Abortion Essay
Abortion has always been a contradictory issue, which cannot be resolved unanimously. Together with debates on homosexualism, emancipation, religious preferences, as well as multiple political issues, abortion has become a dilemma for the thousands of people, who have ever encountered this problem or at least have given a thought to it. I believe that if we do an action, we shall carry all the responsibility it entangles. If a woman has had a sexual intercourse, which was not safe, she should be ready to accept the following consequences without harming the little creature, which has done nothing, but also deserves a chance to enjoy life (Fox). On the other hand, there are many nuances, which make abortion a desirable and positive process for the sake of a future child, namely, the doctors may find some serious pathology or incurable illness at the early stage of pregnancy, or the parents are succumbing to AIDS. We do not have the right to doom someone innocent for suffering; however, if there is no extreme case, the unborn child must be given a chance to see the life with his or her own eyes.
Our parents, teachers, religious mentors, and protectionist of the rights of human life call us to be humane and treasure the life given to us by someone, as the greatest and most beautiful gift. Women who decide to make an abortion are considered to be brutal, heartless murderers, who are ready to kill the unborn child. However, most probably these people have never thought about the real feelings of these women. I am sure that all what they think is that she should have been more reasonable before it has happened, and few people would care to ask whether that sexual act was desirable by the woman or not. The responsibility of a man should not be lessened, but actually increased, because nowadays there is a tendency that intimate relationship become an easy virtue and men rarely think of the possible consequences for women (not even mentioning “for both of them” , since it appears to be easy for men simply to disappear later on). Because of this, more and more women agree to this operation, which frequently makes them feel terrible through the rest of their days. The anguish of killing is compared to the burden that an undesirable child may constitute, when a woman has to take care for him or her on her own, without any support of a strong man.
In many countries abortion is banned by the law; however, it is still conducted illegally with a great pressure on the poor women. No one cares to ask about the woman’s feelings, to enquire about her worries and fears. She stops being a woman in the eyes of others and turns into a killer. Sad, but this is the way the things are, despite all the rights for women and an ability to choose that life which you want, as you live in the democratic country. For example, abortion reached a very high level in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it is often conducted in a very unsafe way for the woman’s life (except for the fact that it is unsafe in its origin). More than 1.3 million unwanted pregnancies occur each year in Nigeria; 760 000 of them (the bigger half) end up in abortion (Guttmacher Institute).
For a long time, I was among those people, who considered abortion immoral and mean-spirited. I still think the same way; however, now I am trying hard to be more tolerant and recognize that there are some cases, when abortion is more reasonable, even after the situation that has happened to one of my married friends, who got pregnant for the second time. Her first pregnancy was without any complications and the delivery was very easy, that is why she did not have worries for her next child. The doctors did not see what to worry about either. Unfortunately, the delivery was very difficult and caused a lot of harm to the newborn girl. The chance that she would live was very miniscule and the doctors prepared the young couple for the worst.
The child survived and is now in her best health; however, the experience became a good lesson for me. When my friend was lying in the intensive care hospital with her baby, I had an opportunity to visit her. What I saw and heard there shook my entire perception of the abortion. One woman, who stayed in the neighboring ward, delivered a baby with the very acute case of the Parkinson disease. The defects in the little boy’s appearance were clear from the first sight: the head of quite a different shape, the expression on the face, which looks not quite human-like, the elongated heels, and the sixth finger-like attachment to the tiny hand. The prognosis of the doctors that the baby will not last longer than about two years made the woman and the man fall into a state of a total despair.
A good example to illustrate the importance of faith and love for the future child is Tim Tebow, whose parents were recommended to make an abortion, because of serious health problems the mother of the future well-known football player was expected to deliver a stillborn child. However, being practicing Christians, the young couple decided to give a chance to a child to live. Tim Tebow has gained not only fame of a professional player, he is also an inspiration for many people, who are in the same situation as his own parents once were. Tim Tebow shares his faith with hospitals, clinics, orphanages, and schools. He believes, as many other people do, that our future is in our children; therefore, the parents must be the role models for their offspring, showing them the way to love and care, correcting their wrong-doings, and teaching them how to make others happier, and how to be sympathetic (Tebow).
The worst thing is that the couple knew before the baby was born that there was a high possibility that the baby would be born with serious health issues; however, being good Christians, they still hoped for the better, despite the common sense. I was asking myself for quite a long time what would I do in such a case. I tried to forget everything I have ever learnt from the Bible and everything that my moral values told me. What is worse: to stop pregnancy and suffer from the pangs of remorse for the rest of life, or to have a child, who will suffer all his or her life in the world, which does not accept someone too different from the rest of the people? Someone, who will suffer through the constant health issues, until succumbing to one of them? I came to a conclusion that it was wiser to take responsibility for your deeds upon yourself and save the unborn child from the life full of misery.
Still, neither Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam nor Judaism recognizes this act of intentional murder. The believers state that life is the most precious gift any individual can ever obtain; therefore, no one has the right to take it away from an unborn child. Man’s and woman’s mistake shall not affect the future well-being of the innocent creature, which is about to experience the sheer taste of life. Even atheists claim that because they do not believe in life after death, an opportunity to experience life shall not be destroyed (Religious Views on Abortion).
On the other hand, not all cases are so complicated, and people should learn to be more thoughtful before doing something, which can change not only their lives, but also bring into this world a new being. Still, if the family is sure that pregnancy is a mistake or that the child is not desirable, especially by the mother, it is better to take a precaution once, and later on be even more careful in order not to let the situation arise again. Life is full of choices, and it is up to people to decide what is moral and what is immoral, and individual attitudes can differ from the general opinion greatly. On the other hand, thinking this way makes me feel uneasy, because even if such a thought of mine has been triggered by the common sense, the moral values do not allow to take that gift (life), which does not even belong to you anymore away from the future individual. All people make mistakes; however, any baby should not be considered so, as each has the right to appear to this world and taste its dishes.
Society has always been and will always be an indispensable factor for becoming an individual. Abortion proves to be a very delicate subject, full of prejudices and stereotypes, which determines the way the person is treated by others in their social circles. Unfortunately, biased opinions hinder the healthy development of those relationships, which can bring happiness and satisfaction to the people. The more people try to research on those widely disputed issues (male and female circumcision, constant threats to the homosexualists, and poorly understood practice of abortion, etc.) and make them understand the motifs, which have ruled the people, the better and more rewarding our world would be. Life can be so beautiful, when it is understood, when the person goes through it with multiple goals, fighting for them, and enjoying the results of his or her efforts. People should not be deprived the opportunity to learn day after day, making their own mistakes, however, still living.
No one should decide for us whether to live or not; if a new life has originated, it should not be destroyed by fear, despair, irresponsibility, or selfishness, as we have eventually to understand that if we are careless enough to give life without a real desire to do so, then we should be careful enough to make this life comfortable and safe for the growing baby. Maybe my understanding of the issue makes the majority of people oppose to me, but these views help me to be a humane individual, who still believes that our world can be saved, as soon as more and more people start realizing the power of responsibility with each coming day, and the brightest example to it is Tim Tebow, whose faith inspires thousands of people to struggle for their place under the sun.
Works Cited
Fox, Maggie. “Health Reform Hands States Surprising Weapon Against Abortion”. NBC News. February 2013. Web. 6 April 2013.
“In brief: Reducing unsafe abortion in Nigeria”. Guttmacher Institute. Washington, DC: Author, 2008. Web. 6 April 2013.
“Religious Views on Abortion”. Society for Protection of Unborn Children. N. d. Web. 6 April 2013.
Tebow, Tim. “Tebow Draws Big Crowd to Texas Easter Service”. Fox News. April 2012. Web. 6 April 2013.