child could mean having support and give up dreams of a better life. In addition, they might be pressured into wedding to save their reputations. (Very common in the Arab countries). In the book “Black Rooms” by Allen Messer, a woman named Elizabeth, explains her reason for receiving an abortion. “People have said to me, how can you be in a favor of abortion? If you had one, you wouldn’t have these beautiful children. But I would have them. It just would have been later when I was better prepared to care for them. And maybe they would have a nicer man for their father. I would have been more prepared and all our lives would have been so much easier. Even though I love my children dearly. I regret that I did not have an abortion when I was given the option. I should never have let others influence my decision.” For other woman, being forced to bear a child would mean placing it into the system. It is commonly thought that every orphan is just temporary. That there is a family out there just waiting for it with open arms. The truth of the matter is that many families did not want children unless they were white and healthy. Most of the others were wither shifted through the system until they were 18 or sent to live with foster families who were sometimes uncaring or even abusing them. Women were aware of these realities and many refused to bring a child into the world and have it live in such a manner. Also was the fact that many women wanted to hide their present state from families or employers. They knew that they could be disowned or fired for their shameful state. They were desperate to keep their secrets, so desperate in fact that they were willing to risk their lives. This was a risk they would not have had to take. In the book abortion: A positive Decision, Mrs. Lunneborg states that “The desire not to have a child is by far the best reason for an abortion. There are enough unwanted children in the world already.” Therefore, these women risked, and often lost their lives in these illegal abortions. If they were caught afterwards, they were charged with murder. Then comes the question is abortion murder? Another definition by “Frohock” “The induced termination of a pregnancy before it is capable of survival as an individual”. Considering this definition, at the time of most abortion, the fetus is not an individual. The definition is far too simplistic. One needs to take into consideration the development stages of the fetal life span. The decision to terminate is not considered murder but an act of the deepest humanity, an opinion that contracts greatly to the shame and animosity faced by an aborted mother during the time of the mass anti-abortion sentiment. How long would women ...